The Colorado statesman., 1907-01-19
LEGISLATIVE NEWS and GOSSIP

Secretary of State Timothy O'Con,
nor mas announced the appointment OF
Edwin Mitchell of Central City, as
chief clerk in his office. Mr.. Mitchell
has been serving in this capacity dur
ing the term of James Cowie. former
secretary of state.
1t is claimed that the machine will
pay foritself in few elections. The mo-
ment the polls close the vote is ready
to be recorded as with an adding ma
chine and much time is saved in this
manner. Election officials now charge
two days to the county; with the ma
chine one day would suffice. The pre-
cincts would be enlarged and in Den
yer the number reduced from 200 to
100. Provision is made in the statute
that precinct where the voting ma
chine is in use must have at least 600
voters.
One Of the last official acts of Gov
ernor Mcdonald was the appointment
OF commission of three to pass upon
voting machines that may be sub
mitted to the state under the constitu-
tional amendment and statute dealing
with that subject passed two years
ago. He named Frank G. Golf, engi-
neer to the board of education; Albion
X Vickery, county clerk, and John B.
Hunter, engineer of the board Of public
works. They are all well known citi-
zens. Their official title Is state
board of voting machine commission
ers.' They are appointed for five
years and their fees come from the
owners of voting machines who sub
init their product for examination as
to their availability. Their duties are
to pass on the efficiency, accuracy, etc..
OF any machine submitted. Machines
that pass scrutiny can enter competi-
tion for adoption as the official ma
chine or official machines as the case
may be. Under the law now in effect
each county can choose its standard.
but it must come from one of those
approved by the commission.
Among the bills that have been pre-
sented to the Legislature, is one in
each house to correct and amend the
criminal law, SO that the people may
have the right of appeal when dis
tr1ct judge has decided that a certain
criminal statute is unconstitutional.
In the past such cases, when once de-
cided against the people, have set a
precedent in that court which nothing
could disturb. The prisoner has al.
ways had the right of appeal when a
point was lost, but the rights of the
people, or the public prosecutor, have
ceased when the decision resulted in
the dismissing of the prisoner. The
idea of the proposed law is to enable
the prosecutor to take appeal on the
point of law. Nothing that higher
court would decide would have any
effect upon the case, which would have
been already decided in favor of the
accused, but it would enable the higher
court to review the decision to decide
whether it should be accepted by all
courts. Should the Supreme Court de.
eide that the lower court had erred,
convictions might then be again tried
for in similar cases under the law in
question.
bill has been introduced in the
Senate by Senator w. w. Booth to
have the Colorado Prison Association
made a bureau of parole supervision
for prisoners from the state pent
tentiary and reformatory-suDj to
the final authority of the wardens OF
these respective institutions. The
same bill has also been introduced in
the House by Representative George
S. Redo. During the last three years
the Colorado Prison Association has
been actively engaged in assisting pris'
oners discharged from jails and from
the penitentiary and reformatory. The
records show about eighty cases in
1904, LOG cases in 1905 and 154 cases
in 1906. In only few instances have
these persons so aided had to be re-
turned to prison for violating their pa
roles or for new crimes. Hitherto this
work has been maintained by the prt
vate benefactions of generous-hearted
citizens in all parts of Colorado, the
state giving it's endorsement by fur
nishing office room and telephone ser
vice at the state capitol. For the last
year or two there has been feeling
among those whose gifts have sus
tanned the work that the state ought
at this General Assembly, to set the
Colorado Prison Association apart
with adequate appropriation, to con-
tinue it's work and enlarge its useful
ness. And it Is in response to this
sentiment that the bill has been intro
duced.