Controversy over setting up an interfaith, non-denominational “prayer and meditation” room in the statehouse is apparently nothing new.

In response to an article posted on this site Tuesday, Sen. Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, stopped by the office with a clipping from one of the Journal-World’s “Old Home Town” columns from several years back. It noted that on that particular day (the clipping wasn’t dated) in 1960, two Lawrence legislators, both Republicans, chastised then-Gov. George Docking, a Democrat, for opposing a bill to set up such a room.

State Sen. Don Hults and Rep. Odd Williams, both Lawrence Republicans, labeled Democratic Gov. George Docking’s opposition to “the establishment of an interfaith meditation room in the statehouse as ‘sacrilegious’ and ‘blasphemous.’ Docking had said he feared the room might be used by legislators to store and hide their liquor bottles.”

During a hearing on a new bill this week, Rep. Steve Brunk, R-Wichita, said the current “prayer and meditation” room is non-denominational and does not display religious images or material favoring one religion over another.

We went down to that room to check that out and saw that it is indeed adorned with numerous Judeo-Christian images and objects. But we can report with confidence that no liquor bottles could be seen.