to blame if he, unable to get work, commits another
crime? Is not the state, in an indirect way, a party to the crime?
Two years ago the legislature passed a law to give the outgoing
prisoner ten dollars, but unfortunately they overlooked to appropriate
funds for that purpose, thus the law was of no value.' It reminds
me of a friend of mine, who was quite a hunter. He invited me up
to his house to take dinner with him. He had shot a young, wild
goose' and his good wife was preparing it for us. Long before we
came to the house we smelled the goose cooking. While his wife
was not looking, his neighbor's dog got the goose, much to our
disappointment. Well, we managed to get along anyhow. It is the
same way with the, boys of Lancaster. They had heard so much of
the ten dollar bill they were to get and they saw the law enacted;
but they never got the ten, they got only the smell of it, and
they, too, had to get along somehow with the five only. And again
at the 1913
|
session of the legislature, it went the same way. I
made several trips to the state house and conferred with several
senators. Some of them were surprised over existing conditions. Only
one knew all about it; that was Senator Dodge of Omaha. The senators
promised that they would do all in their power in this matter and
they kept their promise; but someway, somehow, the bill went astray
in the house, and again no appropriation. One good thing, however,
about those sterling patriots who serve in our legislatures-they
never forget to appropriate funds for their own salaries. That is
usually the first number on the program, and not only is it the first,
but is passed with an emergency clause, that those good solons will
not have to wait for their hard-earned money. I will ask my reader, "What
is the best for the state, as well as the cheapest in the long run-to
give the outgoing boys five dollars and the cheap clothes, and then
have many of them come back again as a ward of
|