The Green Forest tribune., 1901-03-30
LEGISLATURE DOINCS.
Regular Weekly Letter From
 Our Special Correspondent.

l NA DpSNAeaA
 The past week has been an interesting one in the legislature and much has been accomplish ed. The McNeimer house of correc- tion bill has been discussed in the house and referred with amend ment to a committee. The friends of the measure are con- fident of it's passage, and the town offering the largest bonus is the one that will get it.
 It has finally been decided that money shall be appropriated to pay Mr. Hills salary as commits sioner of mines, mining and az riculture. The house having re- considered this action of several days ago.
 The senate went into executive session last Wednesday to con- sider the confirmation of the pen itentiary officials. Itdid not work. These officials will not be con- firmed until the investigatingcom com- mittee makes it's report, and not then if there is any suspicion of WhiteWaSh.
 The governor has vetoed the jointresolution appointing com mittee to investigate the convict farm, and in a lengthy message explained his position. We can not see how the present system can be so attractive to Mr. Davis, the state expends about S35 ,OOO 8 year under it in rent for agri- cultural lands and the cost of moving convicts from place to place, the increased number of guards required because of in- sufficient stockades, etc., is some- thing enormous. It cost 22 cents per day to maintain convicts in this state as against 12 IA cents in Missouri. The entire system is rotten and the management is simply outrageous.
 The state house proposition is another that is receiving much attention. It seems to be the general opinion that an appropri- ation will be made to go on with the work and with Mr. Mann at the helm. This is as we believe as it should be. He has the work thoroughly in hand and is famil- far with every detail
 The Wilson gambling bill has been passed by the house and will become law. The bill has been the cause of much talk and certainly has had rocky road to travel. It is most drastic mea- sure introduced in the senate by Tom Wilson early in the session; for six weeks nothing was heard of it, finally in a joke it was called up out of regular order and passed. When it was looked for to send to the house it had disappeared and the engrossed copy never has been found. Some one did however, resurect the original and amendents, and it was sent over to the lower body. It was called up last Thursday, and in the face of the opposition of such men ar Brad ford of Lonoke, Neal of Craw- ford and Mr. Chew, debate was shut off and the bill passed with but IS votes against it and some 50 for it. As soon as it was passed MT. Craig gave notice that he would move to reconsider that action on Friday. Then followed three days of agony for ''the committee. ;" It was openly talked that poodle, and lots of it, was in sight to kill the bill on re- consideration, and the upper most in most mems minds was how much? It finally became noised about that the price had been fixed at S20O. Friday the bill was taken up again on MT. Craig's motion, and a member made the statement on the floor that that was the price offered him for vote. The motion was lost hOwnver hV a tia voto 90 to