New Ulm review., 1913-04-02
8. Phi letie,r

Il gsA
Charles Keller, Msyor keller's
brother, state fire marshal and mem
Der Of the Eberhsrt-Smith political or
ganizati0n figured in Sensational tes
tim0ny given last week in the St. Paul
municipal court ct the trial OF n. a.
Guilford, charged with. criminal libel
In connection with statements in his
paper relative TO the official conduct
of Detective Gross, Of the st. Paul
police force. Joseph L.. Reilly,
manager, OF the Minnesota Detective
agency, stated emphaticslly that he
vas in partnership With George and
Charles Keller in policy games. This
/ Testimony following fast upon the heels
Of the fish scandal which involved
Mayor Keller and the entire Keller
administration has dealt body blow
to the local machine as we'll ss stimu-
lating the vital question, "Will Gov
ernor Eberhart retain Charles Keller
in his official family" OF course
Charles Keller denies it all, but the
wise ones knew something is at the
bottom Of it. This last scandal is
somewhat worse than the Shetek en-
broglio and is only intensifying the
''fishy" odor attaching to the present
Keller administration.
':The management of the new state
capitol is top heavy" This 10 brief
is the result of an Investigation into
the cust0dians Office by the House
committee on public accounts and ex-
penditures. If it were only top heavy,
the taxpayers might not object SO
much, but the committee discovered
that the building was extravagantly
handled. Fred Englis, Duluth con-
tractor, political friend of this admin
stration, secured the job of restoring
the frescoes in the corridors of the
new capitol. Mr.. Englis is also an
officer in the state naval militia of
which Mr.. Eaton, state oil inspector,
is the commanding officer. When it
looked as though the agreement upon
which Mr.. Englis was engaged without
competition would exhaust the state
maintenance fund, some taxpayers
got busy and called the attention OF
State Auditor Iverson to the raid. He
vetoed the vouchers and Mr.. Englis
after several conferences with Ralph
Wheelock and others was forced to
reduce his price. Workmen we're re.
ceiving from seventy-tive cents. an
hour up to more than ~ so an hour.
Eb Corliss, the custodian, told these
things and more. There was stormy
time among the politicians because
"Eb" told so much. Ralph Wheeiock
was decidedly peeved. But this is
not all. The committee discovered an
item of 81, 800 which was paid David
Wallblom, Jr.: for carpets without
bidding. "Dave'. as he
is popularity known, is political
bed fellow of Eberhart's. In fact
''Dave" is like the postmaster who
boasted that "no administration could
change quicker than he could.' But
that is another story. Dave got the
contract to furnish the carpets. They
say the carpets we're good, but the
as a rule like the competi-
tive system of bidding. 'Eb" told
this also not to the liking of Cover
nor Eberhart upon whose official staff
"Dave'' is one of the most imposing
members.
Lieut.. Governor J. A. Burnquist
has incurred the implacable enmity OF
the Progressives, progressive Re-
publcans and what Democratic
friends he has had by appointing
Senators Rockne and George Sullivan
upon the initiative conference COM
mittee. Only the dyed-in-the.w wool,
stsnd-patters seem
friendly to Burnquist now.
The Eberhart administration was
given q covert slap in the report of
the House committee last week when 1t
was recommended to abolish the game
and fish commission and put the work
of that department under the state
forester. The seining of Lake Shetek
was attacked and in re-
ferring to this the committee said:
sIt was situation of which neither
the state nor the officers concerned
have, any reason to be. proud.
Mayor Herbert Keller was not re-
ferred to by name, but he was identi-
fed as "prominent attorney
Henry Rines and his followers make
the .'subtie' charge that the brewers
are behind the non-psrtissn plan in
its application to members OF the
legislature. Anyone who knows the
history of the state wide primary bill