Plenary Session Transcripts

Governors Attending:

Guests:

Discussion Subjects:

Taxation; land grant states and the Federal Land Department; wheat in the nation's business; agricultural problems; executive clemency and the parole system; prison industries; uniformity of legislation; giant power; and railroad valuation and the states' obligation

Points of Interest:

Regarding taxation, Governors discussed the problem of assessed versus real property, and the issue of taxing businesses that used scarce natural resources. Governors talked about the falling purchasing power of farmers and the negative effect of surpluses that were encouraged during World War I. They considered the possibility of asking the federal government for relief, but as had happened in 1921, efforts were quashed to take a position involving federal legislation, and a motion to form a committee to look into the matter of agricultural problems failed.

Governor William Sweet of Colorado talked about the indeterminate sentence law in his state, which provided for parole at the expiration of someone's minimum sentence. Governors discussed whether parole should be left to the discretion of the executive, not the judicial branch of state government, given that officials of the executive branch--including prison wardens--were more likely to have followed someone's behavior in prison. Governors also talked about the employment of prisoners to provide products required for consumption by the state and other public institutions.

Governors were presented with a list of state laws in which uniformity had been established. Although it was clear that the majority of those laws concerned commercial rather than social issues, Governors were told that because social issues such as child labor had economic consequences, it would be in their best interest to seek greater uniformity in the social arena as well.

Despite the fact that prohibition was not on the agenda, Governors engaged in a heated debate over the issue when Governor Sweet presented a resolution to the Executive Committee, not to be considered for adoption by the Conference but to be available for individual Governors to sign. The resolution essentially pledged gubernatorial support for enforcement of the 18th Amendment, which the President had invited Governors to discuss with him at the White House after the annual meeting adjourned. But Governor John Parker of Louisiana threatened to withdraw from membership in the Conference if the resolution was adopted, and other Governors expressed concern about the resolution's implication that states were failing to properly enforce the amendment, as well as about the possibility that once the topic had been formally raised, any failure to adopt a resolution would be viewed by bootleggers as a sign of weakness. As a compromise, Governor George Silzer of New Jersey offered a resolution to encourage a program of education on prohibition for states that were having difficulty enforcing the law. When Governor Pat Neff of Texas offered a motion to put "the resolution on the table," his motion was interpreted as an act of parliamentary procedure, although it was meant only to state that the resolution should be placed on a table for individuals to sign if they chose to. The motion was adopted, although it became clear after further discussion that Governors had not known exactly what they were voting for. In fact Governor Parker of Louisiana had voted "no," thinking that his vote was to stop the resolution from being available for signature, when his 'no' vote actually meant he was voting against tabling it.

Memorable Quotes:

Governor William Sweet of Colorado said: "If punishment acts as a deterrent, why do the recidivists represent 50% of the prisoners. We have enacted the severest kind of laws against automobile stealing, but it is increasing and the severity of punishment is no deterrent. The prevention of crime comes about more surely through the certainty of punishment and the speed with which it is meted out, rather than through the extent of punishment."

Governor Pat Neff of Texas said "[The question of prohibition] has been settled, and settled for good, in this country. If there is even one Governor here who has the faintest idea that the American people will ever take a backward step on that proposition, or even squint at the repealing of the Eighteenth Amendment, he reckons without knowing that the American people have never yet taken a backward step anywhere, and they will surely not reverse their history now."