Free press., 1907-01-12
KANSAS MESSAGE
Gov. Hoch Submits His Recon-.
mendations to the Legislature
for Action.
SEVERAL REFORMS FAVORED
Prohibition Receives Strong En-
dorsement From the Executive
"A Great Year for All indus
tries in the State.
10 the senate snd House Of Represen-

To the Senate and House of Represen-
In obedience to constitutional require
ment and in harmony with custom.
transmit herewith my biennial message
Tor your consideration.
To you, gentlemen of the legislature,
has been committed a great trust-Iv
study the governmental needs OF the
people, to supplement former legislation
with additional enactmentS necessary for
its enforcement and efficiency, and 10
put upon the statute-book5 such new
laws new conditions and experience
may show to be necessary. IN this great
work at the threshold of your labors
the executive department tenders you
cordial cooperation and submits for
your earnest consideration numerous rec
concentrations
l wish to renew the recommendation
made at length in my message two years
ago for the passage of i primary election
law, and / trust this legislature will
be able to solve the problem, and give
the people of all PARTIES an opportunity
Sideta 20. rh = d,I ~, In p - ~
vote at general election. They should
also be permitted to express their pre-
ference for United States senator, an eX-
presslon which i legislature would hard
| reeommend the enactment of law
forbiddinS ratuitous transportation,
cept to actual railroad employees.
recommend the appointment of
committee early in the session to hear
arguments for and against "a proposition
TO reduce railroad fare in this state
If. railroad rates in this state me
ability TO those en- 2lcyed by the rail
roads themselves in fixing the schedules
in the first place must be employed by
the state.
The absolute necessity. also, of an
authoritative estimate of the value OF
railroad. property IN Kansas. in order
that the question as TO what is a rea-
sonable rate may be inte1hgently decided.
by the commissioners, is apparent TO ev-
cry student of the subject.
The railroad companies are en-
a0led to evade most of our statutes
the traffic is interstate because its term
inals are across the line. and the freight
is billed from all shippinS-p points III Kan
saS to Kansas City, Mo, and from Kan
sas City Mo, to all points in Kansas.
This should not be. If our laws are to
be of value we must insist that the rail-
roads provide places for the reception of
freight and passenger traffic on the Kan
sas side of the line. Otherwise our state
laws on these subjects Will be in large
Lart annulled.
l wish to renew my rCcommendatio of
two years ago in reference to placing
the telegraph and telephone companies
and all transportation lines operated by
electricity under the control of the
Board of Railroad Commissioners
Our taxes seem high because our as
sessments are ridiculously low. AS a
matter of fact Kansas affairs, state and
able economy. Official salaries are COM
paratively small. Few states pay so
little to their officials. Appropriations
for the support of the state penal
eleemosynary and educational institu-
tions are relatively less than in most
any state in the union, and yet our taxes
assessments are ridiculously low, and
for the further reason that a vast
aSfnt OF PbFGPeTsy bqF esGape rH legation al
money, for, while the bank commissioner
| reports $140,0O0,OO0 on deposit in the banks
of the state, less than So, Co., 600 appear on
the taXrolls. The assessment of rail-
road and other personal property is al
most if not quite as great a farce. The
q o ha n MT Of
at its actual value. but nobody contends
that this law is complied with. and there
most of this whole taxation problem
could be solved by adding to present laws
| severe penalties for their violation, in
Guiding seVerer penalties for perjury IN
| listing property for taxation, and l rec
ommend that this be done.
Relatively (and every thing is rela-
| tive in this worldO the prohibitory pol
| icy has been great success IN this
state. 1t has been great benefit edu
cationally. morally, and financially to
the people.
When l came into office, two years
| ago, L found this law largely ignored
| if not flagrantly violated. in every city
| of the first class in the state. and in
many of the smaller cities and towns
| 1 have written to every county attorney
and sheriff in the state, and to many
| of them repeatedly, urging the enforce
ment of the law
prohibitory law is we'll enforced as
| other penal statutes The constitution
imposes upon the governor the duty of
| enforcing laws, but legislatures alone
| give effect to constitutional requirements
and furnish the executive with power for
| their enforcement. The governor can
only enforce law with law.
| l have some well-matured thoughts as
| to what you should do in this matter,
/ but will not make specific recommended
| tionS at this tine. Bills covering the
subject Will be submitted for your ap-
proval having the Endorsement of the
| administration, and L doubt not will
receive your careful consideration.
| The subject to which | devoted moro
| attention than to any other in my first
biennial message. two years ago, was a
| change III the method of managing our
| state eleemOsynary institutions.
| The institutions have been placed upon
| a strictly civil-eervice and business ba-
| sis. Many reforms in the Management
| have been inaugurated. The inmates
| have Jared better than ever before: and
! yet, while the needs of these institu-
| tions have greatly increased, owing to
| the fact that the population of the state
| has increased 100000 in the past two
| years, reports from each of these nine
/ institutions show most gratifying fl
naucial exhibit, the aggregate saving
| amounting to some seventy thou
| sand dollars. l commend to your most
/ dations of this board, and trust you will
i furnish them every facility they ask to
continue even more successfully the
/ great work they have been doing.
| The last legislature wisely changed the
| whole method of state printing by pro-
/ viding for the election of a state printer
| by the peoDle. t0 he given n salary of
I 81 500, and for the erection of a rrint-
1 ing house to be owned by the state IL
| now gives me great pleasure to report
/ the completion of a three-story brtcE,
| printing-office, so By 130 feet in dimension.
| handsome in external appearance and
| modern in internal arrangement. equip
ped with modern material and in sue
cessful operation at a total cost OF about
| $685. 600. all of which will be paid for out
| of the saving of less than three years
1 operation.
No more humane and creditable law
was ever enacted than the one passed
] two years ago known as the Juvenile
/ court law. You will be asked to con-
slider some amendments to this law, sug-
] gested by experience.
| recommend that the trial jsidges
/ have the mower t0 Issue DaroIe ':nme-
/ diately after sentence has been imposed.
| in cases in which they may think il
| wise to do SO.
A day recently spent at the peniten,iary
| revealed wonderful external and internal
| Improvement. Mr.. Haskell is a great
| warden. and / commend mis- recommen-
| dations to your favorable consideration.
recently spent two days at the State
i ReformatoFy.s At Hutchinson. Much is
| yet TO be done 20 inahesit ideal, and these
efforts should be directed along three
| specific liues-educationaI. Industrial
| and moral or spiritual. The day-school
| should be greatly improved Surely
/ there is great need of this. for over s.
per cent of the boys who are sent TO this