Arizona republican., 1914-03-07
INVESTIGATION
 ORDERED FOR ! REFORMSCH00l
Board of Control Consents
 to Public Inquiry by
 State Auditor Callaghan, Who Immediately As sumes Important Task

The investigation of the condition of the State Industrial School and the Pioneers Home, will be made by J. c. Callaghan, state auditor and member of the board of control This was the unanimous action of the board yester- day after a session which lasted the greater part of the afternoon. Auditor Callaghan was given permission to em- ploy all necessary clerical assistance to probe conditions at the two institu tions to the bottom.
 The board did not agree to be bound by the report of the auditor. when the investigation shall have been complet- ed The superintendent of the Indus an attorney present at the sessions of the inquiry, which are to be public. Auditor Callaghan left upon his mis- sion to Fort Grant last night. The session of the board of control was quite warm affair. Superinten- dent Whipple was present, and while stating that he courted the fullest in vestigation, asked that specific charges be made against him, itemizing the same and giving full dates and particu- | lars. In answer to this, the auditor said that such a thing would be inn possible. His request to the board of control for an investigation was made 1 in order that the ugly rumors con- cerning the school shall be proven in correct, or the cause for them wiped out
 l ATr i,o-i ct some sort of charges, it was arranged ! that a copy of the following letter from
 MT. Callaghan to the board of control | be given to him to serve in that ca pacity.
 The letter was written yesterday | March 6, 1914
 MT. Charles R. Osborn, Sec, | Board of Control,
 1 The Capitol Building.
 ! Dear Sir:
 Inasmuch as ulterior motives have | been unjustly attributed to me in the 1 matter now before this body, both by | the chairman of the board of control at the last meeting, and by the super | intendent of the Industrial School in a l communication under date of March 2nd I shall avail myself, at the outset,
 of the opportunity to state my position
 My attitude in bringing this matter
 before the board is based wholly upon 1 a desire to see a state institution, l where the character of young girls and boys is to be safeguarded and nodded, so managed that the morals of the in
 mates will be diligently conserved I may be denied the privilege to par ] ticipate in directing the policy of the management of the State Industrial
 School; events occurring there may be hidden from me. and reports smoth-
 cred. but when in due course through indirect and circuitous routes finally | come into possession of information disclosing gross immortality and con- dition of incompetencv existing at the
 institution. I would feet that I were lax in duty both to myself and to the people of the state. if I did not insist upon an investigation and remedial ac- ton by this board
 An individual who can justify in his own mind his procedure in holding a | secret conference with my associates
 on this board in Phoenix. Sunday, Feb l ruary 18th. while studiously ignoring | and avoiding me as the third member of the board: who could further. on
 the occasion of my visit to the In- dustrial School On February 23rd. fail to discuss or to disclose the disgraceful
 orgies so recently enacted at that in
 stitution; whose conception of plain duty is so dismally vague. may well be
 excused in the further effort to devise la hypothesis for criticism of my action
 in calling for this investigation.
 II I maintain that the Industrial School
 is no place to try out experiments based upon unreasonable theories: that i'm morality. gross and far reaching. which
 is not. and cannot be denied, and is ab- solutely inexcusable has existed there during a considerable period of time;
 and that such a condition demands no
 less than change of management. Yours very truly. | J. C. CALLAGHAN.
 State Auditor and Member, Board of II Control
 During the course of the proceedings.
 Mir. Callaghan stated that he would prefer that all the members took part in the investigation. but both the gov
 ernor and MT. Osborn stated that busi- ness was so pressing, that all of them
 could not give their entire time dur ing the course of such proceeding As far as the governor was concerned, he
 was perfectly willing that MT. Osborn should go. but MT. Osborn demurred at this. saying that one could do as well as two at the business, which finally, settled the matter.