Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-01-10

3
upou society before their time The !
husncial report vii show that | was
e 1er3usjv sustained ~ t5s constituted !
g.. agritIes Of various counties. by many
pftgaie persons, and by our railroad cor /
pgrsti0B, to all of whom I desire 10 the
mo-t puaiIc manner to return mr. thanks
TIE saouey thus obtained added 10 the
pr as Of the State Arsenal. was sufi-
Gent TO support the State Institutions, |
AMI Penitentiaries, and defray all other
cigl5 expenses from the time tbe duty Of
providing for them deyolged upon ne,
uutI the lst day Of January, 1865,
leaving balance Of the civil funds in
q hands of =, 76s o.
The annual reports Of the Board Of
Trustees Of the Benevolent Institutions
are herewith laid before you, from which
il viI appear, that when the high prices
o. the articles that enter into their con
sumption are considered, that they have
been carried on with more economy,
and 1T less cost, than at any former pc
riod IN their history This statement |
am advised is fnliJ sustained BY a care
ful examination aud comparison Of the /
reports Of their expenditures from the /
time Of their FIRST establishment
Peniteatiartes.
Tee Northern Prison, located st
Michigan City, is the one With which / !
have bad most 70 do. # has, belieTe, |
been well and economically managed, /
for which much credit is due TO its War
den, Thomas Wood, ESQ aud to its
Board Of Trustees In this connection
beg leave to call the attention of The
Legislature to the remarks ia my former
message in reference to the coBstrue-
ton u that Prison, and the debt con-
sraeted for the building Of shops il
/ 1862:
% At the regular session cf the Legis-
lature ia 1861, the sum Of ten thousand
dollars was appropriated for the purchase
/ o. materials and construction Of the
/ Northern Prison located al Michigan
City, for the year 1861, and like sum
for tue year 1861 at the'extra session in
1861, the sum OF 1000 was appro-
priaied for material and construction on
the Northern Prison, and for the support
Of conVicts, and the payment Of the ex-
penses incurred for the month of JAM
uary. 1861
st the same session law was passed
for the transfer OF two hundred conviets
from the Southern Prison. at Jefferson
vile, to the Northern Prison, out no
provision was made for their return IN
case their labor should no. De required
A. the same session an act WAS passed
providing that all persons cent 70 the
penilentiaries from the counties north
& / Of the National Road should be confined
10 the Northern Prison. The work in
the construction Of the prison was Wig
: | oronsly pressed in the summer and fall
of 1861. aud Il was found necessary bY
the Board Of Directors, IN order 70 keep
the convict labor employed, 70 autici-
I, pate, aud draw upon the appropriation
3 made for the construction Of the prison
/ in 1862 80 that when the work for the
!, year 1861 was closed mp, there remained
, unexpended ol tbe fund appropriated for
the construction Of the prison in 1859
; sut about three thousand dollars Il
/ was apparent then, that the labor oi
: the eonvlcts could not be employed IN
+ the construction Of the prison during
! the year 1862 for the want of means
!. with which 10 purchase the necess ary
materials The labor Of tho couyicts
could not be leased 90 hired out 10 con.
tractors for the want of shops il the
prison in which they could be- employed
! To work the c0nvicgs out Of prison and
= about the town would be- so expensive
! IN the employment OF guards, as "a
|, make their labor Improbable beside
. there was no authority for doing so, ex-
/ eept as connected With the construction
+ Of the prison
: As the matter stood, il va,
!. inevitable that the convict labor should
, be almost unemployed throughout
the year 1862, aud must 80
continue until the prison shops were con
structed when the labor might be- aired
to contractors, az 10 other prisons i
: the shops we're constructed Ia 1862, ihi,
!, labor could have been made remuuera
= tive through the year 1865. but if no
: constructed until 1868 this could so
happen until 1864 Il was evident tina
the State would sustain great loss b.
u the delay in the construction Of the shops
= and accordingly the Board Of Directors
7 convened ia this city in February last
, aud myself and other State officers wer,
{
, aud after tull consideration Of thl
subject, il was believed By 81
G 10 be clearly TO the intenss
g Of the State that the work Of coastrue
: ton Of the shops should be commence
2 at the earliest possible msment, provjd
d ed the contract could be let at fair prices
J and the contractor, being fully advises
; of the condition Of affairs, should b
@ willing - await the action Of the Lezis
u ature for his par The Board of Dirsc
tors then proceeded to advertise for pro
e posals for the work. and public letting
= was had directed Mr. John h. Stumph
70 Of this city reputed to DO an honest car
= able builder, to be present at III
- letting, and that the contrac
u was properly made. and i
" aeeorance with the plans and specifications befog
d that time adopted by the State for the constrrc
-, ton Of the shops. The contract. have ever
:" reason 70 believe, vas made upon terms, 50 A.
ne informed, fifteen per cent. blas the original COS
tract for the same work ADD A. ie st twenty y
cent below w1as tbe sans work could uew BE- il
IS for IN cash. The shops hRvs been comptatsd an
as Nj stumph WAS again dirsoted 20 examine al
:. / msasuFs the work bis report It the iettiu.
- quality, and measurement OF the wsrA e 1erewit
as submitted Ia OF the ssry canplsttca :
ar tse shops the Board of btrecters we're able
lease the labor Of the c1uvjets upon terms his,hl
az favorable 10 the state This business = props
IS sareC4 for legislative investigation which hos
h. wiu he pr mptiy made, aud that means viii
spscdiiy provt 81 pay the contractor the amour
Al which shall be found e. b. honestly due.
"a To what have here said / u III oaly add thi
tbs shops, the construction Of which { azthe
10 iHed IN le62 wousd Dos cost A. least ssysaty-a
&C. per cent more thaa the price for which they we
- contracted, and hat without thsm the eonvI
- labor Of the prison could not have been ma
ng available. Jusfce requires that an appgoyTiatit
M 30 pay for them be made without delay
Military Espe.sislsrss
Upon tue adjourn menf Of she Legislature
fsued myself unprovldsd, with the exception ef
small tslauce 81 she military contingent fun
tn with money or appro pristions fer military pa
ror po7ss. New regiments could not bs raised ana
the call Of tbs Goeera useuf, nor recruiting c1rr
W forward without the Use o. large suns of meme
ut The Legion bad received pay for their sarvic
s sHcs the beginning Of thR var. and the organic
Va tion could Rot u successfully continued uui=
De meat was aade. and the men reimbursed {
ia / their actual expenditures, tor which tho Apr
priarfon FOR tbs Legion fund, us1s in 1851. "
"a il adequate. The southern border sttll al
N tarbsd b. threats and niger OF invasion, aud su
ia h. a - moss "a lena