Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1911-04-13
LAWMAKERS ON
THE LAST LAP
The Red Wing school-A Relapse into
5arbarism-The FiIIibuster.
Red Wing School

st. Paul-The committee appointed
TO investigate the charges made
against the management Of the Red
Wing Reform School, by ex-senator
Andrew Stephens, of Crookston, has
filed two reports, one by majority
OF the members and one by Senator
A. ]. Rockne who represents the sen-
atorial district in which the School is
located.
The only practical difference in
the two is that the majority report
recommends the dismissal of the Su-
perlntendent Whittier and his Sub
ordlnates, and the report of Senator
Rockne while concurring with the
findings places the blame for eondi-
lions on the legislature rather than
on the Superintendent and declares
1t would be unjust to discharge hin,
and his assistants.
The Findings of the Committee
were substantially as follows:
That the Superintendent bought a
Whipping machine in 1903, and that
1t was common thing for boys to
be tied to this machine and Nogsed.
after first being stripped and covered
with wet towel.
That boys were whipped in n1any
cases excessively.
That after the whipping machine
was destroyed by fire in 1905, a bar
rel was substituted and the bows
were placed over that and after be-
ing stripped were spanked with a
heavy leather strap.
That they were often so punished
for unimportant and trivial offenses.
That many times such punishments
were not. reported to the Superintend-
ent.
That many times it was not cor
rectly reported.
The majority of the Committee re-
comended:
The dismissal of Superintendent F.
A. Whittier.
The dismissal of assistant Superin-
tendent Dorm and Family Managers
Stoppleman and Metzold
The abolishment of corporal pun
ishment for all boys over Is years old.
Corporal punishment to be inflicted
on the younger boys only under strin-
gent rules to be- prescribed by the
Board of Control
The general humane treatment of
all inmates.
When this report and that of Sen
ator Rockne comes up for action the
Board of Control is due for a :,rilling
and it is not unlikely they will be
censured for laxity of duty and pos
sibly their designations will be de-
manded.
Ex-senator Stephens certainly has
made good his charges and is entitled
to the thanks of the state for calling
attention to the condition of things
that certainly ought not to exist.
A Relapse into Barbarism
A bill fathered by combination
of Republican and Democratic Senat-
ors from the smaller senatorial dis
tricts and which has passed the Sen
ate and came very near passing the
House, demonstrated in the most
startling manner the tendency of the
most enlightened bodies of men to oc-
casiona1ly lapse back into the theories
OF the Dark Ages and to stand for
principles that great majority of
modern minds regard as relics of a.
barbaric past and to re-enact legisla-
ton that smacks of the old colonial
days when suffrage was not regarded
as a manhood right but a peruuisite
OF property, color and locality.
The bill referred to, provides that
10 county, no matter what it's popuIa-
ton may be, shall ever have more
than six Senator's
This measure is directly 4aimed at
the counties of Hennepin, Ramsey
and st. Louis as there are no other
counties in the state that will be en-
titled to that number on a population
basis for many years to come,
When the constitution of the United
States was adopted, as a concession
to the spirit of aristocracy and com
promise to the arrogant demands of
Shareholders the following clause re-
lating to representation was inserted
therein:
Representatives and direct taxes
shall be apporuoned among the sever
al states which may be included in
this Union according to their respec-