The Green Forest tribune., 1901-03-09
LEGISLATURE DOINGS.
Regular Weekly Letter From Our Special Correspondents.

OtiT SpCC4dl correspondents
 Well, the session has been ex- tended fifty-one days, and it will be May 4th before they will let go. Fifty days of this session gone, and the good accomplished amounts to nit. We are under tne impression, however, that the question of adjournment being settled both houses will get down to business.
 Last week we promised the readers of THE TRIBUNE that we would give some interesting penitentiary news in this letter. Well, we have gone through the report just out, and find many peculiar statements of what are supposed to be facts. The whole thing is intended to deceive, from the certificate of the governor to the statement on page 55 to the effect that the management has paid to the state in the past two years the sum of S250, 969. The report presumes that it was made to Gov. Dan w. Jones. It is false. The report has not been out for three weeks, and had not been gone through by either Gov ernors Jones or Davis.
 On page 55, in a table showing the disbursements of the institu- ton, we are confronted with the statement that the ''amount paid to state treasurer in the past two years amounts to S250, ,696. :" We declare right here, for the benefit of the investigation committee, that they have never paid the state single cent, and the state ment that they have paid this or any other amount to the state treasurer is misleading and false.
 Through the kindness of Col. Tipton, deputy treasurer of the n state, we are able to give the ex- RAet figures to prove that the pen TVS not, as is claimed by the man. 'yagement, self sustaining. The state penitentiary has always been a bill of expense to the state. Since the presentsystem has been in vogue appropriations have been made by every legislature to pay unreasonable salaries to all connected with the institution, and these appropriations have been made from the general fund of the state.
 The superintendent receives a salary of S2, 100 per annum and has drawn from the treasury since 1893, S16,80O. The financial agent receives S1, 800 per year and has drawn S14 400 from the state. The chaplain in the same time has drawn S7 200, and the clerk S9 400.
 All this money comes from the general fund and not one cent has ever been paid into the treasury.
 When Gov. Dan W. Jones as- sumed the duties of office four years ago the institution was bankrupt, and he was compelled to borrow S25,000 to carry the concern through the summer.
 The Investigating committee which is looking into the univer- sity scandal are pushing the mat ter as rapidly as possible, and their work is about completed. We dislike to think that there is anything wrong with this great institution, but, having heard much of the testimony, we are compelled to believe that it needs a little overhauling. It is, we are led to believe, a fight between rival secret societies of the con- cern.
 The new statehouse is attract ing much attention right now. Our opinion might be biased, but we give you few extracts from a letter by Hon. Geo. B. Rose of Little Rock, who is known by reputation to every reader of THE TRIBUNE. It is the most sensible thing we have ever seen on the subject. He says:
 ss l was asked to examine the plans for the new statehouse, and to exnress an opinion upon their