The record-union., 1893-01-11
OSTROM ON JUTE BAGS.
The Yuba Senator Champions the
Farmers Cause.
ANOTHER JTTE MILL WANTED.
Appointment Of Prison Director Hayes
Opposed.
MORE LOWER HOUSE ATTACHES.
Senator Hart Proposes to Abolish POll-Tay-
Bankers to Be Ineligible
to Congress-

Senator Ostrom of Yuba County made
quite a speech on behalf of his rural con-
stituents yesterday.
He told the Senate that the farmers of
California were being subjected to many
ardships-needless ones-and that they
generally ''got the worst of it, on most of
the propositions that were intended for
their benefit. Mr.. Ostrom had particular
reference to the sale of the jute grain
bags which are manufactured at the State
Prison at San Quentin.
The speech was occasioned by a motion
to confirm Governor Markham's appoint
ment of Daniel Hayes as a State Prison
Director, vice Irwin C. stump, resigned.
OPPOSED TO CONFIRMATION.
Senator Ostrom had voted for the con-
firmation Of all the other appointments Of
the Governor, but took the floor when
Hayes name was reached. He opposed
the motion to make Hayes job perma-
ment, and offered motion himself to the
effect that it be rejected. Mr.. Ostrom
said he had visited the Governors office
for the purpose Of making a suggestion
as to what sort of man should be APP
pointed on the Prison Board, but he was
told that there was no vacancy at present
for his man.
The Yuba Senator proposed to make a
vacancy.
He said he believed that there should
be man on the board who was thor
oughly identified with the farming ele-
ment, and who understood the needs of
that community. The only article manu-
factured at the san Quentin Prison was
the jute grain-bag, and this industry was
originally intended to ease the burden of
the farmer through its cheapness. But
the farmers were satisfied that they had
not been treated fairly in the sale of the
bags-that spectators and large-scale
Rgriculturists had been favored, and the
small farmer, whose living, precarious as
it is, depends upon his own toll and
thrift, had been left out in the cold. 1t
was in the hope of remedying this, Mr..
Ostrom said, that farming man was
wanted on the Prison Board, so that he
might point out the evils to the other
members, who are not farmers.
HAD SOME BACKING.
the Senate that he was not talking simply
to hear himself talk, but was voicing the
sentiments of the entire agricultural
community-that is, that large portion of
it constituting the small holders. The
State Grange, of which he was MEM
ber, had seen where the evil lay and had
called attention to the necessity of a
change.
Mr.. Ostrom said he did not desire to
pioue the Governor, but he thought the
latter would, if his attention were called
to it, recognize the good motives enter
tanned by him, and would substitute for
Mr.. Hayes a farmer who was in SYM
pathy with the farmers.
Senator Mahoney, replying to the Yuba
statesman, said it was no time now to
talk about putting man on the Prison
Board as there was no vacancy. 1t would
not be proper to reject the Governors s
nominee Besides, added the San Fran
cisco Senator, Mr.. Hayes was a farmer,
and also a skilled mechanic. He owned
a ranch, and was just the man to do
exactly what Mr.. Ostrom wanted done.
Mr.. Ostrom was not satisfied with this,
but, evidently realizing that he was only
wasting his breath, sat down.
Mr.. Hayes Appointment was confirmed.
JUTE AND CoRDAGE.
Later in the day Senator Ostrom intro
duced bill providing for an appropria-
tion of Sl50,0O0 for the establishment of a
jute plant at the Folsom Penitentiarv.
The Senator believes that in the absence
of any other remedy, the small farmer
may be able to get hold of few bags. and
the spectators have less chance to gobble
them all, provided the output is increased.
He therefore proposes to have two prison
plants instead of one with this end in
view. He feels quite confident that his
bill will be successful.
Senator Williams also proposes to give
the convicts at Folsom some more work
to do. He put in a bill at the afternoon
session providing for an appropriation of
$4,000 for the establishment of cordape
factory at Warden Aull's boarding-house
The cordage factory has been quite sue
cessfuI in other penal institutions, and
the Senator believes that the graduates
from Folsom should be able to boast of
some other profession besides rock
breaking, hence his little bill.
oVERRUN WITH THEM.
Introduction of bills and providing
'soft' jobs for numerous oi1ice-seekers
occupied the whole attention of the AS
sembly yesterday.
The members of the lower house have
not been.averse at all to creating clerk
ships and other Offices to reward the faith
ful, and the business has gone so far that
one grumpy Assemblyman suggested
that "stamp-licker" be appointed at a
salary of 50 per day.
Duckworth Of Monterey also perpe-
trated a neat bit of sarcasm by Offering a
resolution that leach member of the As
sembly be entitled to employ clerk and
a good-looking typewriter at a per diem
of So, with power to increase the number
at his pleasure"
Speaker Gould reluctantly ruled that
the resolutions were out of order.
Although both houses have accom-