The Detroit times., 1915-01-27
From a stan corresoon dsns

lAANSlNkf. MGR, Jan. Z1.-hep.
Sheridan ID. Ford. OF Detroit. In 80
minute speech which set the house
by the ears and which engendered
bitter personalities at the close OF
the days session, Tuesday afternoon,
voiced hts demand for a probe OF the
pardon boards action in refusing to
parole Merle Van vorce. Jackson pris-
on's scandal convict"
At the close Of Rep Ford's address
his. formal resolution asking the in
vestigation was, over his protest,
made special order for considera.
ton at $3.50 o'clock today. II
After making 1t clear that he had
asked the probe with no intent Of In
volving Gov. Ferris. Warden Simpson.
or the board OF control of Jackson
prison. Rep. Ford charged the pardon
board with "the most damnable con-
spiracy ever entered into--the con-
spiraey Of silenee-the conspiracy to
prevent men from knowing the facts.
Those defending the pardon board
assert that there has been too much
publicity said Rep, Ford. They are
wrong; .hopelessly and wholly wrong.
The trouble Is that there hasn't been
enough publicity. IL there had been
full publicity from the start, the case
would have been settled ere now, the
scandal thushed and agitation silenced.
! am the best friend the pardon
board has In this house. / am the
best friend the governor, Nate Simp-
son or Jackson prison has. IL this
matter, had been, threshed out and
the full facts spread before the pub
lie this scandal would have ceased in
December. This is not an individual
question of either Merle Van Vorce
or his heart-broken wife. Van Vorce
may be the most hardened criminal In
Jackson. j do not know whether he
Is. Do you?y
Van vorce Is not on trial here. II
is the pardon board. am amazed
that the, board. members themselves
did not ask for an investigation. II I
had been q member of that board last
Thursday following the statements In
the papers, would have come here
and asked. nay demanded. an investi-
cation. insofar as my knowledge
SONbs .HSytT nuTt kOOu
cause nor. helped a bad one.
There are not two sides to this
questions There IS sonly the inside
and thespeople OF Michigan are won
dering and questioning about the Van
Vorce case. They would like to know
the facts. / don't know them. Do
your As N i - ~
Il believe that the burden of show
ings that this prisoner was not en-.
titled TO release, rests with the par
dom board I do not say that he IL
entitled TO, release. l do not know.
Do your All that am pleading for
is that we may have the facts pre-
sented to us. esN
IF this resolution Is defeated 1t
will be another lost cause fought by
newspapermen against bureaucratic
officialdon and the. stupidity and I'm
mobility Of ~ Jacks In Office. Gen
tlemen, there are some defeats that
are victories. and l would thousand
times 60 to. defeat In this fight for
simple Justice than to share In some
things. n1en call. Victories
"Mf Speaker, Tor seven long. miser-
able months this true and noble WON.
an, against whose character the bright
light OF publicity has not revealed one
shade OF evidence, clothed herself in
the dignity OF silence and carried
within her tortured breast the CHASTITY
secret that an ofYiciai OF Michigan, I'm
a position to carry out his end of the
bargain, had cody proposed to her
that ~ she. would give him her body
he would give her her husband. The
pardon board says this incident has
been closed. II Is net closed and II
will not be closed until the prison
doors at Jackson swing wide for
Merle Van vorce. Suppose that Meta
Van yorce was your wife. How
would you feelg Well, she IL your
sister and Merle Van vorce is your
brother. though you may not think
so. And, that is the reason. Mr..
Speaker, t1,atTI demand a roll cal"
Rep. Ford,s verbal bombshell came
when he ,intimated that one Of the
members OF the prison committee.
Rep John M. Biggerstaff. OF Kalama-
zoo, VIVA. WAS active In urging the In
auiry at the time Mrs. Van vorce told
her story. had sprung a case OF cold
feet; ora case of patronage FIRST and
cold feet afterwards"
This c11nree grew out OF an allega-
ton that Speaker Smith had promised
Rep. BigxertaR the right to make .