Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-08-16
B!'lAMES BOARD o. CONTROL.
PERMITTED CORPORAL PUNISH.
I5:sS hENT At TRAINING SCHOOL.
Board o. Visitors Reports Finding
Right In, Control 1ody's
Book,

49, = s'-uAs NA1AA' AL tu0 testimony
which is to be submitted by the COM
plainant at the hearing before the
board OF control on the charges filed
by Ralph Wheelock against Superin-
5tendent Whittier of the Red Wing
training school was completed. Just
as the board was hearing the stories
OF beatings given the boys at Red
Wing by subordinates of the school,
the board of visitors made public a
report on conditions of the state in
stitution in which it uncovered the
fact that the board Of control itself
was responsible for the corporal pun
1shment being administered at the
school by persons other than the sup
erintendent or his assistant. Accord.
Ing to the report Of James c. Match
lit. executive secretary to the board
OF visitors, the following rule is to
be found in a small booklet issued in
1905:
All corporal punishment shall be
administered by the superintendent or
assistant superintendent, or under
their direction
Mr.. Matchitt makes the following
comment on the rule in his report:
Thus 1t seems that the board Of
control itself years ago established
corporal punishment at the Red Wing
school, without even the requirement
that 1t must be administered in the
presence of the head of the school
or his assistant. the rule merely re-
quiring that it be under their direc.
ticn. Nor do these printed rules pre-
scribe or make any reference to the
number Of blows to be allowed or
other limit to the punishment"
The rules, which were dug up at the
institution, also contain a paragraph
to the effect that all corporal punish
ment should be reported to the board.
This section reads as follows:
Each and all cases of corporal pun
ishment or other equivalent punish
ment in the school shall be reported
at the next following meeting of the
board of control, and at such meeting
each and every pupil so punished shall
have a right to be heard before said
board, and it shall be the duty of the
board to give the pupil such hear
ing If requested
Rules Are Unsatisfactory.
The report of the board of visitors
also said the present rules for corpo-
raj punishment at the school are un-
satisfactory. It intimates that Is
blows with flexible leather paddle
are not enough to subcue boy who
is being punished.
Time Extension Denied.
When Mr.. Sanborn, attorney for
Mr.. Wheelock, had questioned his
fourth witness, he asked that he be al
lowed more time in which to secure
other witnesses. Tht board refused
to grant this request on the grounds
that an agreement: had been reached
last week to the effect that the com
plainant was to complete his case
this week. The complainant then
rested. 49,.
Frank M. Wilson, attorney for Su.
rerintendent Whittier, argued for a
dismissal. This was denied by the
board. In his argument for dismissal,
Mr.. Wilson cited many supreme court
decisions dealing with corporal pun
ishment of pupils by their teachers.
Most Of the decisions dated back
nearly century. ".
When the motion for dismissal was
denied, Mr.. Wilson said that when the
hearing was resumed at Red Wing
next Thursday he would call Superin-
tendent Whittier as the first witness