Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1919-05-09
RED LIGHT CAPITOL
Legislator Said Moral Standards
Low. Lude Women, Craps,
Saloon. But UncO GUIDE

A whole swarm of cats and
kittens were let out of bag by
a member of the legislature, our
legislature, the Cody bunch sent
to Jefferson City to represent
the people of the state and who de-
liberately violated the will of the
great majority in two notable
instances, lie; prohibition and
woman suffrage, if not in nearly
all other particulars, especially
the one which looked to them to
live up to the moral standards
at least in q degree, which they
appeared so very anxious to in,
still into our entire population.
1t was most sincerely hoped that
the men sent to this assembly
both representatives and sena-
tors, would redeem the state
from the odium of the one prev
ious but it developed early in the
session that the aggregation was
nothing more than a lot of moral
and political towards undertak-
ing to bamboozle their constitu-
ents with prohibition and suf-
frage veneer. The result of
course is what was to be expect
ed, the rottenest representation,
assinine bills and, if the charges
of one of the distinguished men,
bers of the house are true, and
one of the leaders if not the real
leader pleads guilty to the charge
of having several under his
belt while on the floor and as
serts openly that number of
others who voted for prohibition
were in the same fix, character
ICES this house as being only
second to the one before in gen.
eral immoral and illegal practic-
es. 1t appears that everything
but thousand dollar bills has
been in circulation, all, we sup
pose, in support of what great
number of both representatives
and senators went there for,
that is to say, to pass over the
heads of the voters of the state
two laws and two only. But
here is what Judge w. A. Steph-
ems from johnson county had to
say on the subject, and take
notice he is from one of the
principal counties in the state,
an able man and a supporter of
both prohibition and suffrage.
He lives at Warrensburg and his
home paper is the authority for
his statements.
The article follows:
When Representative Steph-
ems was home last week couple
or days, he told a few harrow
ing tales about life at the Capitol
that do not show up in the city
papers. The Judge told The
Star Journal that the new Capt.
tol building looks mighty fine on
the outside, but inside does not
stand too close inspection during
this session of the Legislature.
Do you know said the
Judge, that the moral standards
surrounding this Legislature are
awful? | am speaking of the
House end of the Capitol. We
make a typical city red-light dis.
trict. | do not speak from per-
sonal observation altogether.
Some of its only common report,
because l do not mix with those
things.
1t is a common saying that
we have craps game going on
in the basement, saloon in the
committee rooms adjoining the
House and women of ill repute
hanging around most anywhere.
A short time ago someone
introduced bill to regulate
bawdy houses, and Frank Farris
arose and asked if that bill ex-
tended to House committee
rooms. His remark almost caus-
ed a riot, but we all understood
'.Jud1e Stenhens said il is