Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-03-11
PENITENTIARY HANGING BILL Up
AGAIN IN THE SENATE.
VETO VOTE ON 1T WAS 2l TO II.
Two VOTES SHORT OF 4 coSsTiTu-
TIoSAE MAJoRITY.l
May BE a Reconsideration, With q
Possibility That Veto VIII Yet
! Be Overriden -Jefferson
- City Out to Lobby for
- : the Veto.

Jefferson City; Mo-. March l0.-(Special.)
| The governors s veto of the Peers bill re-
quiring The execution of all condemned
| murderers to take place in the. state pen
! itentiary in this city was taken up in the
senate lat 5 O'clock this afternoon, as a
special order. 1t was discussed until near
ly O'Clock, when the proposition to pass
the bill over the veto failed by vote of
q ayes 10 II nays.
AT no time during the present session was
there such a crowd in the senate lobby as
during the discussion of the veto. In the
mass of humanity that filled the lobby Were
some of the leading ladies of Jefferson
City society. Mrs. Stephens, wife of the
governor, had, in an interview published
in jefferson City paper, opposed the
bill. asserting that it. would not be nice
to have the murderers of Missouri brought
TO Jefferson City and hanged in the pen
itentiary. All the ladies of her set agreed
with her, and as her influence is all-power-
full in this city, the men who reside here,
with a few exceptions, agreed that the
bill ought not TO become law. 1t was un-
derstood that the people of jefferson City
should hll the lobby and do everything pos
sibie 10 prevent the passage of the bill
over the veto. The ladies smiled sweetly
upon the senators who favored the veto
and looked daggers at the senators who
wanted to override the objections of the
governor.
The discussion was opened by Senator
Peers. author of the bill. He urged its
passage, saying that it would be much bet
ter to have all the executions within the
walls of the penitentiary than to have them
in all parts of the state. He took up the
governors objections, and said they ought
not TO weigh against the bill. In regard TO
the objection that no appropriation had
been made for carrying out the provisions
OF the bill, he showed that an ample ap-
preparation had been made for the peni-
Tertiary, and that this appropriation would
not be exhausted by spending some of it to
defray the expense of a few hangings dur
ing the next two years. He did not take
any stock in the statements of the prison
contractors that the hangingS would so de-
moraliZe the convicts that they would be
rendered useless for several days after each
execution, and that they 0he contractors)
tracts. Senator Peers called attention to
the laws of Colorado, Ohio. New York and
penitentiaries. and showed that these laws
had proved beneficial.
Senator Brewster; of ST. Joseph, and
Senator Morton. of Ray county, also spoke
in favor of overriding the veto Senator
brewster called attention to Mrs. Stephens
inter view, and. in reply to the statement
made by her that the people of Jefferson
City did not want the penitentiary turned
into slaughter pen, said that II would bo
in the large and small cities and towns of
the state. The demoralizing effect upon
the public would be greatly lesSened by
doing the hanging within the prison walls.
Senator Hchenschild and others spoke in
favor of the veto.
When the vote upon the proposition be-
gan, there was stir in the lobby. and 1t
soon became evident that the gubernato-
rial forces were well trained. The voting
lasted more than half an hour. and during
that time some of the Democratic senator's
who had voted for the bill and had declared
that they would vote to pass it over
the governors veto were whipped into line.
The vote was as follows: To sustain the
Neto-Ballard. Childers Drumm. Lyons.
Young. Vandiver, Lancaster. Hohenschild
Major, McClintic, Miller. Against sustain
ing the yeto-Peers. Anderson. Brewster,
Burkhard. Busche. Davisson. Goodykoontz
Gray. Klene. Madison. Martin, Matthews,
Morton. Mott, O'Bannon. Orchard. Powers
Schweikhardt. Seaber. Wells and Williams
Senator's Landrum and Marshall were alb
sent. 1t is said that if they are against the
veto. motion to reconsider will be made
Tomorrow by one of the senators who vot-
ed to sustain the veto. One of the sena-
tors who voted for the veto is said to have
done so in order to be in a position to make
f1,a tn nG;I Iar