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Show MORE SCANDALS. House Committee Acting as Criminal Court. It was stated in these columns a week ago that if, after the joint committee's report had been submitted to the legislature, a further probing prob-ing of the affairs of the St. Louis commission was necessary the whole matter was one for adjustment in the courts and not for legislative scrutiny. Nothing that has developed from the second committee's semi-court marshal agitations has shown that this view was Incorrect. From the great flurry with which some of the Representatives (probably at the instigation of political lobbyists) plunged into the affair, the public might have believed that the State had been defrauded of fabulous sums and that the commission had been guilty of important import-ant dereliction of duty. In reality, as reported by the joint committee, all shortages had been refunded and the commission's accounts were m every respect regular. It has been shown that John Q. Cannon, erstwhile erst-while secretary of the commission, erstwhile brigadier general on the governor's staff, was a betrayer of his friend and benefactor; In short, that he had forged the chairman's name to orders or-ders aggregating something over $2,100 and that his relatives had repaid the entire sum. All this being true, what public good has been subserved by the committee's exploitation? In what respect re-spect has the state been benefitted? What has the committee achieved save to bring upon a community already overburdened with evil reports, re-ports, a little more scandal and sensationalism? It is urged as an excuse for the appointment of a second committee that the first report was simply a "white-wash" of known irregularities in the affairs of the commission. That is an unjustifiable un-justifiable reflection on the former committee, 'which has resulted in strained relations be-betveen be-betveen the upper and lower house. The fact is that at that time the county attorney's office had been placed in possession of information relating re-lating to Gen. Cannon's forgeries and was looking look-ing up additional evidence against the former clerk of the commission; the former committee rightly taking the view that as the state naa sut fered no financial loss, any criminal act of an employe of the commission was beyond legislative legisla-tive jurisdiction, and should properly be invest! gated by the criminal courts. The net result Qf the proceedings up to date has been to force upon Governor Wells the hu miliating duty of giving evidence against his brother-in-law, which evidence was not for use in any prospective criminal action; to place un der a painful inquisition Mr. Whitaker, the di rector general of Utah's St. Louis exhibit; and to cast an undeserved and unnecessary reflec tion upon the entire commission. All of this could have been avoided. General Canno was the only culprit in the case and be should have been dealt with by the county at torney. One or two legislators of a feverish tem perament should get back to the earth for a brief space and rid themselves of the notion that a supposedly dignified state legislature is a crim inal court or a grand jury. |