The San Francisco call., 1905-01-18
PRIZE FIGHT BILL CAUSES A
LIVELY DISCUSSION.
Needs of the State S
Prisons Subject
of Report.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

SACRAMENTO, Jan. 17.-In the
Assembly this morning the report OF
the special hold-over Committee on
Prisons and Reforms. that consisted
of Prescott, McKenney and Dunbar.
the latter not now member OF the
Assembly, was taken up as the spe-
cial order. In presenting a resolution
to adopt the report of the committee
McKenney said:
This report was drawn up after a
visit by the committee to all the pris-
ons, and we are indebted to every
country on the globe for information.
Secretary of State Hay of our own
country was especially obliging. we
have collected reports and other htera-
ture' on penal institutions and penal
work from all over the world. Some
of the signatures alone are valuable.
The material itself is extremely so,
and il will make nice collection. Tor
the library"
Four pages brought down several
big baskets of the reports and other
documents gathered by the committee
and they were passed over the desk TO
Clerk Lloyd. On motion of Goodrich
they were ordered sent to the State
Printer, and the Librarian was in
structed to have them bound and add
ed to the department of criminology.
THE report filed by the hold-over
committee" said Speaker Prescott,
taking the floor, urges some radical
reforms and some complete changes
in our prison methods. 1t is not the
intention to commit this body in any
way as to the final disposition or
these bills through the adoption OF
the report. 1t is desired that the
committee adopt the resolution as an
Endorsement of the work of the COM
mittee up to this time, leaving the
bills to be discussed on their merits
and acted on as the Assembly deems
expedient 1 wish to emphasize the
fact that we have presented here in
the documentary evidence we have
gathered suggestions from nearly
ever State in the Union and nearly
every civilized country. Though we
have in California some of the finest
penologists in the world, our prisons,
it is too bad to confess, are, because
of imperfect machinery, disgrace to
the State"
REPORT is ADOPTED.
The report was adopted and Nc
Kenney introduced resolution
granting permission to the present
Committee on Prisons and Reforms.
consisting of McKenney, Lynch, Olm-
Beckett and Wickersham, to visit the
State prisons and the reform schools
at Whittier and lone.
Does the committee intend to pay
its own expenses" asked Houser.
1T certainly does not" said Nc
kenney.
THAT is a matter to be attended to
afterward," said Bliss.
Houser moved that the matter be
/ f1 he mi a. 0f1C l.
gent Expenses, but there was no Sec
ond and the resolution was imme-
diately adopted. 1t is the first resolu-
tion of u junketing nature to be intro
duced In the lower house this session.
The impetus given to prison reform
legislation by the report of the hold
over committee is not to be allowed to
weaken While the House COMMITTEES
on this branch of legislation was In
session yesterday, Governor Pardee
sent a message asking that joint
meeting of the Prison and Reform COM
mittees of both houses, the State Board
of Charities and Corrections, the
Board of Prison Directors and himself
be called. McKenney, Wickersham and
Olmsted were appointed committee to
call on the Governor and arrange for
such gathering.
large public meeting to discuss the
over committee and to go into prison
and reformatory matters generally for
the benefit of the legislators will be
held in the Assembly chamber some
evening soon. The hold-over commit
tee has sent out invitations to various
State officials and many other prom
inent people throughout California to
attend. The date has not been fixed,
but the meeting will be held early in
the session.
SEVERAL NEW ATTACHES.
Several more Assembly attaches are
provided for in a resolution adopted
this morning. Anthony of San Fran
cisco gave notice that he would move
to reconsider at the next session of the
House. as he was afraid the agreed
limit of patronage was being over
stepped Espey said the resolution had
been introduced to provide for some
persons Who had come here prepared
TO work and had been promised places
He said it would be the last of the sort
A bill, was introduced by Busich
abolishing the office of State Highway
Commissioner and providing that his
duties be performed by the Commits
sioner of Works.
Perkins presented a measure for the