Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-10-18


thing else which be considers better
than bis trade, or returns to the re-
commission Of crime. His trade, in
most instances, as I believe, serves to
better qualify the yi2san without re-
forming the man. Those who would
attempt the moral reformation of the
feloal, must employ other means
They must bear in mind that three
fourths of those stained with crime
can neither read nor write. The
mind must be cultivated in order to
produce those genial influences which
are calculated to remove vicious incli-
nation and base propensities, and give
place to proper sensibiities and cor
rected feelings. from which altered
intentions and yirtuous actions must
spring
"The trial, conviction and sentence
by the court, of persons to the pem-
Tertiary for violation of the laws, has
had no restraining influence what
ever on immortality, and carries little
or no terror to the mind of the
evil doer. The announcement in
the courthouse yard that such a
person has been sentenced for so
many years Imprisonment, is received
with no alarm, but, on the contrary,
with great Indifference; and it is the
frequent remark that it is better for
the individual who has just been SEN
fenced to so many years confinement
it will be far better for him. He
will, while there, be enabled to learn
a good trade, and will live better there
than he ever did before. The sheriff
thenprepares with his guards and starts
with the convict for the penitentiary,
making rather the impression, as he
leaves, uponthe minds of many specta-
tors, that the prisoner has done well
in obtaining a travelling trip of pleas
ure and money-making business for
the sheriff and his escort, and he
in the end be made one of the
mechanics of the country. In fine,
ON these two points, it will be readily
perceived the penitentiary reforms no
one after he is confined within its
walls; and this sentence of the court,
and confinement together, deters no
one from a violation of the laws Of
the land.
"In the next place, the system has
fallen far below the expenses incurred
: in the erection of the establishment,
and the annual cost of carrying it on
up to the present time. Upon close
examination of the items properly
chargeable to the institution, after
giving it full credit for all that it is
entitled to, there will still be found a
/ deficit of not less than one hundred
thousand dollars probably much
more. have obtained sufficient data
from MIR. Love, the principal book
keeper, who has appeared very ac-
accommodating, and much disposed to
afford every facility in his power to
remove all difficulty in getting at the
true financial condition of the insti-
tuition, together with report recent
lily made by the Comptroller to the
Senate, showing how much has been
paid out of the treasury for the con-
veyance of convicts to the peniten-
tiary, to satisfy my mind that the
State has incurred a heavy loss by the
penitentiary. 1t will take but little
investigation of this subject to salts
fly any discerning mind that the peni-
Tertiary exerts no beneficial moral In
tfluence on society, in or out of the
penitentiary, and that it is now, and
has been, an incubus on the treasury,
and will most likely continue so, IN
less the whole establishment under
goes thorough change.
"While the institution has failed in
all the leading objects of its creation,
1.-THE manner In which it has been con-
Quoted has been made to operate in
juriously upon the mechanical inter-
ests of the country. 1t has been
made practically State mechanic in
stitute, fostered and sustained by the
treasury of the State, and brought in
to direct competition with the mechan-
les of the country to the extent of its
entire operation. The conditions up
on which persons are admitted into
this State mechanic institute are very
discriminating and invidious in their
character. Before the candidate can
obtain admission to the high privi-
lege of being employed in this insti-
tuition, at any one of the branches of
business carried on there, he must first