New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1911-03-08
LEGISLATIVE
PR0BERS BUSY
Several State Departments IN.
der Investigation.
DRAINAGE IN TIE SpOTLIGHT
Surprising Conditions Have Been
Brought to Light and Further
Sensations Are Promised.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
st. Paul, March 6.-The past week
has been week of investigations in
the state legislature. Startling things
have been brought to light, and others
are promised. Interest" has centered
In the investigation OF Engineer
George Ralph Of the state drainage
commission, and the special investiga.
ton committee is doing the best il
can to find the truth in the matter.
About all that has developed is the
fact that contractors in Aitkin county
began work on their contracts before
they had been formally allotted by the
drainage commission. 1t also devel
ops that George Welsh, state ,immi.
grafton commissioner; Secretary Of.
State julius schmahl, Senator L. o.
Cooke and others owned lands in Ait
kin county near the bitches excavated.
The answer of Mr.. Welsh is that he
has faith in Northern Minnesota lands,
that the ditch was a judicial ditch and
that he can see no reason why he
should not buy lands there as well as
anywhere.
The investigation of the state indus.
trial school at Red Wing, started
through the statements made at
Crookston by former Senator A. D..
Stephens, is also in progress. Boys
have appeared on the stand to tell OF
whippings they received. They have
presented some rather damaging tes.
timony, but the friends of Supeftn-
PENDENT Whittier saysthis will be en-.
tirely understood and the criticism
Withdrawn when his side of the story
- told. -:
Still another investigation is prom.
Used in resolution introduced by Rep
resentative Campbell il the house,
asking for an investigation of the &C
counts of former State Insurance Com
missioner j. A. Hartigan. Mr.. Camp
bell asserts his resolution aims not so
much to cTiticise Mr.. Hartigan as it
hopes to remedy the system of run
1ing the Office of the insurance com.
missioner that prevails now. He
. charges that Mr.. Hartigan has gone
East on several occasions and has en-.
1oyed himself at the expense Of the
state. Mr.. Hartigan stands high in
the stats and is looked upon as man
of the highest sense of honor and
proven probity.
!. i 4
The affairs OF Secretary of State
julius Schmahl are attracting consid.
cradle attention and much ugly talk
10 heard, emanating mostly from the
committee room OF the committee on
public accounts and expenditures. 1t
10 charged that in addition to incur
ring the expenditure Of something like
$4,000 more than the law allowed him
! In the matter of printing. Mr.. Schmahl,
in handling automobile tags, bought
I ehSm ct IS cents when he could have
secured them for Is cents, and that
they were bought through middle
man. Mr.. Schmahrs defense is that
1t was necessary to buy them in a
hurry
The matter Of exempting policemen
and firsmsn from the prohibitions of
The anti-pass law came up for hear.
ins in the senate committee OF the
whole. The spectacle of old guard
ssnators and progressive members
standing side by side was the result.
The senate supporters of the bill al.
lowing policemen and firemen to ride
free could muster only thirty votes.
but enough to recommend it for pas:
sage. Senators Iende and G. H. Sui.
! Ivan led the fight against the exemp.
ton, charging that to exempt firemen
and policemen would result in nullify.
Ing the provisions of the law. The
street railway men have had lobby
at work trying to defeat the measure
and In this they have been assisted by
s the men who earnestly believe that
. n would defeat the intent of the anti
PASS law to permit any exceptions.
They profess to believe also that to
make an exception now would be fol-
lowed by requests for other exceptions
later and that after while legislators
would be riding on free passes, just
- they were accustomed to do
+
Employers liability legislation seems
likely to 60 by the boards this SEES
st0n. There are four workmen's COM
Z Doasation measures now before the
senate and none of them seem salts
factory to all parties. The report OF
the commission APPOINTED by the late