Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-01-24
From the State Capital.
JEFFERSON CITY. Mo-,
Jan. Goth. 1889. [

| A'e nan Va tue mouse OF representa-
tives was filled to overlooking las
Monday to witness the Inauguration
The galleries were filled and the aisle.
were packed with spectators. Prompt
ly at twelve O'Clock Hon. d. r. Fran
els was escorted to the speakers stand
where he took the oatl. of office. AT
ter the oath was administered the
young and energetic Francis stepped
to the front and held the audience spell
bound for about thirty minutes with
his inaugural address. In the evening
a grand reception was given at the
Governors mansion.
On Monday afternoon Speaker Rus.
sell announced his committees.
Our section of the State was very
| fortunate in securing chairmanships
Some Of the committees have gone to
work and will begin to report bills to
the House early next week Then
some lively times may be expected as
the reported bills will be put upon
their final passage. / presume the
election contests will he on hand early
next week. There were several, but
all but one or two have been with
drawn. SO there will not be so much
| unpleasant work as we have been ex-
pecting.
| The Ben Deering Alliance Dramshop
bill has been introduced in both houses.
1t is lengthy and contains many seq
tons. 1t will be referred to the proper
committee in few days.
The members seem rather quiet this
week and don't have much to say
about the liquor question; but 1 believe
that great number will favor such an
amendment to the present Downing
law as will provide for graded high
license together with a Sunday closing
law.
The third house was organized last
week and will soon be ready for busi-
ness. Now I shall explain what ]
mean by the third house. All the
clerks and employees of both houses Or
ganiZe and have a bogus legislature.
They hold their sessions at night. They
also have their regular officers, in
troduce bills, make speeches and have
jolly good time generally. 1t is only
for amusement for the young men en-
ployed here during the session. AS
there is very little to report this time
lpinrS Of bn L.,
ture, I shall endeavor to give very
brief description of our State peniten-
itary.
On nearing that institution one will
observe quite number of small guard
houses along the top of the great stone
wall which surrounds the grounds.
Standing in the doors or leaning with
head out of window of these small
houses can be seen the guards whose
duty is to stand with their repeat
ing rifles, keep a close watch and see
that no convict makes his escape
over the wall. The visitors will be
welcomed by the polite and accommo-
dating officials. The usher takes them
through the cell rooms or sleeping
apartments. then through the manu-
factories where shoes. brOoms and such
articles are made. The next place is
the culinary department. Everything
in there is run on kind of wholesale
basis. TO see wagon-loads of cooked
provisions, when it is ready for the
dining room, would make a person al
most believe that it was tie army of a
NerXes or Cyrus which was to he fed.
1t requires just $50 gallons of coffee, i6
gallons of molasses, $40 gallons of soup
and several hundred pounds of meat
(besides other things) for every meal.
1t also requires barrels of -four and %
bushels of meal per day for bread.
When a meal is ready the convicts are |
marched in regular military style to the
dining halls. The tables are long and |
narrow and are so arranged that "a |
can eat at each table. One waiter, or
'hustler,n as he is called, looks after |
two tables, thus making As persons for |
him to look after and keep supplied |
with food. Their assembly room or |
chapel has a SEATING capacity of l 800. |
The prisoners are marched into this |
room every Sunday afternoon, where re-
ligious services are held. They have Q
good choir of singers who lead, but the
entire lot of them will join in and make
the old prison walls fairly ring with
their excellent singing. One strange
thing, you will never hear book fall,
u chair move, and very seldom a cough
will be heard during the exercises.
They surpass any class of people in
the wav of Keeping such good order,
when there is such a num-
Der of them. Of the 1919 inmates of
this institution, not more than 50 are
women, and of that number fully two
thirds of them are negro women.
In the female department every |
thing is on the plan Of a school. Reg |
ular school desks are arranged in a
medium sized room where the women,
old and young, black and white, spend |
their hours during the day. Every |
desk is covered with sewing. knitting |,
and books. The matron requires a |
certain amount of sewing and knitting |
to be done: then the unfortunates |
have the remainder of the time for |
reading and studying. There is nei-
ther talking nor moving about. Every
woman knows her place and what her