Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1925-03-06
CARLSTROM is WIN
MING APPROVAL AS
ATTORNEY GENERAL

While Oscar CarStrOm has been a
torney general only about a month ne
IS already winning statewide APP
prevail in the conduct of his office, Il
certainly is relief for a state this
size TO have a man Of propof,ionate
size acting as the head Of its legal
department. Possibly it is born in him
or il may be due to the training he
received a. a soldier of two wars. thai
he takes a stand fearleSSly and does
not dodge an issue when presented.
Before the primary he stated that
if cleo Ell to the position he would
dismiss the civil cases against Cover
nor Small, believing they had reached
the state of persecution and not proSe-
eution as they had already been de-
cided by a jury. He was nominated
and reiterated the statement again
before the election and then was
elected by the next largest majority
given any one on the ticket. In he
meantime, however, the case had got
tn so far along that ii could not be
dismissed Mr.. CarlS;rom demon
strated that he is not a factionalist
or a partisan that he would allow the
business of the state 20 be intertered
with. He named As the prosecutor OF
the case the attorney who had previ-
ouSly had charg of it, man who
was thoroughly versed in all the de
tails. While this man was leader
in the faction that opposed him, he
buried all feeling in the interest Of
the office now under his control. And
the retention of this man in the office
was not a salve for his opponents for
he had previously cleaned the office
from top to bottom by removing The
appointees under the other regime
and installing his own friends, leav
ing only those who had cases IN
charge that they might complete them
and thus AVOID any handicap of the
states business.
One of the first jobs that confronted
him was the cleaning up of William
son county. With the governor, he
called in the leaders of the two fac
tions in that strife ridden community
and ii was made plain to them that
those conditions would no longer be
allowed to continue. Neither side was
to be favored but both would be held
amenable to law in the future. While
the leaders expressed their willing
ness to acceed to compromise they
expressed some doubt as to the ralfl-
cation of any agreement by their FOL
lowers. Right there is where Carl
strOm demonstrated that his training
had not been in vain. He boarded the
train and went personally to the scene
of hostilities. He held a mass meet
ing and told the audience just what
to expect. He played no favori;es
and showed no fear. He appealed to
the better feeling of those present but
at the same time made 1t plain that
Herrin and the adjacent territory was
to be cleaned up. They would be
given the opportunity to do the work
themselves if they so desired. But
the Job would be done; it was merely
a question of who would do 1t and
they could make the selection. The
result was they cleaned house and
factionalism, for the first time IN
wears. was eliminated in court action
in that county.
When Carlstrom took charge of the
office of attorney general last month
there were no funds with which to
operate, his predecessor having use i
everything, leaving the office depict
ed. An emergency appropriation 81
$4,000 was asked of the legislature
TO support the office until July l when
the regular appropriation would be
obtainable. He did not go among the
members and pat them on the back
and tell them what nice men they
were and all he would do If they
would give him this much needed APP
preparation. On the contrary he
placed the matter before them square
iy and told them it was up to them
to pass the bill or defeat it as they
desired. He told them, you do net
need any laws to get to see my
books" He invited them to inspect the
books and if they did not think he
needed that much to pass what they
thought he needed. He got the entire
amount.
And the bright spot of it all Is that
with Carlstrom il is conscience and
not buncombe. Either through ma
ture or training he has acquired a
fearlessness that is refreshing in noli.
tics these days. This is the advent OF
a new era in politics marked by the
displacement Of the old time subtlety
nv a frank fearlessness which brings
TO the front those of the Oscar Carl
strom type and the people lose notn-
ing but gain much by the change;