The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1905-1910, 1910-02-25
POLITICAL GOSSIP AT THE CAPI'
TAI BY THE EDITOR.


DAYS recess the members Of the Gen
eral Assembly came back to Frankfort
to. day and will try to accomplish some
thing during the remaining days of the
session. Final adjournment will. be TAX
en- on March Is. AS the rules of both
Houses provide that the Rules commit
tee Of each has charge during the last
Is days of the session, those who are
not next" to that powerful clique,
will have to do some strenuous hustling
to get by with any bills that the Rules
body might approve of. AS Represen-
tative Shanks is one of the Rules COM
mittee, anything that affects Lincoln
county will be well taken care of. I'm
til the last ten days of the session, the
Legislature can pass any measure it
desires over the veto of the Governor.
If it desires. Appropriations and other
bills which might be endangered by the
executive ak will doubtlessly be push
ed through in hurry by the Rules COM
mittees during the first five days Of
their power. The law provides that any
measure which has been passed by both
Houses of the Legislature becomes a
Law after ten days without the Govern
or's signature, unless he vetoes it.
Within the last ten days before adjourn
ment, the Governor is all-powerful. He
has threatened to kill any appropria-
ton bill which does not provide the
means for raising funds to defray it.
Some of the appropriation bills which
will undoubtedly be pushed for passage
within the next few days, will be those
which set aside something like half
million dollars for improvements at the
State penitentiaries. There has been
much study on penology and criminolo-
Ky in some quarters of the State with
in the past year or so. The result has
been a strong agitation for improved
conditions of the convicts and better
facilities for carrying on the work of
reformation. To read some of the dis
sertations on the subject, one would
think that criminals ought to be sent to
a kindergarten or Sunday.school at
State expense rather than to be given
real punishment for their n isdeeds.
Many of the improvements suggested
are really meritorious, but large part
can be cut out, and should be cut out,
both for the benefit of the taxpayers
and the surer reformation of and real
ization by the prisoners that they are
not sent to the penitentiary to enjoy
fiowery beds of ease. but to pay the
hard penalty of their wrong doing. The
more comforts added to the prison life.
the less terror it will have for the GRIM
inally inclined. Some necessary i'm
provements should be made, but much
good is being done under present condi-
lions in the Kentucky penitentiaries,
and there seems little occasion for the
spending of half million dollars more
of the tax payers money on them just
at this time.
FINAL EFFORT FOR UNIT BILL.
From now until the first of March the
temperance workers will make their
final effort for the passage of the Coun-
ty Unit Extension bill. They still have
some hope; at least the more enthusi-
astic seem to, but some of the cooler
heads have already given up the fight
and returned home. The House may
pass the bill and it may not; it depends
on whether it can be gotten out Of the
orders of the day before the Rules
committee takes hold in the Senate
After the Rules crowd gets into the sad
die in the Senate, it is all over as far
as the Unit bill is concerned there, so
there would be no use passing II in the
House. 1t may be done. however, just
to put the members in the lower branch
on record. The Rules committee in the
House is composed of a majority of
friends of the measure. but in the Sen
ate the opposite is true.
Talk of bribery in connection with
the attitude of certain Senators on the
Unit bill has about died out. The in
otiii tutCAo dl |
regular intervals. Ii is said that moth
ing of a definite character can be learn
cd. A charge of bribery is very diff
cult to prove when both parties to the
affair keep their mouths shut. There
is no more talk Of expelling Senator
JEFF Watkins for talking about the ru-
mors relative to the matter, though.
The papers in Watkins district have
declared that they will send him right
back. and heap still further honors up
on him. il the Senate should take such
action.
TWO GOOD MEN.
Two neighbor Representatives to Lin
coin have made themselves popular
here this session by their conservative
eoursa IN legislation and the zeal with