The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1916-11-03
ANSWERS
PARTY'S CRITIC
Tells Of Prison Conditions and Shows
That Hadley Deficiency Left
the State Financially
Embarrassed.

At a meeting of the Democratic
State Press Association held in JEFF
ferson City recently. Hon. w. r.
Painter, Lieutenant Governor and
editor of the Carrollton Democrat,
discussed at length the various
charges that have been made by Re
publican speakers and newspapers re
garding state affairs.
The talk of Gov. Painter was full
Of nourishing food for thoughtful con-
sideration on the part Of the people
of the state and refuted every charge
and proved conclusively to his au-
ditors that the present campaign in
opposition to the Democrats is wholly
Misrepresentation.
Il am not going to make a speech"
said Governor Painter, "but l only,
want just a little while to speak
about some matters that every news
paper man in Missouri should know.
"The opposition says Missouri is
busted. Now, l want to be perfectly
fair. | admit that the revenue fund
Of Missouri is in bad shape at the
present minute because Of a dehcien-
cy left over by Governor Hadley
amounting to $476.000. This amount
of money belonging to the present adj
ministration is unavailable. It was
used TO pay the indebtedness Of the
state while the Republicans were in
power and if we had not been forced
to appropriate this money out of the
earnings OF this administration the
state would not owe a cent, but would
be in a position to pay every dollar
It owes, rebuild the Warrensbure
Normal School and have quite a sub
stantial balance In the state treas
ury.
r They are writing and saying som,
things about the state ~penitentiary.
remember at the beginning Of the pen
i~tentiary noise a reporter came to nj
and said that he had been refuset
, admission to the prison and wanteI
me to see that he got In. I oferel
t. accompany him and see that h
was admitted, but that was not wha
{ he was after. He said that his pape
+ had sent him to Jefferson City to rails
IL.
Nov, l have been in Jefferson Cit
more or less for years and / want [
say that It is my opinion that tn
prison is trying to be reformed b
people who need as much reformin
as the ~penitentiary. These people a
tually don't know anything about CO.
ditions In the ~penitentiary. The fal
Of the matter is there are a lot
newspapers in Missouri that don
Ike McClung; there are a lot
newspapers that don't like this a
re m~inistration, and they don't like Il
Democratic party or anything 1t doe
X so they do a lot Of talking about
N "They claim that the %convicts a
i not given enough 10 eat, that d
food is poor and the meat rotten, al
everything is bad. Now. the starvii
~ of men is one thing that l do n
think that Warden McClung can CIV
nj be accused of, for / know II there
any n thing McClung is mutt
about itis the feeding Of those pr
oners.
Il have eaten at Uncle Sans J
ferson Barracks and at the penit
h tiary, but would rather take a mi
at the p%enitentiary than at the b
racks.
rs THE kitchen at the penitentiary
lat cleaner than nine-tenths OF the kit
raj ems in Jefferson City or any hotel
nd the state. 1t Is truo, at the penit
IN tiary they do not have porterhor
steaks, French hled potatoes, masl
-, potatoes with butter on them,
they have potatoes cooked good
M wholesome.
1T Is true that McClung Is a 3
tician, but he has done q great
Sc for the penitentiary He has enlar
ent the prison grounds by the const
ton Of . stone Wan around some n