Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-08-04


and approved in 1868 whereby the mort
gage held by the state On the properties
of the North Missouri railroad (now the
Wabash), valued at several million dol
lars, TO secure the state against &. $780,
900, was sold and assigned to Henry T.
Blow. a republican member of congress
from St Louis, ard his associates, for
the insignificant sum of s200, GOO.
/ would be glad to explain how it Was
that the properties of what is now
known as the St Louis & San Fran
cisco railway, embracing its con-
gressional land grants of more than
1,G00, 900 acres, all of which had been
sold and bought in by the state under a
mortgage to secure s., 523, TO, were
absolutely donated and given away
without farthings consideration to
certain republican statesmen high in
the faith and distinguished in the lead
ership of the party of progress" I
would be glad to go into all this. and
into other things connected with this
ner defends in public speech and APP
preves in open undisguise. But mani
testify have not now the time to VEN
ture into these details farther than 1
have already gone. l have gone SO far
into this question because there are
thousands of young men, and other
thousands who have come recently into
the state who are wholly unfamiliar
with this history; and since Maj. War
ner has referred to it in general terms
and sanctioned it with his Endorsement,
/ deemed it important that all the peo-
pie of the state should know the exact
truth for honest men Lave only to know
the truth of this historyto set its authors,
its abettors and sympathizers in the
pillory of an unforgiving condemnation.
I pass now to another phase of the
discussion, and to other matters of
history and comparison.
TIE PENITENTIARY.
Maj. Warner attacks the manage
ment of the state penitentiary under
the present administration as extrava-
CANT. He says: Il desire to call your
attention to the fact that for the years
1891 and 1899 an appropriation for the
payment of officers, guards and other
employees of the state penitentiary was
s175, 900; while for the years 1891 and
1892 the appropriation was but $50. 600.
1t is the favorite refuge for place hun
tiers who have failed elsewhere" That
present management of the peniten-
tiary. No scandal, no corruption, no
official misconduct, no private enrich
ment-nothing of that kind can Maj.
Warner charge against any year of
democratic administration of the pen
itentiary. He makes a statement sim
ply that in 1881 and 1882 the sum of
ESQ, 900 was appropriated, while in 1891
and 1892 the sum of s175,G00 was APP
propriated for the payment of officers,
guards and other employees of that in
ct tint ho ma a
that point, he theoretically accuses the
existing administration of extrava
gance. To suppress facts with a view
to creating wrong impressions is no
better than downright prcvaricatio1.
In the discussion of public questions to
deceive people by the statement of only
half the truth is no better than to de-
ceive them by positive misrepresenta-
ton of the whole truth, and to do
is nothing short of vulgar dishonesty.
Now it is true that s115, 900 were ap-
propriated for the year 1891 and 1892;
but it is not true that that sum was APP
propriatcd, as Maj. Warner affirms,
solely to pay the salaries of oficerx,
guards and employees The language of
the appropriating act, printed in the
statutes of the state, is as follows:
"Fcr pay of officers, guards and en-
ployes of the Missouri state peniten-
provements. s175,O00."
Maj. Warner, with the statute before
his eyes, suppressed the fact that this
appropriation was made to cover re-
pairs and improvements at the peniten-
tiary, as well as to pay salaries of en-
ploycs. He sought to convey the false
impression that the appropriation was
of salaries. Now l wish to state some
thing to Maj. Warner, which in COM
mon honesty he ought to have
stated to the people, if he saw
proper to discuss this question at
all. The fiscal year of 1892 is but
little more than half expired; but
during the year 1891 and the eight
months of the present year, only $685.
Sos 80 of the STA, 200 appropriated have
the SS5, S0e.S3 SO drawn out of the treas
ury SIS, 253.45 were used to construct
three large new buildings at the peni-
tentiary--two of them to meet an ur-
gent demand for additional room, and
the other to take the place of one de-
stroyed by fire in 1891. So that during
these 20 months of 1891 and 1892 only
S7,555.1S have been taken from the
treasury to pay salaries and meet the
ordinary current expenses of the insti
tuition. All these facts are matters of
or easily accessible to him; and hence
his efforts to create a wrong impression
and to deceive the people is utterly
without excuse. OF the s175,0G0 appro-
pria ted there remains now in the treas
TRY the sum of O1,991.17, for which
there is now no occasion to withdraw
it, and will not be unless some unfore-
seen accident of fire or flood shall oc-
cur; for at this time, and for some
CT 4ho If ho
tuition have exceeded the entire ex-
penses of its maintenance.
Mai. Warner asserts that the peni-
tertiary is being made place OF refuge
for p!ace-hunters. That statement so
far rests wholly in assertion. The
ma or does not produce the pretense of
fact to sustain it. Certain it is that
if more people are employed at the
penitentiary, or at any other public in
stitut ton, than are necessary for the
safe and proper conduct of the public
business they ought to be discharged.
If there are supernumcraries anywhere
they should be sent away; not merely
replaced with republicans So far, be-
yond Maj. Warmers unsupported asser-
ton, have no information that single
man is employed in excess of the re-
quirements of the public service.
COMPARISON.
Mr.. Chairman, might leave the pen
itentiary at this point, but can not
forbear, if you will pardon me, to obligc
the iinportunate major with one or
two comparisons and little touch
of penitentiary history. During those
wars there was drawn from the treas
sry the sum of S175, 1913. 9s to pay sala-
ries and the current expenses of the
penitentiary. This sum did not include
any amount expended for improve
ments or repairs; it was expended