Arkansas true Democrat., 1860-11-10

of>Is concef1feu, ne dOes
 Ds~1fesponsibility, yrAe has legal
 1cre1ion0y authority ana means appropri- dted Jy iaac, Co Je used at his discretion, 10 ' promote ana orotsct the interests ot the ssate, but without Mese sssentials, however willing he might be to endaavor to carry out the wishes of the General Assembly, he might not be able to do what an emergency might render necessary" This special message may be found in senate journal for 185s'9, on pages 4s0 and 4Sl, and fol lowing it the proposition of A. George and John Robins.
 This message was promptly referred by the senate, on the 10th February, 1859. ''to the committee on the penitentiary, with instructions to report thereon as early as practica ble; and the committee reported the joint resolution, which was passed by the senate on the 11th of February, 1859, and was afterwards passed by the house of representatives, and approved by the gov ernor, 2lstsFebruary, 1s59 and which is on page SIS of the printed acts passed in lS5S-'9. Itis provided by this joint reso- lution, that the governor be authorized to pay said Alexander George and John Robins the sum of thirty five cents per day forkeeping the state convicts, from the 25th day of January, A. D., 1859, the expira. tion of their late contract, and to continue until another contract be entered into, and that the governor be authorized to draw such (amount) from the state treasury"
 The act to provide for the management ard control of the penitentiary, provided that the governor of this state be and he is hereby authorized and required to con tract with some suitable person or persons, upon Me terms hereinatier stated, to lease the penitentiary grounds, buildings, and con vlcts, until the close of the session of the General Assembly of 1862, to some re- sponsible person or persons upon the bes, terms to hs psd annasllJ1y 5a ;ato fs s It was provided, should give bond, with security, Tn the sum of one hundred thou sand dollars, conditioned that the said con. vets shall be safely kept, subsisted, com. lortably clothed. humanely treated, and when sick to be furnished with all neces- sary medicine and medical attendance, and suitable diet for sick persons. from the date of the contract until the close of the session of the General Assembly of 1862, free from all expense to the state. and that they will, in all respects, faithfully perform sad contract, in compliance with the pro- visions of this act. The contractor was also required by the act to construct cis- tern within the penitentiary walls, with capacity to hold forty or fifty thousand gal Ions ot water, and furnish and properly fix to said cistern good and sufficient force pump; and the sum of four hundred dollars was appropriated to pay for the cisteln and force pump, and all necessary apparatus to conduct the water off of the buildings into the cistern. The governor was required to make the contract upon the terms stated in the act, "upon giving reasonable notice. through the various newspapers. to bid. ders.''
 On the 2d March, 1859, the governor published his notice, inviting sealed pro- posals until the 2d day of May, A. D. 1859, and copy of the said act of 17th of Feb ruary, 1859, was appended to and pub hshed with the notice three times, once week, in all the newspapers then printed in the state, before the second day of May, A. u. lS59, but not one single bid was made by any person or persons. The terms pre- scribed by the law would have been very good for the state, but as feared when I made the special message, the system ad- opted by the General Assembly failed to work. And if the joint resolution of the
 February, 1859, had not been passed,
 " 0fnA1exander George and John
 of the 10th February,