The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-04-01
purchase goods from us the business Of sending for

| them at their pleasure.
Considerable attention has been given TO the per-
sonal cleanliness OF the prisoners well as to the
prison itself, in all its parts. This will account in
"A great measure, under q benign Providence, for
that exemption from sickness Of serious character
which all Of US have enjoyed even during the prev
aence of the cholera last fall, and from those
plants common at that season of the year in this
climate.
The attending physicians report upon this sub
ject will, j have no doubt. confirm what say.
II will be seen from the financial summary in the
clerks report, marked No 4, that the entire
psnse of maintaining and subsisting the prisoners
during the past year, with average of forty
three, was but Sl0.6 81, being excess over
$3,2S7 IS less than the over income in lS46
oners, and which must De CONSIDERED as Unit sum
saved to the Government during the past year.
Could the means Of the prison Tor subsistlng ana
maintaining itself from its own resources be in
creased by the transfers il Of all the United States
prisoners now confined in States pententiaries,
am Of the opinion that there would be little or no
necessity Of calling upon Congress annually for ap
preparations for the support OF this one.
It is somewhat curious too, that the policy of the
government, paying two dollars week for the sub
sisng and safe keeping of each OF those prisoners
in State institutions, should have been persevered
in 30 long, whilst il was clear to any one who might
have taken the trouble to investigate the subject
properly that they could be subsisted and safely
kept here for more than one third less than what
the government has been paying for them at those
places
Besides this, the act of Congress approved March
8, 1929, gives those prisoners "eIclusfuey to this
penitenary. The hrst section OF that act 10 as io
lows, viz:
"Be IL enacted by the Senate and House Of Repre-
sentafires Of the Uniled States Of America in Con-
Tess assembled That the penitentary erected In the
city OF Washington, in pursuance OF AN act TO
provide for erecting penitentary in the District
Of Columbia, and for other purposes, passed TWEEN
teth MAY, eighteen hundred and twenty six, shall
be designated and known the penientiary for the
District Of Columbia, and shall be exclusively ap-
propriated to the confning such persons as may be
punishable with imprisonment and labor, under
the laws of the United States of the District OF
Columbia.
II appears, then from this fact, that this peniten
tiary built and 'eIciusiUety appropriated 10 me
combining such persons may be punishable ici i'm
prisonment and labor under the latrs Of the United
States, or of the Disfrict Of Columbia"
Why this law has been SO long allowed to remain
dead letter upon the statute book far all the
States are concerned, except in the western dis
rict of Virginia, it is not for me to say. hope,
however, that the proper department, having cog
nzance of the matter, will give 1t its earliest atten-
tion and restore to this prison all those advan-
tages contemplated by the foregoing act OF Con-
gress
Not having at this time sufficient data upon
which to base correct statement OF the actual loss
and expense to Government OF keeping this class OF
prisoners in other and distant penitentiaries from
this will merely submit, for the present, the fol-
lowing synopsis of statement OF the number OF
United States convcts confined in the eastern dis
trct penitentiary Of Pennsylvania from January l,
1929, to January I, 1880 By this exhibit we may
approximate the truth, and arrive at near an es-
tiate of the cost expense Of subsisng and safe
keeping all of this class of prisoners throughout the
Union, as is necessary for our elucidation OF the
question.
A statement of the number of conrics sentenced aud
confined for offences committed against the laics Of
the United States the eastern disric Of Pennsy-
pania, from January 1, 1929, to January j, lsoo.