The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1911-09-21
HALvfRSON HITS
Former Member of Board of Con-
troll Strikes Sturdy Blows
LANDS ON GOVERNOR
Assumes Aggressive. Attitude IN
Eioht Over Red Wing Reform
School Status

-.
member of the Board of Control, who,
upon the expiration of his term OF
office, was succeeded by G. j. SWend-
sen, republican, appointed by the
present governor, has sent the follow
ing communication to The Herald
relative to the Whittier investiga-
ton:
Charges of cruel and inhuman
treatment of the boys in the training
school at Red Wing were made by
Senator Stephens against Supt. F. A.
Whittier. A joint committee OF the
legislature was appointed by the lieu
tenant governor and the speaker to
investigate those charges. The COM
mittee held several hearings. Many
witne .ses appeared before the COM
mittee and testified 1t must be re-
membered that Mr. Whittier felt so
secure and innocent of the charges
made against him that he did not en-
ploy an attorney to handle his case
before the committee. The commit
tee made its report to the legislature.
The report contained clause recon-
mending the removal of Mr.. Whittier
as superintendent. Both the senate
and the house refused to adopt the
report with the clause in it. The
clause was stricken out and the re-
port adopted
"The action of the legislature great
ly displeased both Senator Stephens
and the governor. Immediately the
governor commenced to proclaim
from the housetops and through in
terviews in the columns Of the press
that he would remove Mr.. Whittier.
The attorney general held that the
governor had no power to remove the
superintendent. This very plain and
simple law the governor as lawyer
should have known. The governors
interviews about the removal of Mr..
Whittier came thick and fast, evil
IDENTITY for the purpose of influencing
public opinion. Why did he not say
through the newspapers to the people
of the state, with the dignity OF his
important and high position, that
proper complaint would be made
against Mr.. Whittier and that legal
hearing had before the proper tribu-
nal, that a representative from the
legal department of the state would
assist the Board of Control in the
conduct of the hearing, to protect the
states interest in the case?
'This the governor could have done
with perfect assurance that justice
would be done. He knows, as we'll as
any man in the state. that the Board
is composed of fair-minded and intel
ligent men who would not tolerate
any cruelty or inhuman treatment on
the part of Mr.. Whittier or any SUI
perintendent of any of the state in
stitutions. 1t must be remembered
that the Board heard every bit of
evidence from the lips of the wit
nesses: they saw the witnesses on the
stand, knew the history of the boys,
| former inmates of the training school,
knew their general charater, good or
bad. l know the Board is composed
of kind-hearted, intelligent and hon
orable gentlemen, and men of ability,
who in every public act endeavor to
serve the state faithfully and honestly.
What reason can any one have for
thinking that they will not decide
| the case from the evidence, CREDIBLE
ity of the witnesses considered?
1.-THE public knows the case only
| from the garbled reports in the news
papers that are busy getting the ma
chine in running order for the reelec-
tion of Gov. Eberhart. The people
neither see nor hear the witnesses,