The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1905-06-02
MANY COMMITTEE
INVESTIGATIONS.
Some Extracts from House and SEM
ate CSmmittse Reports.
REBArEs ON SICK CONNECTS.

tee, of which Mr.. Matthews, of Brad
ford, was chairman, on Monday made
an extended report in substance as fol-
lows: -,
First-That the lessees Of the State
convicts for the four years ending jan
uary 1, 1906, have, for portion OF the
time, to wit, during the years 1908 and
1904, been granted rebates for convicts
confined in the hospital near Ocala.
Second-During the period stated in
the foregoing paragraph the iessees
have been related on various prisoners
confined in the hospital total of 1855
days.
fhird-The amount deducted from the
contract price for prisoners confined in
the said hospital amounts to $ll, OO6.64
for the two years named.
Fourth-The lessees have been given
credit for escaped convicts during the
existence of the present lease to the
amount of IS, 1858.
The committee presented collection
of valuable information concerning the
management of the State convicts, and
recommended that the Attorney General
be instructed to recover the amount OF
S16.l92.52 thus shown to be due from
the convict lessees.
The practice of giving rebates to the
lessees on such convicts originated with
the Jennings administration, according
to the committees report, but is being
continued under the present contract.
IL it is unauthorized by the terms Of the
contract, it will, of course, be discontin-
ued: and the committee is correct in de-
manding the recovery of the sums thus
unlawfully allowed.
STATE PRINTING RUMORS.
In the Senate, on Tuesday, Senator
West, chairman of the special commit
tee TO investigate the charge that GER
tain persons were connected with State
printing contract in violation of law,
submitting the following report: Your
committee appointed in compliance with
Senate resolution No. as, as amended,
relative to the alleged rumors that
members of the Board of State Institu-
tions were interested in the Capital
Publishing Company, and with the State
printer in his contract with the State,
beg leave to report that the said COM
mittee has taken the testimony Of all
witnesses suggested and made a thor
ough examination and find that while
there were rumors TO the effect that
members Of the Board OF State lnstitu-
tions were interested in the printing
CO0LIdCLs VIC llll0 bitaN SiASA 10 SOoSNNS~
" no foundation for said rumors and
nothing in the testimony to indicate
that any member or members of said
board are now, or have heretofore been
interested in said printing concern or
any other printing business. The evil
dence taken by the committee was or
dered printed in the journal Of Friday.
HOSPITAL REPORT AFTERMATH.
Late on Tuesday afternoon Governor
Broward submitted to the Senate and
House a voluminous document signed
by all of the members of the present
board of State Institutions, and COM
prisinp an answer to the report Of the
Joint committee which Investigated the
insane hospital under House concurrent
resolution No. 5. After being read, it
was committed to the table subject TO
call in each house. The enormous vol
ume of the document precludes any at
tempt to give even an abstract of it's
contents, and its publicity, like that of
the committees report, must depend on
its publication in full in the legislative
journals and the daily press:
This answer or protest Of the board
makes an elaborate defense against the
substance and spirit of the committees
report, and labors with feverish anxiety
TO dlBCreOlJ the TepOII dltu Tic ulSHlOSIb
az the Joint committee.
II the board had been content to re-
mel or deny such accusations made by
The committee as it deemed unjust or
inaccurate or untrue, the effect of its
protest would have been in accord with
The purpose of accomplishing the ends
Of Justice, and indicative OF the natural
desire of the present board to correct
snv abuses or irregularities committed
or practiced under the administration
If It's predecessor; but the board goes
far bevOnd such laudable purpose in as
cunning, inferentially, as the represent
tive OF the present administration, full
resnonsibility for the shortcomings Of
the Jennings administration.
The fact should not be forgotten or
lost sight of that the joint committee
Carefully defined the period during
=, kSnich the alleged abuses were practiced
Z nj irregularities permitted to occur, as
one distinctly anterior to that covered
Sv the few months Of the present ad-
SS;nistration distinction abundantly
snatained by the evidence which the
Committee submitted with its report.
The committee went even further, and
sr'eri6cally commended and compliment
81 the administration Of the Affairs Of
the institution by its present managers;
Confusion between the former and
present board, because four Of its mem