The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-02-23
LETTER FROM STATE CAPITAL
By G. w. MOOthart, Representatives:
February % 1917.

February ~, 1917.
At the very beginning, permit me
to say that after a conference with
our Governor, suggest to all APP
plicants for positions that the Gov
ernor is supposed to be interviewed
about, that said applicants, if cohve-
nient, should come to Jefferson City
within the next ten days, and | shall
be pleased to introduce them to the
Governor, with such Endorsements as
are apropos to the occasion. A num-
Der of the applicants for positions
have written to me, and assume that
this notice will serve sufficiently for
them without a personal letter, as
understand all of the county papers
will publish this. ...- ....,..
Last Wednesday, the House sent to
engrossment the Administration bill,
known as the Prison or Penal Insti-
tuition. The prime feature of this
measure is to do away with the COM
tract system, appointing a board of
three prison commissioners with
superintendent of industries, and as
soon as practicable, the board shall
either lease or purchase sufficient
tracts of land to work part of the
prisoners, while others are to be en-
ployed in the manufacture of vari-
Gus articles, the profit going to the
State, with the understanding that
the prisoners themselves will be al
lowed certain amount per diem.
Recent other bills passed by the
House are the Collateral Inheritance
Tax; one placing specific tax on
dogs; another placing certain bopp-
ty on chicken hawks, wolves and GER
tain other animals.
Just here your representative wish
es to say that he was in favor of an
amendment to one of those bills so
that the tax derived from the dog IL
cense should go into fund to pay for
sheep killed by dogs. After discus
sion of this matter, it was finally de-
cided that such a specific designation
would be unconstitutional. make
mention of this fact because some of
my constituents requested me to not
only vote for tax on dogs, but see
that the sheep owners would be re-
warded in this manner. | regret that
| have not been able to carry out
their wishes for the reason just given.
To all railroad employees | wish to
say that the eight hour labor bill in
troduced by me, by request, has not
been favorably reported by the COM
mittee on labor. Valid, and probably
sufficient reasons have been given to
me for said action, which | do not
deem necessary to discuss at this time.
| am pleased to say to my consti-
tuents that / do appreciate the many
letters, petitions and kilograms that
are coming to me almost daily now,
and expressing a manifested interest
in some one or more of the many laws
before the House for consideration.
AS ! said before, | am very glad to
have these matters emphasized, and
at once give said bills a more care
full consideration than probably /
otherwise would have done.
1t is necessary, however, to again
repeat that | cannot please by my vote
and support both sides of all these
measures. must sometimes take un-
to myself the responsibility of cast
ing my vote for or against said meas
ures with the hope of legislating for
the masses, instead of the classes,
and yet at the same time trying to
render justice to the classes as best
can. s8 a.,..,4
Some of my people are at this late
date asking me to introduce certain
bills to meet imperative needs. /
would have gladly favored these good
citizens had those requests come to
me earlier, but / am informed by our
leaders, that bills now introduced have
no hope whatever OF. even coming be-
fore the House in time for engross-
ment. Nearly 1000 bills have already
been introduced in the House. Out Of
this number it is predicted that not
more than 200 will be passed and many
Of these will probably languish or be
killed in the Senate.
VIII Overall was a st. Louis yisi-
tor this week.