Great Falls tribune., 1921-12-04

To sum up briefly the lOng-delayed
Macdonald report on the adninistra-
ton of Frank Conley as warden of the
state penitentiary," says the Butte
Post (Rep.), 'is next to the impossible.
Investigator Macdonald himself ap-
parently couldn't do it; bis report con-
tains more than 10000 words and,
has waded through it's dreary length,
he finds no conclusions or recomme en-
dations except those embraced in the
document as it rambles from one sub
ject to another. There are conclu-
sions, but they seem to have come as
an after-thought, and are not included
in the report that bears date of No
vember 26, but are found in q letter
appended November %, to the report
They assert that 100000 of the states
money has been misspent or misappro-
priated during the Conley administra-
ton Of the penitentiary. How that
sum was arrived at is not clear in the
report itself"
The Butte Miner (Dem.) quotes In
vestigator MacDonald's statement in
his report to the governor that your
committee does not assume to be con-
clusively correct in it's findings of fact,
etc." and then The Miner asks why
GHC DulhS ussUA VI lisul Oc 0AA
statements comprising the report! If
said committee knows it has not been
correct in it's findings, then by what
manner of argument can it assume to
say that it knew when and how to
conclude against the former prison adj
! ministration only when a clear pre-
ponderance Of the evidence so war
rants? That paradoxical declaration
of itself should dispose Of the entire
proce edings. 1t is a candid assertion
of the worthlessness of all the findings
against the former warden. On that
statement alone, the report should be
cast out of court, SO to speak. The
former warden wanted an entirely OPP
with all that aid and above-board at
titude of Mr.. Conley, your committee
does not pretend to assume that its
findings are conclusive. But merrily
it goes on to say that nevertheless it
decided there were some justifiable
findings against the former warden" :"
'Mr MacDonald's report" says the
Anaconda Standard Dem) ''is little
more than series of impressions, no
tions, rumors and exparte assertions
received from convicts, former convicts
and others of strongly prejudiced
minds Much Of the report is hearsay,
trivial, incompetent and inadmissible
In any court of law. Considering the
source Of the bulk Of Mr.. MacDonald's
information. the testimony of notorious
criminals, Mr.. Conley's request that
he have an opportunity to refute the
charges before they were given to the
public, was eminently fair and just.
To deny them that privilege was an
atrocity. No public institution con-
Quoted on the magnitude required for
the state penitentiary could 60 through
long series of years without becom-
ing target for political hacks, NAL
contents and backbters, to say nothing
Of the vicious snarls and viperish hiss
ings of felons undergoing deserved pun
ishment for their crimes, knaves whose
uncorroborated testimony regarding
any matter of Importance would be
scorned by any intelligent jury. Mr..
Conley demands full and fair in
vestigation at the hands Of the prison
board and the people viii see that he
gets it."
"By all means" says the MIssouIian,