The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-04-13

State Board of Control wants to make
report showing that they run the
state cheap, '-~.-.
Representative w. I. Nolan put
the blame sQuarely on the Board of
Control but said that he would vote
for the dismissal of Mr.. Whittier if
assured that it would mean a bet
tering of conditions.
Clinton Robinson, a sort of politi-
cal organ who, although he doesn't
know it, is the clown of the house,
didn't think much of the report. He
said
II have seen a whole lot of reports
but this one is the most simplest /
ever seen. It's a political pull and
nothing else. Why, the day this
resolution was introduced Mr.. Ly-
diard turned around in his seat and
said to me,-'It's Stephens wife
that's doing this and then he (Ly-
diard) moved to include the girls
school in the Investigation
This charge brought Mr.. Lydiard
to his feet with a jump.
Il want to say" he shouted, that
this is an absolute falsehood."
'Taint no falsehood," piped back
Mr.. Robinson in his shrill tenor
voice.
Il say it u.s." reiterated Mr.. Ly-
diard. why, Lord bless you,
didn't even know that Stephens had
a wife,
"Well, it's your word against
mine," came back Mr.. Robinson,
"and l have the records to bear out
part of my statements"
The Dunn motion to amend the re-
port and thus nullify the recon-
mendations of the committee carried,
SO to 30. That part of the report
which was adopted does not even call
for the adjustment of corporal pun
!shment. Representative Ernest
Lundeen has presented a resolution
which seeks to do away with the
lash.
Representative Lydiard and others
still believe that the Board of Con-
troll should be made to resign and
renewed efforts along that line may
be made.
Representative Lydiard's remarks
in defense of the majority report of
the committee follows in full:
This report represents the findings
of the committee as to conditions as
they actually exist at Red Wing.
These findings are the conclusion to
which majority of all the members
could agree, yet the findings do not
represent all that the members of
the committee think, and the verbal
statement which l am about to make
should be accepted in the light Of an
additional report.
This report shows that the COM
mittee finds conditions at Red Wing
hopelessly bad 1t shows that the
spirit of kindness and goodwill has
been substituted by the rule of the
lash. 1t shows that when love has
been forced to depart from the souls
of these boys, fear has entered. It
shows that instead of recognizing
the reform spirit of the institution,
instead of recognizing the fact that
modern thought has evolved a new
method of dealing with delinquent
children, armed with whip, the
pres mt superintendent of this in
stitution has gone about among
these unfortunates as the incar-
nation of the spirit of fear. In
fractions of discipline, boyish
pranks, the usual effercescence Of
youth have been punished with
brutal blows. Fastened to a
machine or appliance, hands shack
led backs barred, these boys have re-
ceived ten, twenty, thirty and as
many as hundred lashes.
The superintendent is recommend
ed for removal. His assistants must
go, but fixing the blame upon these
men alone is mere subterfuge. It
is merely fixing the blame upon the
sub-ordinates for a fault that in the
first instance belongs to men higher
in authority.
Mr.. Speaker and gentlemen of the
House, the shame of Red Wing is
nnf .fla "a q ncnf Of q mara cia h.nrdinafa