The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1912-02-21

displaying the Bouncing Abilities OF
Tennis Ball, Prison Commissioner
Has Been Able to Come Back Each
Time the Governor Has Thought He
Had Him Laid, and the End Is Not
Yet in Sight.
Frankfort, KY, Feb. 20.-With the
1912 session of the legislature almost
nearing the end, Eli H. Brown still is
member of the prison commission
and is by no means certain that his
crown will be knocked off at all. If
the session should end without the pas
sage of any bill removing the present
prison commission, it is believed to be
certain that the governor would call
an extra session, to pass a new prison
commission act but this possibly will
not be necessary. The governor. to
use a slang phrase, went after the
scalp of Mr.. Brown. He thought he
had it several times, but Mr.. Brown
showed the bouncing abilities of a ten
mis- ball and has come back each time.
AS predicted in This column last
week, Mr.. Brown made his last play
on a possible disagreement between
the house and the senate over the
prison bills. The surprise was when
the house not only rejected the senate
amendment which would allow all
those holding Office in the prisons on
Jan. 1, 1912 to hold onto their jobs for
four years, but went everybody a few
better and turned down the bi-par-
tisan idea altogether The bill that
the house passed does not pretend to
take the prison out of politics. 1t
leaves them in, decidedly and the only
thing it does is to turn the patronage
over from one set Of Democrats to
another set The Republicans do not
get smell. In fact they did not stand
much chance either way. for under the
senate bill they would have gotten
two commissioners and then no Jobs
until four years had passed except
such places as might happen to be va
Gated. The house bill would throw
out OF their jobs every guard, deputy
and warden now employed in the
prisons, if the new commission wanted
their places OF course. some would
have pull" enough to have themselves
retained.
The present prison commission, of
which Mr.. Brown is the real fighting
representative. has a great deal of
strength in the senate and it has al
ways been a close vote there. They
will now rally their strength to have
the senate reject the house bill entire
ly. A conference committee will be
appointed and the two houses will try
to get together on a bill that can be
passed by both houses, with Mr.. Brown
hoping that there can be no agree
ment during the present session. If
the session ends with no bill passed
he will hold on and Finley Fogg will
hold also for two years.
Democratic members of the legisla-
ture have been having much excite
ment during the present session play
ing presidential politics. For instance.
somebody offered a resolution inviting
Mr.. Hearst to come to Frankfort and
make an address to the legislature.
Nearly everybody votel for It, being
perfectly willing to have Mr.. Hearst
or anybody else address the legisla-
ture. Then the Wilson men had a res
olution offered inviting Gov. Woodrow
Wilson OF New Jersey to come to
Frankfort That went through. Then
the Harmon men joined in and had
Gov. Harmon asked. The Republicans.
OF course. had their own list. which
started of with the colonel. and in
cluded the prospective candidates. The
Republicans SHE'D of and not one of
them accepted. probably regarding il
as settled that Mr. Taft will carry
Kentucky, the machine being lined up
for him.
The Democrats accepted, however
Mr.. Hearst was to have been here last
week, but had to cancel his date on &C
count of illness in his family. Gov.
Wilson came and was given such a cor
dial reception and so much enthusiasm
for him was shown that even the Will
son men were surprised. The New
Jersey governor made two speeches
here and each was a literary master
piece. The politician writer for the
Newark News. who has spent a great
deal Of time with Gov. Wilson during
his campaign and since he has been
governor, said.f at the Wilson dollar
banquet, that the two speeches the
governor had made in Frankfort were
the best speeches he had ever heard
the governor make. land I have heard
him make more than 200 speeches. not
only in his home state, but in other
states" be said
The Harmon men are planning Z
smoker instead Of a dinner and are
going to have 1t free so that everybody
who wants to do so can attend. This /
means that there will be large crowd.
The governor is known in Frankfort |
where he has visited before and he is :
a good mixer. well liked. All the mem
bers Of the legislature, whether Har.
mon men or not will attend for they /
like to listen to Gov. Harmon talk
and watch the expert way he handles
himself in crowd. Much emphasis.
loo. Is being laid on the fact that