The daily comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1850-1856, 1854-02-07
Repsrt 81 the HoarR 81 DIreesers
-.e- on THE
LOUISIANA PENlTENTlARY.

a
4 agreeable clerk Of the Prison, hes ou
thanks for asppy ofthis valuable doc
ument, upon which, at an early day
we design commenting at large. The
report is full and complete in Ill The
details, necessary to place the true
condition Of the Prison before the leg.
islature, with valuable suggestions
from the Board, in reference to its fu-
ture management. Schedules are
appended showing the number Of pris-
oners confined, the number discharged
during the year; the number pardoned
the ages and nations Of Prisoners,
and the crimes Of which they have
been convicted The following hui
name suggestions from the report, we
cannot refrain from giving place to-:
This being the last year Of the pres
ent lease of the Institution, it may
not be amiss, for the Board to express
IN opinion in regard to the releasing
of the the same. Our Board are de-
cidedly opposed to the system of leas-
ing the labor Of crime in our State, to
a company ; whereby creating a mo.
nopoly-and enriching a few, to the
detriment ofmany and at the same
time. change the spirit and intention of
the Institution from a place where
punishment for crime is melted out:
but that the criminal may have the
opportunity Of reformation, where even
handed justice may be dealt out, where
the force Of example, instruction and
advice of the officers connected with
the institution may have full and prop
er effect. And not where dollars and
cents is the controlling insterest. Eth
err iu the scanty allowance Of food. and
raiment, or the low price paid to the
officers and guard employed in the In
stitution. The great Importance Of
every Office connected with the Insti-
tuition, and having proper and conpe-
tent men, assigned to the various sta
tons is not in general, fully understood
and can scarcely be appreciated by the
public at large, who have no adequate
means of obtaining the proper infor-
nation to enable them to judge Of the
and qualifications required
in this branch Of the public service.
Those who are entrusted with the care
and direction of this Institution, are
called to perform not only the ordina-
ry duties of public officers, but they are
with the additional and res
ponsible post of controlling, governing,
correcting, improving. aud elevating
the erripg man committed to their
care and by their example, and the
influence their person. character and
endeavcur to prepare them
for life of industry and respectable
ty when they again enter society, at
he expiration of their terms Of SEN
:ence. To discharge this duty accep-
ably, requires peculiar adoption by
nature and cultivation.--which few
men possess--and in which many
would utterly fail, who are neverthe-
ess fully competent to conduct any
ordinary business or pursuit. Could
be expected that men possessing the
equisite qualifications of a warden, or
wen guard, could be had for the
'rices Of fifteen or twenty dollars per
nonth-for which service is now paid
" the Lessess-especially III a coun-
ry like this, where common labor
ommands from 81 to 81 so per day? {
Out of~two hundred and eighty
hree prisoners now in confinement, /,
81 are from New Orleans, and 1o2 ;
ON the country parishes. Iu schedule
howing tho occupation of the prison
rs, out of 271 we find 173 with ''u0 !
This is an item we hope ,
ur friend Of the Organ will make a t
ote of, since he attributes all crime to a
Temperance. 1t will be seen that {
lleness may be charged with a small :
,odacum.
The report is published in pamphlet S
'rm and it is to be hoped there is :
Efficient number for g eneral distribu-