The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-04-14

err, we found that five of the mem
bers could agree. We felt that we
could arrive at but one conclusion.
Our report conforms to the evidence
of the case and from a lawyers
standpoint he would say that our
findings are sustained by the evil
dence.'
Senator Sullivan then read from
the findings of the majority report
of the committee, and continued:
81 challenge any man who has
heard the hearings or examined these
findings to say that they were net
sustained by the evidence. Right
here, I want to say that l don't care
how good man Mr.. Whittier may
be otherwise, l don't care how much
integrity he may have and l don't
care how much eulogy he may re-
man whose brain would lead him to
man whose brain would lead his to
install a machine of that character
over which he would place boys to
be whipped is not man for an in
stitution of such a beneficent pur-
pose. 1t is not prison pen: it is
not penal institution. It's char
acter has been described by the SUI
preme court of this state in a case
in which the character of the insti-
tuition was in question. The deci-
sion bears the date of 1898.
"You have got to have discipline,
no doubt, but you don't have to have
barbarism. You don't have to 20
back to the days of mediaevalism
You want to march ahead. The dis
cipline there should be parental, not
punitive in it's character. Can you
conceive the public schools where
your children and mine are to be
sent adopting the method of having
their persons barred and placed over
machine to be strapped?
THAT strap was no light concern.
1t was presented to your committee
when we visited Red Wing; the
weight l don't just remember but it
was some foot and a half in length
with a handle and l want to say to
you, gentlemen of the senate, it
gave me the good holy horror to
think of it.
"a man with that kind of con-
ception, a man who would invent
that machine, is entirely and utter
ly unfit to have charge for the state
of Minnesota of the wards of the
state. 1t will be said that those
boys are tough and incorrigible and
hard to manage. No doubt about
that or they would not be sent there,
but, because boy is tough is so
much more the reason for patience
and humanity and there should be
in charge of those boys a man of
broad guage. humane, with a proper
conception of their functions, so as
to try and bring about proper re-
suits.
"Mr Whittier came before us,
himself, and admitted substantially
all that was Canned by the inmates
in regard to corporal punishment. x Il
after taking testimony and going
| to Red Wing to examine the books,
we came to the further conclusion
that punishment as inflicted there in
! a haphazard manner, without judici-
al Investigation, but reported back to
Mr.. Whittier afterwards, for his ap-
proval. The books of the institu-
ton are not a true record neither in
amount or number of punishments
nor as to the extent in which it was
carried on.
'It appears in the records that one
of the common things for which
they were punished and some times
severely, was for the use of tobacco.
Mr.. Whittier's subordinates went up
and down, throwing away pieces of
tobacco in the form of stumps, plac-
ing temptation in the boys way and
the boys who transgressed were
licked. Is that right or manly?
To first place temptation in their