Mexico weekly ledger., 1908-01-30
MISSOURI PENI-
TERTIARY
WARDEN HALL GIVES SOME
FACTS AND FIGURES RE
GARDIKe TIE MAN
AGEMRHT.
The Institution il We'll Conducssd but
Not Intended as q MOnsy-Mak-
ing Proposition.


souri, Penitentlary wal never unoef
better or more efficient management
than IT is to-day, attempts have been
MADE BY some democratic papers TO
make IL appear that IL was poorly
managed and was losing money.
IL would appear as II these demo-
cratic papers thought the manage
ment should be turned over 10 tine
Republicans.
In answer to q letter written 70
Warden Hall by the editor OF the
Ledger who attended Westminster
College, at Fulton, with him in the
ss=snties, we are In receipt Of the fol-
lowing frank and open letter, which IS
characteristic Of Hon. Matt HalFs
public and private life:
R. NJ. White. Mexico. Mo.
City OF Jefferson City, Mo-, January
Ia, l9OS.--My Dear Sir; Your letter en-
closing newspaper clipping, received
The clipping is In the main correct,
but 1t is not fair to the present ad-
ministration at the penitentiarg.
The Legislature Of 1905 passed . DILL
raising the salaries OF the guards here
from $500 to s65. 90 per month. There
is continually employed from ninety
three to n~inety-four guards at this In
stitution and this meant an increase
Of something like sl2. 10000 per year
In our pay roll. That was q greater
increase than the penitentiary was In
the habit Of accumulating in any one
year. The last Legislature passed
another bill increasing the salaries OF
tine guards from $500 to s76 90 per
month, which caused another increase
in the pay roll Of about $4,000 90 an
nually. IL then become necessary to
adjust some of the other salaries OF
the penitentiary that vert not Affect
ed by the bill for the reason that the
guards salaries were then equal, and
in some cases greater, than the salar-
les paid members of the clerical force.
Below / undertake to give you a state
ment Of the real facts In the case:
1t Is a fact that upon January /,
1907, we had q penitentiary balance of
s44, 0O0.0 {, but we also owed for I'M
paid bills Of the month Of December,
1905, practically s25, 10000. This would
leave our real net balance, $40, 90.
As stated above, the Legislature Of
January, 1907, tackled on another ten
dollars per month to each guards
salary, and the readjustment Of a few
other salaries made a total increase OF
In the neighborhood Of sf2, 10000 In
all When weIdeduct this.from the Sl9,-
000.00 you will see our balance should
be about 81, 900 90. From your infor-
nation will state that our actual bal
ance In the State Treasury at this
date is 81 It's. 81, therefore, the prison
has only run behind for the current
year about %. 600 90, and this is caused
by the high prices Of ell commodities
at the present time, VIII also state
tnat this 90 10000, would have been
wiped out entirely before the expira-
tion Of the year 1907 II 1t had not been
for the money stringency throughout
the country and a portion Of our con.
tractors shutting down for q two-weeks
period, land in SO doing
they caused the receipts Of the peni-
Tertiary for said month Of December,
1907, to diminish some $4,000 90 from
the usual receipts per month.
AS to the increase on guards salar-
les will state that q number Of the
representatives Ia the last Legisla-
lure asked me about 1t. / told them
that If they wanted the peni-
'entiary to remain on a s~elf-sustain-
ng basis that they had better beat
,he bill. Their reply to me was that
suitable guard with a family could
lot live in Jefferson City for s65 90
Der month and SO far as they were con-
'erned they did not care to boast that
he Missouri State ~Penitentiary was
elf-sustaining. l told them IL it was
.'enerally understood and that every
ne took that view of the case, then
0 pass the bill as | would like to see
he guards get more money than they
'ere getting.
Very truly yours,
Matt W. Hall, Warden.