Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1902-02-08
THE LEGISLATURES.

of their surplus gas, have had one
or two junketing trips and have
gotten down to work. That is to
sayithat the Legislature has got
ten down to work, not the mem
bers, as a whole. After the aver
age member has introduced his
little Bill for somebody's relief,
and made his little speech for
home consumption, he usually
subsidies, and devotes himself to
salary appropriations, and about
a dozen members really do all the
work of the House. In the Senate
the proportion of workers is great
er. We see no objection to this,
and as a rule, legislation is the
better for it.
During its first session this leg
lslature broke away from the Pop
ullte spirit of parSimony that had
dominated its predecessors for
years, and by its broadness and
liberality won the commentator
of the entire state. The tenden-
cy this session seems to be to the
other extreme, and we hear words
of caution from the conservative
members. The work of lnvesti-
eating the penitentiary scandals
is progressing slowly, but we ven
ture the prediction that little will
come of it, except perhaps, to
make of warden Parchman a PEN
itential sacrifice. May be an un-
lucky Sergeant or two will be of
fered up, also. There are too
many "prominent citizens" mixed
up in these frauds to permit any
very general verdict of guilty
Judge Smiley once said that "mur-
der would never cease in Missis-
sippi until few gentlemen were
haDged!" BY the same token pub
lie plundering will not stop until
few gentlemen are sent to the
penitentiary and permitted to re-
main there. This entire peniten-
tiary system offers a very tempt
ing field for official rascality, and
has plenty of back-doors for un-
Official friends to get in.
A bill has been reported favor
ably, which will probably pass
both houses, restricting saloons to
towns of 500 inhabitants or more.
The state prohibition bill has been
reported adversely by the Tenn
perance Committee, and was de-
fouteu Ill U'IO Sn',atn nv vote of
19 to IA. Very wisely we think.
A bill has been introduced Civ
ing to the Confederate pensioners
double the amount heretofore an
propriated. 1t carries an appro-
prlation of 100000 per annum.
In the days when the "Wool hats"
we're in the saddle, one-fourth of
this sum was grudgingly gwen
One young member suggested that
the poor house was the proper
| place for these useless old fossils!
He had cause to regret his econ
omic suggestion. There were sew
eral old Confeds in the House and
some of them were good speakers.
We note that the appropriations
to state Institution of charity and
learning will probably be liberal.
The Congressional Dlstricting
Bill, reported by the joint COM
mittee, impresses us as a fairly
good attempt on the first trial
A howl is being raised by friends
of Pat Henry, John Sharp Viii,
liams and Col. Hooker, because
they are all put into the same dis.
trict. The committee is evident.
Iy pursuing the proper course il
considering proximity and popula-
ton, in mapping out districts ant
not men, and we trust the legs
lature will stand by it. Messrs
Henry and Hooker and William,
might draw, or move out int
other pastures, and yet the peopl,
of the new district not suffe
materially.