The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-07-14
BRANCH PENITENTIARY.
A Salty Gard From Senator A
NJ Allen.

Kansas City, Mo, July 10.-I see
from the papers that there is great
dissatisfaction throughout the state
with the action OF the prison inspect
ors, in the location OF the new peni
tertiary, aud Justly so. for their action
in the matter appears to me to be in
applicable. The auditor, attorney
general AM treasurer are by law the
prison inspectors, and as such, have
under their control the management
OF the peniteniiary. They have had
the subject of new penitentiary
under consideration for considerable
length of time.
:. Shortly after the organizit Of
the last general assembly they re-
que-ted an interview with the JOINT
committees on peDitentiary OF the
senate and house of representatives.
The committees met in joint session
and the subject of new penitentiary
was fully discussed, both by the In
spectors and the committee. AT this
meeting the inspectors unhesitatingly
expressed themselves In favor of Kan
sas City as the proper place for Its
location. They said that if located
at or near that place it would be self
sustaining. The auiitor and treasurer
seemed to take especial pains to en-
phasize their views and Impress them
upon the committee.
The committee came to the cohclu-
sion that the Inspector had fully ill.,
vestigated the subject and had come
to a correct conclusion. both as to To-
cation and the necessity therefor, and
accordingly directed the attorney gen.
eral to prepare bill for new peni-
Tertiary. which he did, and submitted
it to the committee The bill pro-
vided that three commissioners should
he appointed to locate said peniten-
tiary, The committee did not like
the bill as drawn by the tOrGey gen.
eral and the senate committee was d.
rected to draw up bill as substi-
tute. This committee, composed of
Senators Hartman, Allen, Downing,
McGinnis and jacobs, drew the bill,
which subsequently passed and is now
The law. This bill was submitted to
the inspectors, and they approved of
it and again declared thar Kansas
City was the Onl Y place where the in
stitution could be made self sustain
ing.
1t seems strange that these gentle
men should have been go outspoken i'll
favor of locating this institution al
Kansas City during the time the bill
was being passed by the legislature.
both in committee and elsewhere.
The matter was a subject of general
discussion at Jefferson City, and these
gentlemen did not hesitate to express
their opinions upon all occasions, both
in public and in private, and 1T ali
times declared themselves In favor OF
Kansas City.
The bill passed "a prepared by the
committee and behold a change sud-
denly comes over these same gentle
men, and instead of coming to Kan
sas City and locating the penitentlaey
here, where they know the legislature
wished it to be located, and where
they had declared themselves IN favor
/ If locating it, they went wandering
around the country visiting every
other section of the state before COM
ing to Kansas City.
The treasurer seems 10 have become
hostile as soon rs the bill became a
law; his former opinion and deelara-
ton seem to have been entirely for
gotten. How so intelligent gentle
man could in so short time have
changed his mind is more than can
tell. To say the least of it, the con-
vention was sudden, but the greatest
mystery of all is, that he seems to
have converted to his views
that "usually" level-headed old
Roman, the auditor, who with
emphasis has always hitherto declared
in favor of either locating it at Kan
sss City or not at all. The attorney
general after the passage of the bill,
seemed adverse to Kansas City, on
account, as he put it, of the high
price asked for land in Kansas CITY
and its surroundings. He was shown
some locations where the land would
readily sell for 5000 or $1,000 per