Barton County democrat., 1915-01-22

calling your attention to the won
derful record of the bank COM
miSSionerS' department. There
have been eight bank failures and
in only one instance was it neceS-
Sary to appoint a receiver, the cost
of such receiverShip amounting to
less than a thousand dollars. The
other seven banks that failed were
reOrganized and put in a going
condition at less than an average
cost of $225 to each bank. Not a
depOSitor has lost penny, nor
has dollar been taken from the
depOsitOrs' guaranty fund to re-
place any loss. We but ask a
comparison in this department,
as well as in all others, with for
mer administrations.
We said in the campaign that
the departments under our con-
troll would be administered eco
nOmically and with the lowest
possible expense. A comparison
of the maintenance of all the state
inStitutiOnS-Other than educa-
| lliOnaI-Will show a decrease as
compared with the expenditures
Of two years ago.
State institutions have been
builded that were necessary. Wa
Ter supplies have been provided.
Irrigation plants have been COM
pIeted. The operations of farm
ing have been increased a hun
dred per cent and the decided in
crease in the number of scholars
in our SChOlS have neceSSitated
a greater expenditure than here
tofOre for educaiiOal purposes.
The expense of conducting the
department directly under my
charge-the executive office and
reSidence-haS been $4,000 less
during my tenure of office than
the amount spent the last two
years by my predecessor.
1t might not be amiSS to speak
a word about the greatest social
problem that confrontS the state,
namely, the penitentiary. 1t has
been the Interpretation of the par
don board, pardon clerk and my
self, that when a prisoner serves
his minimum sentence he should
be parOled if he has a clear pri-
son record. The governors func-
tiOn in board paroles is merely
clerical. He should be relieved
of that burden and the action Uf
the board should be final.
The board has paroled a few
over 400 during the past two yerrs
In other words, that many priS.
OnerS have served their minimum
term and have been released. lie
executive has paroled up to and
including December |, 204. These
are men who have not served their
minimum. In every case, how
ever, the pardon board has in
veStigated thoroughly and in a
painStaking manner, the record
of these men and they have re-
commended them for executive
clemency. The chairman of The
board advises me that seventy
of these men have been parOIed
that they might die outside of the
prison walls. OF the two hundred
given executive clemency, but
twenty-Seven have violated their
paroles. The balance of these
men are by their honest efforts
winning their way back into So
ciety, providing for their wives
and families, and becoming con-
Structive citizens. | feel that Civ
ing these men a chance to become
Self-SuppOrting is one of the most
pleasing duties of an executive.
1t is true that divers and Sundry
rumOrS have been set aflOat in
opposing papers saying that we
had been OverStepping the bounds
of reason in the matter of paroles,
but we do not feel that we have.
A commission has been ap-
pointed and their recommended
tiOns are filed in the office of the
gOvernOr-elect for the further i'm
provements of the Kansas peniten-
tiary, and | feel that it is highly
important that the men who are
confined behind the prison walls
should be housed in such a man.
ner that when they have served
their minimum sentence they will
not leave the prison infected with
as quite a percent
age of the men now are.
The experience of my tenure of
Office pmnhaSizeS IN mo the no