The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1911-10-20
Give THE PEOPLE
MORE POWER
Judge O'ReaT's Ringing Appeal
For Popular Government
NE DENOuNCEs THE LOBBY

Direct election of United States
senators by the people, the abolition
OF contract convict labor, the destruc-
ton Of the corrupt lobby and biparti-
san control of all state institutions
we're the principal topics touched
upon by Judge Z. G. O'Rear, the Re-
publican candidate for governor, in
his western Kentucky speaking trip.
His views on these vital issues are
as follows:
Senator McCreary says we say
nothing in our platform about cor
rupt lobbyists or any other kind OF
lobbyists operating upon the legisla-
ture TO affect that body in electing
officers, and therefore, he argues to
you, that my party convention and
that ! am in favor Of that kind OF
lobbying to corrupt the legislature in
electing officers, United States sena-
tors, prison commissioners, librarians
or any other officers which the legis-
lature may provide for itself 10 elect.
He asks me whether l approve the
omission from my platform of that
feature in his platform. That is a
pertinent question, and / am going to
answer it, because you are interested
in il and are concerned in 1t. In the
first place, / am opposed to the leg
islature electing any officers save
those which serve that body alone. l
am opposed to the legislature elect
ing even United States sesators.
am for placing It in the hands of the
people to elect their United States
senators. (Great applause.) | am
opposed to the legislature electing
that prison commission. It was
mistake in politics to place that
power in the hands of the legisla-
ture. II was done for the purpose Of
Strengthening and building up par
ty machine, and has done 1t. lay
this down as fundamentally true, that
the legislative department ought not
to be allowed to elect anybody to Of
fee save their own Servants, Such as
their clerks and doorkeepers and the
like. That all officers ought either to
be elected by the people or appoint
ed by the executive department. And
for this reason, if no other, that If the
legislature is allowed to create an
office, and then elect man to fill it
and fix its duties and salary, there
being no check upon it anywhere. 1t
is more liable to abuse the power
thus given to it than il ii we're au-
thoriZed to create the Office and fix
the salary only, leaving 1t to some
one else to fill the Office by appoint
ment or election That is the Ameri-
Kentucky system. So, when we re-
move the election from the legisla-
ture of any state Office, then that
clause in Senator McCreary's plat
form becomes unimportant.
Prison Commission.
While l am discussing that subject,
II is pertinent that | should lake up
with you here the prison commission
of Kentucky. Our platform declares
that the present method of selecting
the prison commissioners is wrong
We affirm that that prison board
ought to be a bipartisan body, one
half of one party and one-half of the
other. Our platform declares that
the convict contract system of labor
now under the jurisdiction of that
board should be abolished. Senator
McCreary's platform provides, on the
other hand. that the method of elect
ing the Prison commissioners should
be changed, that 1t was wrong. 1t
does not provide for a bipartisan
board. II does not declare against
the contract system of leasing out
these poor fellows in these peniten-
tiaries. IL leaves the prison commits
sion a partisan board, as now. 1t
merely transfers its election from the
legislature to the executive depart
ment. That is better than the present
system, | will grant you, but it can
be made still better. Their platform
then goes on to commend, to ap-
plaud, to praise the course of the
management of the penitentiaries of
Kentucky by the present board OF
prison commissioners.
Let us examine its official record.
There was received and expended on
account OF penitentiaries from Aug.
/. 1908. to June 30, 1911, under the
present board land that board has
been in power all that time and has
been a partisan board, all of one par
~. all that time), as shown by the
auditors books. as follows: From the
branch penitentiary at Eddyville,
there was received into the treasury
s67s.199 There was paid out on
account of that branch penitentiary
$780,. S71.9S, an excess in payments
over receipts Of S654.67230.
From the Kentucky penitentiary at
Frankfort there was received $2,217,-
$3.50, and there was paid out 49,
416.S19.60. leaving a deficit OF $685.,
s60.6i. The total excess of expend-
itures over receipts is $3.50. GS291.
Then TO the above there should be
added the following items which
have been disbursed and are part OF
the receipts for which credit is given,
htff which wQra opoufrod tndor q /