The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1904-03-12
He Fires Some Hot Shots Into
Prison Management
The Administration Senators, How.
ever, Sat Down on Him-No
Action Taken.
WHAT THE SENATOR SAID

show up tho crowd, but the admins
tration senators sat down on him.
When the prison commissioners report
was read in the senate late Thursday
it simply claimed that the prisons
were self sustaining. No action was
taken, and it evidently ended the pris-
on affair.
Senator George then rise to explain
what he considered certain omissions
in the report, and did so amid fire.
quent interruptions from administra-
tion senators. He said:
II wanted to give the prison com.
missioners an opportunity to answer
anything l say now, because thought
that the fair way. You have voted
my motion down for reasons you know
best. am aotuated by no aorimopy,
by no personal feeling, 1 simply think
il necessary to show to this senate the
extravaganza and inefiicienoy in the
prisons under this administration.
81 have been accused in doing this
of hurting my party. But | want TO
say that when certain checks were
sent by the prison commissioners to
the auditors office, and laid there
unaccountably for some time, the gov
I n t.,l So,
and cannot do better than follow his
example.
ut has been said that a certain pa
per is now in existence which, il pro-
duced, would reflect discreditably up
on my term as warden of the Frank
fort .peniteDtiary. In reply, DEFY
anyone. to bring forth any such paper,
to prove any such condition. 1 do
more. ask him, in justice to me,
to do this.
"Tnat report which has Just been
submitted makes absolutely no men.
tion of the salary of the commission.
ers, which amounts to 1924 900, and no
mention Of their travelling expenses,
which were more than So, 1000. These
are prison expenditures. Why were
they omitted?
That report makes no mention of
sl61, 900 spent for improvements. The
statutes show authority for only
| s1O9, 900 improvements. By what au.
thority did they spend theo the $751;,
600?
II call TO your attention that the
bills grant ng these appropriations
were not signed by the governor,
which shows that he suspected some
thing was wrong. He aid not approve
any one Of them, evidently because
he thought them unnecessary improve.
meDts.
1.-THE items omitted from that re-
port aggregate sl9i. 900. The contract
admits 8 deficit during the past four
years of sl4s, 900. The prisons, there.
fore, have been the cause Of expendi-
lures aggregating 1899, 600 more than
the the receipts.
"In 1894 and 1895 the number Of
oonvicts in Kentucky penitentiaries
was about the same "a now. The
force of guards and officers was only
half as great as now. But l make the
assertion without fear of successful
contradiction that the discipline then
was better than it is now, that the
convicts were better cared for. and
that tho number Of escapes was less.
"A short time since a convict es-
capped through an iron cell. Such a
thing never happened ten years ago,
although there were only half so
many guards. Now these extra guards
and officers cost the state $4,000. /
make no personal charges, but | do
say. and you know, that that is ex-
travagance, and that the discipline is
not nearly as good under this extrava-
gance as before.
1.-THE space within the prison walls
has been more than doubled at enor-
nous expense. With about the same
number of convicts the work was
done as we'll with only half the shop
room. The demand for more shop
room is incessant and eats up all
the money from the hire of the con-
victs. This Is what is running the
state 500. 900 into debt every year."
In making this statement the speak
er wss repeatedly interrupted by Sen
ators Hickman, Richardson and By.
ron.