East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-02-24
vEroEs MANY nmLs.


Governor Chamberlain has certain
ly got his mad up over the result
of the workings of the last legsla-
ture. To prove this statement it is
only necessary to refer to the work
of yesterday, as u result of which
eight bills met their Waterloo" at
his hands.
This is the work of but "a hours.
and he is not done yet. Among the
most important of the measures
which will not again see the light of
day. at least until another legislature
can have had an opportunity to over
ride his executive action. is that one
which places the control and manage
ment of all of the state institutions
under one board of trustees. In
other words, takes the control of the
penitentiary and Soldiers home out
of the hands of the governor. and re-
moves Superintendent Ackerman from
the boards of supervision over the
blind and mute schools This bill
would not have gone into effect until
January, 1907, and, among other
things, the governor could not see any
reason to approve an act which at
tempts to take away from any sue
ceeding legislature any of its prerog-
atives and rights.
Besides this reason. the governor
states that the constitution of the
state evidently intended that the PEN
itentiary and its inmates should re-
main under the control of the COVER
nor, and that the best interests of
the state demand that Superintendent
Ackerman should remain upon the
school board of education. This is
senate bill No. 1856. introduced by
Kuykendall, and in vetoing it the gov
ernor said;
81 return herewith senate bill No.
156, with my veto. 1t provides for
the control and management of the
insane asylum, penitentiary, reform
school, institute for the blind, school
for deaf mutes, the Oregon Soldiers
home and for the supervision of the
public buildings and grounds located
at or near Salem, by a board COM
posed of the governor, secretary of
state and state treasurer.
Though the act is somewhat
lengthy, it does not materially change
the mode of conducting the state in
stitutions named except that it takes
the control of the penitentiary and
Soldiers home from the governor and
places them under the supervision of
a new board. 1t also removes the
superintendent of public instruction
from the blind and mute school
boards, where it is entirely proper for
him to serve, and names the state
treasurer in his stead.
81 can see no good to be accom-
plished by these proposed changes.
BY the terms of the act, it does not
become operative until the third Mon
day i'm January, 1907. If existing
conditions require the enactment of
such a law, it'should have been made
operative at once, but to have at
tempted this would have meant de-
feat to a measure without merit
and framed without regard to the
welfare of the state.
'If the legislature of 1907 feels
that it is necessary to take from the
governor the management of the pen
itentary and the Soldiers home and
to remove the superintendent of pub
lie instruction from boards which
constantly need his aid and advice,
they can then do so either by over
riding this veto or by passing another
law covering the same subject In
any event, another Legislature will
convene before the present law would
take effect if approved, and I can
see no reason for the approval of an
act which attempts to take away from
a succeeding legislature any of its
| prerogatives and rights.
THE constitution evidently intend
ed that the penitentiary and its in
mates should remain under the con-
troll of the executive, who alone is
vested with the pardoning power, and
the best interests of the state demand
that the superintendent of public
| instruction should continue on boards
that are closely allied with the edu-
cational department"