Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-05-09
Senatorial Fishing

With the probability of special
session of the Minnesota Legislature
this summer it is i'm orSer to ex-
press a hope that the lawmakers will
devote their time strictly to business
and refrain from any political fish
ing expeditions" like the late Ia
mented senatorial investigation OF
state departments by the Carley com
mittee.
The Carley inquisiticn was the sOr-
riest spectacle of the whole session.
Just after the investigation started
we printed an editorial expressing the
suspicion that the investigation would
turn out just as it did-that it was
net intended to be fair inquiry
i'm the first place but was conceived
with the purpose of 'smearing" the
Farmer-Labor administration for the
benefit of the conservative politicians.
That prophecy was entirely borne
out by the final results. When the in
veStigation had been completed and
its conservative sponsors had received
much publicity i'm the anti-adminis-
tration newspapers those sponsors
were ready to drop the whole thing
like hot potato. They were only
too glad, on the last day of the ses-
sion. to let the matter rest without
risking a vote of the Senate on the
question of approving the Carley COM
mittee report. They saw plenty of
indications that if the question were
allowed to go to vote the whole
investigation m:sht be repudiated.
From beginning to end the in
vesti gation was unfair. The attorney
for the committee, Thomas Mouer, and
the chairman, Senator James A. Car
ley. tried to permit only One-sided
testimony to get into the record. On
the few occasions where the minority
was given a chance to bring out evil
dence the falsity of many of the
charges against the administration
was quickly shown. Time and again
Messrs Mouer and Carley shut off
efforts to crosS-eXamine witnesses to
bring out testimony i'm refutation of
such charges.
The most fragrant case of the COM
mittee's high-handedness was in con-
nection with the charges of Donald
A. Clark. contractor. against Carl
r. Erickson, state commissioner of
purchases. Clark, who was later in
dicted on charges of issuing payroll
checks without funds in the bank.
asserted that Mr.. Erickson had Of
fered him a contract on the condition
that he contribute $4,000 Ito the
party" The falsity of this charge
was shown by Mr.. Erickson the next
day in public statement.
But the committee refused at that
time to let Mr.. Erickson go before
it and refute the Clark story in a
hearing and it also denied Mr.. Erick-
sons attorney the right to croSs-eX-
anime Clark. 1t was only when the
Investigation was near its end that
Mr.. Erickson was permitted to tell
his story. BY that time most of the
damage had been done: the commit
tee had Haunted its unfair charges
before the public in the pages of the
newspapers and its political sponsors
had spread over the state all the in
sidious propaganda they could.
Another shameful fiasco in the in.
vestigation was that phase dealing
with relief. AS pointed out by Sena
tor Richard n. Gardner in his indi
vidual report opposing the report o
the majority Of the Carley committee
the inQuiSitors tried to discredit the
state administration by digging int
a federal agency. the Emergency Re
lief administration. BY innuendo ant
the testimony of quickly discredite,
witnesses they tried to place blam,
on the Farmer-Labor administration
in the state.