The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, January 14, 1915, Page 4

forms, and to which I shall. later. refer The departments created by the last legislature, in each instance, took the place of some department which was abolished. The public service commis sion act abolished the railroad and warehouse commission, the board oi pardons and paroles abolished the par don attorney and his department, and the highway commissioner supplanted the state highway engineer. In every instance results have disclosed that it was the part of wisdom and good busi. ness so to do. The test and measure can be safely estimated by the service rendered and the benefits given to the public. MESSAGE OF GOVERNOR MAJOR ‘Regommendations and Sugges- tlons of State Executive, . STATE FINANCES IN GO08 SHAPE Jefferson City—Governor Elliott W. One of the important matters in the Major delivered his message to the| conduct of the state’s affairs is the Forty-eighth general assembly, in part,| condition of its finances. The state as follows: has assets and liabilities, just as any The personnel of this legislature] financial institution or business. Its bespeaks a safe, conservative, and} obligations should not exceed its as progressive legislative service. As/| sets. I took the oath of office as gov: public servants entrusted with the] ernor.on the 18th of January, 1913 legislative weil-being of Missouri, you} and although the fiscal year had closed are capable.of and will no doubt ren-} on Dec. 31 preceding, yet any unpaid der a conspicuous service to the state| indebtedness made during the years and leave for yourselves a monument] 1911 and 1912, were liabilities which which will stand pre-eminent in the] the state must pay in 1913, if the ap legislative history of Missouri. Propriation to meet the same had noi I am satisfied, from my personal] been exhausted and there were funds knowledge of the able men—Demo-:| on hand at the close of the biennia! crats, Republicans and Progressives—-| period and same was presented-before in the house and senate, that the pres-| the expiration of the two-year consti ent legislature will rank with the For-| tutional limit from the date of the ap ty-seventh assembly and will write aj propriation act. It will be news 0 record of progress which will live| public interest to know that during when the labors of many other ses:| my administration we paid debts made sions will have been forgotten. New| by the preceding administration ir and important questions have arisen! 1911 and 1912 and left unpaid in the during the last year which it is the| sum of $622,572.33. My administration duty of this legislature to meet, and| had nothing to do with the making o! which must be met in a broad Amer-| this indebtedness, but was called upon ican spirit, and not in a narrow spirit} to pay and did pay the same. The of partisanship. “Every age has its| appropriations made for the biennial problems, by. solving which humanity| period which closed on the 31st of De is helped forward. As we drift into] cember, 1914, amounted to $12,384, these new latitudes, new lights will} 142.64. A large amount of this sum closed Dec. 81, 1914, and all obliga tions have been paid promptly as. pre: sented. Extra Demands Met, upon to pay many extraordina: gations, aside from the usual ping the temporary’ capitol. sition, all of which amounted to sum in excess of $450,000. The star larged and better service without th increase in the rate of taxation, extra services rendered, is the bes! been managed. ‘ Management of State Institutions. insane have industrial training depart has improved its system and‘apparatus for treatment of patients, and has in creased the per cent of benefits. institution for the feeble-minded and epileptic at Marshall is just complet: shine and help us solve them.” however, waa merely paper liabilities As chief executive of the common-:| Which were not expected to be called “wealth, I have no political or partisan| for,-and which were not called for, as measures to present. The governor of! {t represented appropriations made! a commonwealth should have none. He| 80lely and purely to meet contingen | represents the whole people and thc} cles which might possibly ‘arise, but; measures recommended to the legisla-| Which did not arise. The revenues fon} ture under constitutional mandate! the same period amounted to $10,700, should be those which go to the inter.| 616.23. The state’s indebtedness fo: nal improvement of the state and the| transacting its business in every de, 1 + betterment in every way of the great| partment during the biennial period| people he represents. I shall, there! just closed and presented for payment | fore, present to this legislature those| amounted to $7,300,548.25. Each and, matters only which belong to and af-| every claim was paid promptly. and, fect the people and which.do not be| there is now on hand a balance ot long to or affect solely a political par.| $534,944.13. ty. When I shall have delivered to] A large sum can be saved annually! You this message, my duty as chief} in printing public documents or in executive and the functions I perform| public printing of various kinds which| in the lawmaking branch will have} Serve no-useful purpose. The state| been finished, save and except to| printing commission should prepare a exercise my right to approve or vetc| Measure eliminating the printing of legislation you may enact. |.many useless documents, and prevent Record Speaks For Itself. | different departments from duplicate hi The people of the commonwealth Printing. In this way the commission have been given a good, clean public| can render the state an economic ser service. The record has been written vice of great value, ang Teche and can speak for itself. | printing commission will revise the The great} i masses of the people, irrespective of| @¥® ane thee a istimated Revenues, political parties, in every section of the state, are satisfied with the labors] The estimated revenues available of the administration. In handling] for the payment of appropriations for the ‘state's affairs, it is purely a mat'| the years 1915 and 1916 will be ap: ter of business on the one hand and| proximately $11,500,000. The legisla.| the securing of constructive and pro| ture must take this into consideration gressive legislation on the other.| in making appropriations, because J Never before iq the history of the| Will not permit the appropriations to State has your Thane been handled| exceed the reasonable expectancy of by the various departments with bet| the revenues. Should the appropria- ter success financially or otherwise.| tions go beyond, I will have no hesi- The departments, without exce)Xon | tancy in vetoing the same. to the en:1| | @ we have given a greater net financial re| I may know the state will meet its ob turn than the same departments ever| ligations promptly and its credit main 4 gave in a like period during any oth.| tained. Returns from the corporation] in: er administration, Democratic or Re publican. This fact alone speaks of . the efficiency and economy of these 8 departments in handling the public business. Although some departments have operated under adverse state a conditions, yet these departments tax enacted by the last legislature should: be placed in the general reve nue fund. The revenues of the state are antple to conduct its business and also care for in an efficient way all of our educational, eleemosynary and penal institutions when econcmically have returned-from $25,000 to $50,000] expended and that without increasing net more than the same departments] the Burdens of taxation upon the peo. returned in any other biennial period.| ple or upon any business F The various state, educational, elee At this particular time the question a mosynary, penal and reformatory {n'| of abolishing the contract system as to é stitutions have been splendidly con} convicts in the penitentiary is up and ducted and substantial new building should be met fairly and ‘squarely. It - additions have been ‘made in many in| has been discussed in an informal and stances, and aboye all there has been light way for some years, but appar. a marked improvement in the service ently with no real effort being made rendered, The eleemosynary instity | to settle and solve tlie problem. Now- tions have been conducted in an upto} it is safe to say no one year can beat date. scientific way and a more of| the burden of this change without ite ficient service given than heretofore | revenues being so drawn upon as to No financial or other scandal has sur. cripple the service rendered by the rounded a single institution, and thé] state to its educational and eleemos- inmates have been carefully treated ynary institutions, both of which are and shown humane considerations | of first importance. The question can pit la as at do of Secretary of state, treasurer and at torney general has been exemplary and in keeping with that-splendid ef | tions. Gciency established: in these depart! the subject later in the message, and ments, The superintendent of public| will present some suggestions for your | ed schools has been active and vigilani| consideration. fm doing all he could, and has cooper ated with as chief executive,—ir &-way that it will not affect the ser.| Of onably ample to care for all patients. establishing one central board of man- agement, or control. ered these questions for two years, and having visited the having given the subject my best thought and consideration, I am .con- vinced a central board of management or ccntro] would prove a failure, and tend to militate against the efficient Management, system and treatment now in vogue in these institutions and against another force. institution can be better managed by the specific board, superintendent and Officers having the management of that business is voluminous. corrections ‘must also visit, and make reports about these institu- tions, and perform many valuable ser- vices in relation thereto. tutions and tlie state by having a stat2 purchasing board for all institutions and departments. will create such a board of three men, act more than two of whom shall be of the same political party, and requir: this board to purchase all the supplies for the state, even for the departments —executive, legislative and judicial— net per annum. The good which it can lieve each institution from the labors The business handled by the auditor] be met and settled, however, in such| articles and in transacting this class vice rendered in any of these institu-| employees to devote all their time and I shall write more fally ‘upon| attention to the management of the in- stitutions and the service to be render. service and care. Second; there will The revenues for the biennial period| b¢ ® great financial saving in buying] free to the t) of 1918 and 1914 were alded by the|'™ large quantities and in having 4/ gtate,the counties merely paying the ing a new cottage for patients, thus | adding another unit to the system. Dr. | Wilson, the superintendent, has sc treated the patients and managed the institution that he has been able to | reduce seizures | wonderful | brought about by Dr. Wilson is phe nomenal, and, the colony in this re- spect is the equal of any institution 0! over 50 per cent. This change for betterment ike character in the country. I rec- ommend to the legislature that it ap propriate sufficient money to build an- other new cottage for patients; to the end each biennial period may con- tribute a separate, new cottage to the! eolony until the full scheme of build- | ings, as originally planned, has been | completed and the colony able to ac- commodate and receive all the feeble. minded and epileptic of the common- wealth entitled, under the law, to ad- mission. The state hospitals for the insane lave been well provided with buildings nd repairs, and in my judgment reas- There has been some agitation about | Having consid- | institutions and ould. prove to be one force pulling Each separate stitution in charge. Each state how ital is a very large institution and its Under the w, the state board of charities and exami:e State Purchasing Board. | I will suggest, however, that a splen- service-ecan be rendered the insti- If this legislature well as the institutions, it:can save, the very lowest estimate, $100,000 will be two-fold. First; it will re This administration has(been ‘callea 5 lepart- Mental expenses, among which was over $75,000 for building and equip- It was constructed in the latter part of 1912. but was paid for in t913. Again we paid more than $100,000 out of the general revenue to meet certain road claims in twenty-five or twenty-six counties which had been vetoed by the governor preceding, but which were just obligations resting upon the state. | We paid out of the general revenie/ abolished completely at once, the rev- fund a large amount of money in giv-| enues of the state will necessarily, for ing special aid to schools adopting the! a time, raw: for this sum teachers’ ‘training course and rural| Fiat eA aati high schools, also pay’-to ex-confeder- | ates and for the Panama-Pacifi¢ expo- has been able to meet these extra de- mands and render the people an en-| by the able, economic and efficient | service in every department and by from the revenues of a single year or each of the various departménts giv- | }, of wba cy ing a larger net financial‘return. The fact that these things have been done, these obligations met and paid, these Some of the state hospitals for the ments and are conducting same with benefit and profit. Each institution gonyicts could be supported out of the | good road fund. This fund is sufficient to support the penitentiary, and if the The | entire labors of the convicts are to be [health of the convicts by giving them fresh air, sunlight and a view of that great, free world awaiting them soon- er or later, depending upon their own good behavior. ‘The convicts in the tute other’ employment: therefor. © stated in the beginning of the burden of the change not: be m: -0bll/49 fall upon apy one year, but: should ‘be -so arranged that the service the state now renders the cause of popu ‘lar education and its varioys ed | tional. and eleemosynary i time bring about the desired end | system. | the contractors is about’ $750,000 sustaining. If the contract system 4" departmental lines. ©! ly cost, ©! to the convicts: This money, too, mu: solely} come from the general revenue fund. These enormous sums cannot be taken biennial period. t This proposition must be met fn fair, open, candid, business way. - at once, and the legislature wishes to of the state, then in such event th used upon the public roads free, thi being a donation from the state for construction and maintenance of good roads, then in such an event the good road fund, which arises from the auto- mobile license law and stamp act could be used to maintain and support ' the convicts while doing this free pub: lic road work. If only a portion of the convicts are to be used and worked then whatever numbers are worked thereon could and should be supported from the good road fund. Again, if the legislature deter- mines to let the burden of the change fall upon a series of years, then, in such an event, the legislature could provide for the building and equipping of one plant for the. first period to upon the roads free, ; manufacture such things’ as it may designate, and to then equip another plant for another purpose for the man- ufacture of other things for the second period, and so on. In this way the bur. | den of the change would be distributed | over a period of time and the service rendered by the state to its great eleemosynary institutions would not, in any way, be crippled. nor the cause of education impaired. In the matter of our educational and eleemosynary service, we must knew no hackward step, but proceed to make these servi- ces better year by. year, for they are of first importance. I would suggest, however, as the first step and for the first period, that a farm of 1,000 acres be purchased in the Missouri valley, across the river from and directly opposite the peniten- tiary, and that the state purchase a ferryboat and ferry the necessary num- ber of convicts to onerate the farm over and hack daily. This farm should be used for the purposes of truck farming, raising beans, peas, corn, to- matoes, potatoes. cahbage. beets. greens, and many other necessary things. The state shou!d have a small canning plant on the farm and can the products, and if the supply is greater than is needed at the penitentiary, sell the surplus to other state institu. tions. The refuse or slop upon the farm and the penitentiary could be used to fatten hogs on the farm for consumption or sale. Here intensive farming can be conducted to a great profit, and employ two or three hun- dred men, many of whom might. be men who, heretofore, have rendered No sefvice to the state by way of labor in the penitentiary. Labor upon this farm would afford a healthful exereise and not only be of profit to the state financially, but be beneficial to the keeping posted as to the prices of work, and enable the officers and the inmates, thus increasing the Uary can and should be enlarged and|- penitentiary, when left to their own choice, prefer to work rather than to be idle. bluffs, which would be included in the property, would afford the means of The great quarries on the Callaway ,& large number of conyicts to rock, which might be given various counties of the LF ¥ plant now in the peniten- e law 80. that a state penitentiary. It proposed toabol-lto meet the ish the contract system and substi- y Message jtutions should not suffer, and at the same completely abolishing the contract The revenue received from | $800,000 for each biennial period. This makes the penitentiary practically seif- $800,000 to sustain the penitentiary, which sum heretofore has been used, | along educational, eleemosynary and It will necessari- at the lowest estimate, $500, 000 to even start the equipment of plants sufficient to give employment ¢ At the very earliest, | {t would take two years to build and | equip plants, and then the state would ; be in an experimental stage of the | change, with little or no revenue flow: evidence of the way and manner the| ing back from the penitentiary. state’s finances and business have! It the contract system is to be abolished , work all the convicts upon the roade two things; Aa the revenues of this biennial: fenders to its educational, of we for at least two years. * or chairs, characte: is Taw material. Code Procedure. ot vise our judicial procedure . ough and complet and advises th st returnable at a day certain, turn day; that demurrers and othe dilatory pleas be abolished; a not required; of appeals conform to those of the su: S! the issues only affected by the error: ment or information be permitted at any time before trial; that informa- tion may. be filed in felony cases with- out preliminary examinations and that the old common law formalities and technicalities be abolished; that no case be reversed because the record does not show the- defendant was ar- raigned and pleaded guilty; that crim- inal cases ‘be docketed within thirty days after arraignment; that all ob- jections to the sufficiency of the in- dictment or information be presented peremptory challenges be reduced from thirty-five to twenty-four in cap- ital cases, and giving the state and de- fendant an equal number of chal- lenges; that no case be reversed un- less'an error complained of works & substantial injustice to the defendant. Fice Insurance. % Down at the bottom of the whole in- surance question Hes the-reduction of fire waste. It is the first and most serious question of all, because it is the great factor .in controlling the rates. The more fires we have, the higher the rate—the fewer fires we have, the lower the rate. In this mat- ter, the interest of the companies and of the public is one and the same. The sure way to reduce rates permanently is to have fewer fires,.to keep proper- ty from being-overinsured, and to stop fires that start earlier in the game, with power and authority.to bring this about lodged in some officer or depart- ment. To this end I would recommend the creation of a fire marshal depart- ment, making the same an adjunct of the insurance department, and under the supervision of the insurance de- partment. I recommend to the legislature the the. Pe [who are known throughou' and twine plant, can all be drawn from an e pli in all be Teal | penuation; and without in any way hampering or im the service the state now paiee |, ‘eleemosy- | body to aid the educational n nary and ether interests. The peniten- tiary is now a going .concern and 'Clung. Should‘ you abolish the system at once, and start everything anew, the penitentiary could. not be a going ut 100 of the convicts could be used for the purpose of making willow ees, and furniture of that the only investment for which would be the purchase of the The report of the commission to re- ig thor- legislature of all the changes made, and it would be useless for me to ad- dress you at length upon this subject. Tt is enough to say that the proposed vode contemplates that, writs shall be not ex: ceeding twenty days from the date of issue; that defendants plead on the re- that courts be required. to disregard all pleadings not affecting the substan. tial rights of the litigants, and revers. als prohibited on account of such er- rors; that motions in arrest of judg: ment be abolished and errors com- plained of be specifically stated; that the necessity of saving exceptions be abolished and affidavits for appeals that distinctions be- tween record. and record proper be abolished; that the rules of the court preme court; that the appellate courts affirm in part and remand for retrial that a short form of record be substi- tuted for the voluminous record now permitted under our present practice and which unnecessarily consumes the time of the appellate courts; that in criminal cases amendments of indict- in one motion; that the number of | who would gladly serve } and render the ice of great value. This is to the end we may have of the times. Let the commis: the department of education, hand, study the educational condi of today and the problems @ the ture, and: have recomm Teady that the state may most intelligent: legislati ‘The great necessity of th sion ig felt at the present time; ‘this hour, under the supervision. of Professor Pritchett, a native born Mis- sourian, an instructor in the schools of higher education in this state for. almost a quarter of a century, the Car- negie Teachers’ Foundation ‘is study: ing Missouri problems, attracted to \@plendidly managed by Warden Mc- |made along educational lines in the last two years. When the new condi- tions of today are placed side by ‘side with the conditions as they existed a decade ago and the comparison drawn, Panama-Pacific Exposition. y | The Panama-Pacific exposition com- mission has been exceedingly active in assembling exhibits so as to advertise Mtssouri and her resources and indus- tries in'a proper and fitting manner at the Panama exposition. The commis- sion-has constructed a beautiful Mis- souri building which is now nearing ‘completion. ‘While the state has not constructed an expensive building,’ yet it is one of which all Missourians who visit the exposition will feel proud, The commission has expended only a portion of the $100,000 appropri- -{ated to it, and it will be necessary, for this legislature to reappropriate the balance, and also an additional sum of at least $25,000 to enable the” commission to properly display the: great resources and advertise Missouri in a way béfitting its importance and dignity. om: Agriculture. x Aside from handling the official bus. iness of my‘department and exercising a general supervision and control over state matters and in the securing of needed progressive legislation, I have labored earnestly for better roads, better schools, better agriculture and a better community life. These four things are the achievements which make a state or nation great in its citizenship, great in its finances and great in its.commerce. Through these things the dome of Missouri's greatness will be lifted still higher ig the skies. We know during this pe- riod we have secured better roads and better schools, and at the same time have. bettered our agricultural inter: ests, and these things of necessity give us a better community life. In Conclusion. As the representatives of the people, knowing well the needs of the com- monwealth, you will be earnest and diligent in crystallizing into progres- sive’ and constructive legislation things which we feel certain will inure to the benefit of ‘the state. To bring this about, it is necessary that you be imbued with the spirit of the new day andof the new Missouri. “Old things are passed away; -behold, all things are become new.” Give us good, clean, wholesome, progressive and construc- tive legislation, ‘commensurate with the day and adequate to meet the rea- sonable requirements and necessities of the people. In the matter of legis- _ lative achievements, you alone can act. I can only recommend, and there My duty and powers cease. You wiil either build or still the wheels of pro-.. gressive achievements. 1 ami satisfied you will write a splendid record, one - which we can commend at the close of the session, one which will meet. passage of a workmen’s compensation act. The’growth and development of our transportation facilities, factory systems,- industrial progress and the! intrease: in the number of? unskilled workmen about high power machinery, demand the enactment of a workmen's compensation law. One of the prime objects of such an act is to avoid the great waste attending the litigation which arises under the old system of employers’ liability laws. Election Laws. During. the two: years I have: been governor of the state I have striven earnestly at all times to have honest election, both in the primary. and in the general election. My efforts have not been in vain. The present laws should be amended in many respects 80 as to‘safeguard the_ballot and in- sure every man that he will be per- mitted to cast his ballot free and un- trammeled, have it counted as cast, than are cast. A free and honeat-bal- lot is the keen-edged rapier’ safe- guarding the rights, liberties: and. priv- with the approval of the people. Be concerned at_all times with the larger things, and _look only to the in- Missouri, among all the states, by rea: son of the progressive strides we have ~_ it will read like a :omance. ‘ Mes térests of Missouri and her people and not to the side lights set by those who: are not concerned in the progress of the state, and who may -be too narrow to: look beyond a political environment. : Be: safe, conservative and fair to ¢v- ery interest. Be careful not to de. press or destroy any legitimate inter- — est, great or small—they go to make’ up our great financial and commercial fabric. Should you distress or injure’ any interest in the commonwealth which contributes to our commercial’ aggrandizement and progress, that extent, destroy or ness of the state and’ the ¢ it Place: your feet upost safe’. ground: these mattersAto tt : F march to civic and commercial glory: may be safe; sound: and certain. impressed