St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-08
The saltwater Prison Gets
Another Airing in the Up
per House.
The Sage of Nininger Objects
to any ~Whitewashing
Reports.

prison.
Il had not read the report of the commit
tee when this resolution was adopted. find
that instead of this report being filed with
III regard to the condition of the
prison. II contains q lot of personal conclu-
sionS evidently intended as an offset to the
house report. 1t is, i'll fact. merely a scheme
TO whitewash the whole thing. 1 find it is,
moreover. merely an argument III favor of
going back to the old ubiquitous system which
cost the state more than it would have to
board these prisoners at the Ryan hotel
II there Is anything that needs correc
ton. said Senator SanbOrn, ''it is a false
public sentiment. If the people, after being
informed on this subject, desire to prevent
any competition on the part of convict labor.
and the twIne manufacture proves success
ful. 1t can be increased. 1t is absolutely pre-
posterOuS for any one to assert that the state
can compete in manufacturing with the
Yankee who counts his profits by the mill. 1t
would cost a half million of dollars TO en-
ploy the conYicts in making Irvine. Instead
OF the prisoners costing the state hundreds of
thousands, as they would under the state ac-
count system, they would practically be self
supporting under the contract system. This
IS Il question of vast importance to the peO-
pie of the state. 1t is time that this false
sentiment which exists in tie state is cor
rected.'
senator Donnelly replied and vigorously
opposed the scheme of having the state pay
for the dissemination of a report calculated,
as he said. to reinstate the old states prison
ring.
Senator Keller. who is an authority on the
twine business, and is fully posted OF every
part of the business, gave the senators a bus
mess talk on the matter. After going over
the details OF the business he said:
The people of Minnesota ought to now
the whole truth about the Irvine plant at the
states prison. If you would make me a
present of the present machine and another
one on top of it | would not run it. 1t is i'm
possible TO compete with any Irvine manu-
f1cfUTnr in the | nitp1 GtafnC in tba nraSOnt
condition the way the hemp and flax is
handled. There is IS per cent waste, and if
they pay 1 cents It pound for the material
the tWine will cost S34 cents without any
labor. wear and tear of the machinery. in
terest on money or insurance. The only
way the tWine plant can be made to pay at
the present time Is to bUy a fiye-ton- per-day
set of machinery to spin long fiber. such as
slsal. and it VIII take $4,000 for the state TO
invest in twlne, and il Will pay the state better
10 let the whole thing lie idle. The only good
feature in the whole thing is that it may en-
courage our farmers to raise hemp and flax
straight fiber, which in 10 distant day will
be the greatest industry of Minnesota. and
VIII raise the price of land from So 10 So
per acre i'll five years If the farmers viii en-
courage Straight-llne fiber OF flax and hemp.
The senator frem Dakota said Gen. San
born. rs Il little unfair. This report SDeclti-
cally states that all previous methods of man
aging the prison nave been bad. aud the pres
ent administration is inefficient. The whole
trouble is that the legislature has always
been meddiing with the prison and by step
ping i'll just when the contracts were about
TO become remunerauye to the state. A
change must be made, and the management
of the prison taken out of politics. or the
prison Will continue a disgrace to the state"
Il would like 10 ask q question" said Sen
ator Donnelly. 1T is this: Does the report
show that a profit of 10 per cent was made
by one of the states prison board, NJ. O..
Hall, of Duluth, in purchasing the Irvine ma
chinery:"
That whole transaction appears in this
report replied Gen. SAnboru; but it does
not show that the inspector ever received the
money. 1t was retained by the state, and is
explained as an evidence that the inspectors
drove Il better bargain for the state"
The previous question was demanded and
ordered, and the roll call commenced. When
the name of Senator McIiale was reached he
made a vigorous speech III favor of reconsid-
Grafton; The Hall matter should be ex-
planned for the good of the state and to place
the inspectors right before the people.
Senator Davis voted yea on the ground
that too large an edition of the report had
been ordered printed. The motion to recon-
slider was lost by a vote of % nays to 20 yeas,
and Senator Craven rose to a question of
privilege. lie was a member of the commit
tee and had been more severe against the
prison board than any other member of the
committee, but the committee could not con-
Wet on hearsay evidence. No proof could
be Produced hat $1,000 had been paid NJ. O..
Hall. Senator McHale followed the Carver
equity StIldlpI- anu ilOuSll lIal IL was que
the senate hat the transaction should be eX-
planned.
To Exclude Lobbyists.
Senator Leavitt now called up his proposed
amendment to rule % of the senate and
moved its adoption. After considerable dis
cussion the amendment was adopted by a
vote of 3 yeas 10 ! nays, just one more than
the required two-thirdS vote. This amend
ment, which is rather severe, run as fol
lows:
AN, Da~so, or DarSor- ovoan+ ,,on,bors
of the senate. who may be admitted to the
floor of the senate under anv of the pro-
visions of this rule, who shall be detected in
lobbying for or against any bill or resolution
or trying to induce or persuade any senator
to vote for or against n bill or resolution
before the senate, shall thereafter be ex-
cluded from the privileges of the floor during
| the remainder of this session. The word of
any senator that he has been so approached
shall be sufficient evIdence to exclude such
person"
senator Sanborn called up the resolution
| substituting Il new rule for the present rule
- of the senate. This was offered on Mon
dav, and. if adopted. would have limited the
number Of admissions TO the floor to not more
than fifty four perday. On motion of SEN
atOr :. D.. Peterson. after n lengthy discus
sion, the whole matter was laid on The table.
Committee reports came next and were
continued until the recess at 12:30, with the
exception of the time taken in introducing
MIR. Profstheld. 5. f. S57-Authorizing vii
lage OF Breckenridge to issue $4,000 water
bonds.
Mr.. Leavitt, s. F.S7s-Regulating the catch
ing of FISH in Meeker and Wright counties.
Mr.. Day, :. +. Sj9-AuthoriZing superyis-
ors of a town in Martin county to drain a
lake.
Again the Prison.
The afternoon session of the senate opened
with another contest over the Saltwater
prison. This time Gen. SanbOrn brought i'll
a supplementary report explaining the diff
ference between the price named in the con-
tract and the price %actuolly paid for the
binding wine plant at saltwater. This sup
Elementary report completely eXonerates the
prison board in the transactions surrounding
the purchase of the tYine plant. This was
finally adopted and the calendar taken up.
All the bills save one on the calendar were
passed. and that one was defeated because it
contained in ii a partisan scheme of the Re
pnbicans OF Minneapolis to gain control of
the board of county commissioners. The
champion OF the measure was Senator John
Day Smith. and it was opposed by Senator
March and his Democratic colleagues. The
following bills were passed.:
:. +. No. 33S-Iielating to criminal con-
spiraey. the penalty therefor and the time
thereof. -Donnelly.
5. F. No. 351-Proyiding for the refund
ment of taxes enormously collected or paid.
John Day Smith.
5. f. No. SOTO amend chapter A or the
Genera Laws of 1SS1.-Mayo.
5. F.. No. 2Sl-Authorizing 1efunding
moneys paid at tax sales on state, school and
other lands.-Barr.
II. F. No. 112-Proyiding for assessment
and taxation of telegraph and telephone
lines.-Currier.
The Anti-Eights Bill.
The senate went into committee of the
whole, with Senator j. w. Peterson in the
chair. Measure after measure was passed
over, unul senator McIlale's anti-tIghts bill
was reached. To the surprise of all, the
gritty Scott county man announced that he
desired TO have it considered. and, taking the
floor. promptly moved that. upon rising, the