The Van Buren press., 1902-11-29

" -Four Of the present members OF
the penitentiary board have been but
recently inducted into office, including
the president thereof, and | presume
that the board, AS soon as it can be
reached in regular order Of business,
will take up the question of buying a
convict farm, to be paid for out of the
proceeds of convict labor, as the law
now provides.
THUS we see that the governor s
view as to the efficacy of the act of 1897
has undergone change. Whether this
offshoot. this unheralded discovery of
the defect in the powers of the board :,
was real or mere dodge to deceive the
people that the board would not dis
charge its duties to the people, we leave
to the people, or to such Of them as may
feel an interest in the matter, to judge.
We had then, and have now, no doubt
as to what his motive was.
"When the governor made the prop
osition to appoint committee of farm
ers, which he did, we are convinced, as
mere mode of obstructing the dis
charge of the board duty, he knew,
or should have known, that we had no
power under the law to appoint such
committee. Moreover, two members
of the proposed committee Of three
first suggested by him, have spoken and
written in high terms of this farm. and
favorably of the price at which it was
offered, the farm we purchased. Not
only this, but intelligent surveyors,
who have surveyed all over 1t, say that
in their opinion no better or more suit
able body Of land for the purpose could
have been found. This, to us, is graft
flying, these views were strength
ened and confirmed by our personal
examination of the land.
1.-The governor knew all about the
resolution of the board tn examine the
farms offered. He doubtles knew that
this particular farm was to be exam
ined also 1t is impossible that he
should not have known it, unless he
purposely evaded the knowledge. He
knows very we'll that he determined not
to examine 1t, or to look at 1t. He had
said repeatedly that he would not.
When short time ago Mr.. Ed Houston
Of Pine Bluff asked him to go down and
examine land which he had offered to
the board, he refused to do IL, saying
that he would not examine any more
land, and that the board should not buy
any farm.
''That he was not asked by any men,
bers Of the board TO accompany them
on the inspection Of any farm, is proba-
BILE. II was generally understood that
he would not go; and his discourteous
conduct and abrupt manner toward
other members Of the board did not
make intercourse with him agreeable
to them.
1.-THE farm we have purchased is an
excellent one. we are satisfied, and In
this we are borne out by all the farm
ers and surveyors who are familiar with
the land, so far as the most thorough
investigation could disclose.
IF what the governor says about
Gen. Green is true, the general has a
different opinion about 1t, In which.
however, he is mistaken.
1--WE have no doubt that the governor
will carry out his threat to try to in :
fuence the general assembly to cancel
this transaction but this is no argu-
ment against its merits. His usual
taste led him to assert in the board
meeting that he would do this. How
far he will succeed in bending that body
to his whims remains to be seen, We
think he will not succeed To say the
least Of 1t, a majority Of them are intel
ligent and independent representatives
OF their constituents. -