The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-05-15

OF st. Cloud, who at least is honest
in his convictions and who was &
member Of the Investigating COM
mittee, that the members of TIL.
Board of control rather than tie
boys Of Minnesota are the ones IL
danger.
AS matter of fact the Board CT
Control was not an issue. IL the
Legislature had digested the evil
dence collected by its. special COM
mittee, and it did not, Mr.. Whittier
would have been down and out,
Board of Control or no Board Of Con-
troll. The Legislature did adopt the
report, condemning conditions at
the school, but the Board of Control
has not lifted It's hands toward re-
moving the man who is to blame for
these conditions. II the board re-
fuses to obey Governor Eberhart's
demands for reform at Red Wing, he
most certainly would be justified in
removing them from office, but the
silly, shallow, senseless suggestion of
The Herald that the Red Wing, In
vestigation was started for the sell
fish purpose of getting the scalps of
the members of the Board Of Con-
troll is as ridiculous as it is untrue.
Mr.. Leavitt, in his public COM
munication, says:
"The majority of both houses of
the Legislature had full knowledge
Of the facts and law and, as we'll, the
motives referred to and the char
acter of the testimony admitted.
This knowledge undoubtedly had
it's influence with the members in
determining their action on the re-
port of the committee and in refusing
to be carried off their feet by the
clamors of the few self constituted
guardians of public morals and the
urgent solicitation of back lumber
politicians, and SO perpetrate great
wrong upon conscientious and
faithful Official
We leave it to fair minded read
ers whether Mr.. Leavitt's thrust at
faithful and honored servant of
the state is justified in defense of a
man who, with cigar in his lips,
led helpless boys to- a contrivance of
torture of his own invention, there
to be beaten on, the bare back, for
the effense of using tobacco.
And this too during the time that
the solicitous Mr.. Leavitt was a
member of the State Board of Con-
troll. 1t is noteworthy that those
who rush to the defense of Mr..
Whittier have some singular and
sinister personal motive for their
action.
\
1t is not to be wondered at that
petitions are being sent to Governor
Eberhart to clean up. Red Wing and
that the press of the state-largely
speaking-demand a change and
joins with the Minneapolis Tribune
which suggests that unless reform
can be brought about, "the sooner the
place is closed and the boys sent
home or to St. Cloud the better
The Tribune in an editorial under
the caption "An Academy of Crime, =
says:
people talk about the Red Wing
matter as if it turned upon the
question of corporal punishment.
That is only superficial symptom.
What is really involved is the whole
modern system of training youths
with Grant tendencies and without
proper home training to be citizens
instead of criminals.
'The school at Red Wing is not a
place of punishment or of penal con-
finement. There is such place for
youths at St. Cloud. 1t is place to
teach good citizenship. The evidence
shows that it not only fails in this
function, but actually tends to the
making of criminals by hardening
incorrigibility into vicious purposes,
and by corrupting the comparatively
innocent by precept example.
"We do not refer alone to the minor
vices of speech, manner and habit
Haunted before the eyes of boys by
the very keepers who beat them into
insensibility for imitation. Let them
who want to know more demand a