The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-01-10

salaries for more inefficient ones, would
secure better services at greatly reduced
The abolition of the board of pardons
will devolve upon the executive office the
| work heretofore done by that board at an
expense of about $500, and will necessi-
of that office, but, notwithstanding that
fact, think other reductions can be made.
The appropriation for the executive Of
fee last year was:
Salary of governor Observation-Disclosures 5000
Private secretary ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1900
executive clerk -."------..--------..--s IzVU
Stenographer, typewriter and mes
senger 5'30o
Salary of lieutenant governor....... 200
Contingent fund OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 5000
Total SIS. 800
/ believe the appropriations for the en-
SUNG year may safely be limited to:
Salary of governor -........-..-..-....$ 1000
Prlvate secretary ;:---------------.... 2'9 0oo
| stenographer, typewriter and mes
Senger o;.......'....--...... z'9 90o00
Contingent FUND ..... 5000
Total .......................... .s14, 700
the expense of the board of pardons would
ecutiye office of more than seven thous-
! and dollars, and I believe like but prob
be made in other offices and departments
without 1mP EnHHg fc their efficiency I
The employment of convicts should be at
he basis +S of g9od prison management
certainly be attended with disastrous re-
To put the products of convict labor on
the open market in competition with free
possible extent should be avoided: But even
such competition would be preferable to
ciay Wien tie It e0 enforeed IN espe
Employment being necessary, and as the
ton. the question of the disposition of the
products of his labor becomes a serious
If the state withdraws from the market
| as a producer, it should be allowed to
withdraw from the market as a. consumer;
if not permitted to go into the market as
| a seller, it should not be required to enter
The. wrong of the state-if wrong at all
in placing the product of its mine on the
duct of the mine supported by free labor,
has been greatly magnified and misunder-
If the state furnishes employment to it's
conVlcts, as 1T must, and is forced to re-
tire from the market as a producer, it
must supply SO far as the product of
prison s f labor can do its own needs
done by hq praob be Is Supplied 6 has been
necessary for such purpose could be used
IN furnishing the state with it's supplies.
way to the fullest extent in the manufac-
| ture of many of the articles for which
money, and after a time our prisons could
be made practically self-supporting by
| supplies furnished an amount equal to the
cost of conducting these penal establish
| mentS.
The cost of establishing the plants for
the manufacture of the different articles
| done there would be large deficiencies:
| but in the end our convict labor would be
| ing into competition with the free labor
3d the state eHicept IN supplying its own
Ffrsf~Tt eliminates convict labor as a
| competitor of free labor.
| Second-It employs convict labor in use
| Third@The state crea+es soao;a1 r,or
keI LOT the product of prison labor:
| the classification of labor as to render
| 1t easy and make it desirable for the con-
The inauguration. of this system would
Pc, atdtended with large expense and its
when fully established it would. Id in my
judgment, be of profit to the state and of
benefit to The Ffs s2nz HS6 GAME.
bo the report t OF the FISH warden contains
| out any aid from the state, the warden
performed valuable services and is enti-
tect our game and Ash from DESTRUCTION ~ ion
Our game and fish law should be
should be made to fully protect these in
| A NEW ASYLUM.
I regret that 1 was unable to procure
| reports from many of our public institu-
been able to procure others ai at ali. For For
a anls reason st+ am IN not not prepared to make
| outside sources I learn that our asYlums
| are overcrowded, and that many Of our
| tutions - ''-e0e nus
II During p the last ten years the amount
Counties for the care Of destitute t nsane
| has been nearly 800, CO., The Keeping of
| tended with many abuses. A third asylum
| has been recommended by those having
| charge OF our charitable institutions.
Something should be done. l refer the
| matter to you for action.
THE SPECIAL SESSION
| On the 18th daV of DecQr1 Ia CT INV
| predecessor issued his proclamation
| converting the legislature in special ses-
| sion.
| The constitution provides that the
| governor may on extraordinary occa-
| sions convene the legislature by proc
| lamation. 1t is hardly necessary to say
| that at the time OF the issuance of the
proclamation no such extraordinary oc-
| casion existed.
The most liberal Interpretation that
can be given to these words is that they
| mean a pressing necessity. If any ne
| cessity existed for legislative action on
| the 18th day of December, 1898, it ex-
| isted with equal force during the last
| regular session, and would have ex-
| listed with equal force at the converting
of the legislature in regular session less
| than 80 days afterWard.
| No Intelligent person can be deluded
| into the belief that an extraordinary
| occasion was the real cause for calling
| the members of the legislature together
| The convocation of the legislature
! Sucn a snort time DerOre the regular
! session, and such a short time after the
| people had rendered their verdict in
| violation of the spirit if not the letter
| of the constitution, to perform legiSla-
| tive acts every one of which would be
of doubtful validity, was establishing a
| dangerous precedent and was a menace
| to the cause of popular government.
There is a widespread sentiment that
the calling of the special session was
not within the limitations of the consti-
tuition. If this should hereafter prove