The Mena weekly star., 1907-01-24
GOV. DAVIS
 LAST MESSAGE
fits Hard For the Things He Has Bitter iy Fought For in the Past Six Years
 and Against Those He Has 0b-
 jected to-No Change in Antitrust Law.

sage to the General Assembly de- livercd last Friday, he said upon ope hing:
 s'I desire to congratulate the upper house on expel.ing Adams, the man who had disgraced th honor and dignity of the senate. His downfall and that of Festus Butt was due to the slime and iniquity that surrounds the new state capitol. The whole busi- ness is rotton and ii was gover- nor for six mouths longer there would be large number of state capitol companions for Butt, or l would pardon Festus Orestes Butt at 1ce."
 Taking up his written address he touched on the antitrust law, saying:
 "You will be asked to repeal that feature of the law affecting fire insurance, and strong argu- ments will be made to you to do this. But 1 want to say to you, gentlemen, that the very minute you discriminate in favor of one trust as against another, the very minute that you except one oi those combines from the pro- visions of the law, you might as well tear It from our statute books and go back to your peo- pie and tell them that for six years they have fought for things that they did not want"
 The State Capitol Building
 "This has been the most griev- ous burden that has been placed upon my administration. If has been fraught with more dis. honesty, fraud and corruption than any scheme that has been forced upon an unwilling people since I have had anything to do with pubic affairs. The whole project was conceived in iniquity and brought forth in sin, and every step siuce its beginning has been tainted with the slime of it's own corruption, until at the last meeting of your honorable body it's brazen head was so conspicu- ous that tie common wayfaring man might see and understand it's terrible influence upon that legis- lature.
 ITO begin with, if I were member of this body, l would suffer my right arm severed be- fore 1 would vote one cent for the completion of this state house until there is radical change Tn the system of it's expenditures. We have contract and bond that this state house shall be built for a given sum of money. These contractors came into court and brazenly said that they put up Sl1, 500 to debauch the last legislature. The board selected by your honorable predecessors sat by and heard this testimony, yet no effort has been made to oust these contractors and place the work of construction in the hands of honest men, and l say 10 you. gentlemen, that 1t is your duty to change the whole scheme and put it back in the hands of your governor, and authorize him to employ some skilled workmen under his direct supervision, to sec lO It ludl tulS |Outt dSN ouu this bond are faithfully complied with.
 'I told the people of this state, in it's very incouception, that Il was a steal from start 10 finish, aud that 1t would cost them two V million dollars before 1t was fir- ' ished. spoke more wisely than # knew, gentlemen. II the pres ent system is permitted to con- ~ tlnue, its final cost will not be less \ than i've million dollars, and when completed will be of very inferior workmanship. In fact, # if the thing does not fall down and crumble to pieces before Il is completed, 1 will be surprised indeed, because of the inferior material used and the poor work manship employed"
 The Convict Farm.
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