The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1927-02-24

if outside of the State of Minnesota"
Schiban was granted "a conditional dis
charge to go to his brother in Canada,
was sent unattended to the border, where
admittance was refused by the Canadian
authorities, and he accordingly returned
to Minneapolis and committed the crime
charged.
In the order appointing the Commits
sion, Governor Christianson used this
language:
During the last decade crime
wave, increasing in volume and
seriousness, has been sweeping
over the world. Our country,
far from being free from this
general revolt against law, has,
perhaps more than any other,
suffered from lawlessness. Min
nesota, in common with other
states, has a serious crime prob
lem This problem cannot be
solved unless every aspect OF it
is given serious and thoroughgo-
ing consideration by men of judg
ment, experience and judicial
poise. In the solution of that
problem, it is necessary to sift
the evidence, to separate facts
from conjecture, to learn the
truth, and then to follow that
truth relentlessly."
The Governor spoke the truth. The
language was no mere verbal gesture.
The Commission of twenty-five men and
women from all parts of the State went
seriously to their task, gave much of
their time and bore their own expense,
over a period of about full year, in a
good faith endeavor to perform the SER
vice with which they were charged. They
had numerous meetings at the Capitol
of the State. Through the aid of con-
tribution by the Governor from his con-
tingent fund, and of numerous contri-
buttons from public-spirited citizens, the
Commission employed the service of COM
petent persons and made complete IN
vestigation and analysis of all of the GRIM
inal records of all officers charged with
any duty in the handling of crime in nine
counties for one full year. It made a
complete investigation and analysis of the
records of the Board of Parole and of
the Board of Pardons for longer period.
The record of these investigations covers
more than $50 single space typewriter
pages.
The Commission made inquiries of other
sources and received information and
opinions from various other sources. On
the basis of these Investigations and the
information so obtained, the Commission
made its report of IT printed pages, with
numerous recommendations for action.
This report and the record of the investi-
cations made have been transmitted to the
Governor of the State and are public
property. The report is not the result of
pre-conceived or fanciful notions of men,
bers of the Commission, but is the con-
sensus of opinion of its members, deliber-
ately formed and based on ascertained
facts. These facts demonstrated the cor
rectness of the statements of the Cover
nor above quoted, made in the order ap-
pointing the Commission, and, in the opin-
ion of the Commission, they sustain the
recommendations made in it's report.
The printed report with recommended
tons above referred to have been in the
hands of your committee for some time.
The detailed records of the Investigations
on which it is based, have been available
for your examination for some time, but
they have not been individually presented
to the members and have not been present.
ed to your committee in detail. They will
be delivered to each member of the COM
mittee at once. 1t is unfortunate if any
definite adverse action has been taken
without their consideration. It is difficult
to even summarize these facts in letter,
but it should need no argument to demon
strate that there is cause for action. The
conclusions of the Commission are, that we
have an intolerable amount of crime and
too many desperate criminals go unpun-
lSlleu. lHe pTOUleIl Is uOL COIflHeu w III
calities. 1t is not confined to cities. It is
statewide, but our method of handling it
is local. We have no adequate system of
criminal record or identification and courts
and prosecutors must often act in the
dark. Our legal procedure should be re-
vised and simplified, better account of bail
jumpers, graver punishment inflicted on
gunner and repeaters, sitter rules of pro-
baton made and enforced, and revision
made of our machinery for punishment and
parole. The facts on which these conclu-
sions are based should be presented fully
to your committee. The Commission feels
that it is its duty to so present them. We
have not had the opportunity to properly
do so. We accepted your invitation to
attend a public hearing at which we were
invited to discuss some of the recommen-
dations of the report. Some of the MEM
bers of your committee were present.
Some of them were not. The occasion was
not an opportune one for the presenta-
ton of these important matters in prop
er manner.
We respectfully ask that at an early
meeting of your committee we be permitted
to present these facts with the fitness
that the important subject deserves We
trust you will accord us this consideration.
Oscar Hallam,
Chairman, Minnesota Crime Commission.