602 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS

(Search for New Penal Site)

Q. Governor, has there been any decision on the erection of a new
penal institution?

A. No, I haven't conferred with Mr. Cannon about the situation.
We have been meeting once or twice a week, but when the budget
situation became critical we skipped a couple of meetings and I do
want to get in touch with him to get the general recommendations
on that capital prison program.

Q. In a recent speech before a Grand Jurors Association, Mr. Can-
non said that he considered the erection of a new institution of the
greatest importance to the penal system if it was going to be revised
the way it should be.

A. Yes, that may well be. But I don't know whether when he says
a new institution he means the revamping of the Penitentiary in a
certain way, whether he means the actual relocation of part of the
penal system — I just haven't been with him sufficiently on that sub-
ject to find out. But I will certainly be with him this week or next
and will find out.

Q. Governor, another priority item of Mr. Cannon was the reloca-
tion of a reception center which was authorized (interruption)....

A. That's on the site of the present Penitentiary that he is talking
about — the reception center.

(Constitution - Judicial Section)

Q. Governor, back to the Constitution for a moment. Suppose a com-
mission submitted two to five names to you and you didn't like any
of them. How do you feel about the Chief Judge of the Court of
Appeals making the appointment?

A. I don't think that the judicial sections are perfect. I guess it's
difficult to think that anyone could devise a method of appointing a
judge that would suit everybody. But I do think that they are work-
able. We have been very fortunate in this State with the quality of
the high Bench and I think that my recent appointment to the high
Bench probably gave me more pause and more room for consideration
than anything I have done in the way of appointments since I have
been here. As long as we maintain that quality I don't have any
strong remorse about the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals having
a broad amount of power over judicial appointments.