The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1867-01-31

The RezIi1emtlasy. e s.
communication headed the Peniten
| tiarvn and stoned .sW arren County appear
ed Il, the Yicksbnrg Herald Of the date
The ordering Of i've hundred copies II
| handful form and the distributing Of {
| quantity to the Legislature is an index o
| fhe belief and its potentiaIity IN which cred
| ulitg indulg ICES. The si1ndfafs would dicats
/ that the article la question was Written u
| Jpas1eh EouatH and that the policy ofl ths
Legislature IN leasing the penltentiary, wa
there regarded as q very IN wise and respon
sible one. Its paternity is aoknowledg ed by
. distinguished gentleman of Warren coun
~ whose mechanical skill for many years
has been employed In the erection Of strnc
lures with increasing profits, upon money
foundations. The intenfions of the lessees
were so well guessed that the ghost" d
printing Office in which convict labor was
to do the work was conjured up to conyinck
newspaper men, of the propriety of fight
inc this amonopoly.,' ssJuvenis' follows
Warren County, in an approving style and
in 'don't we apples swim, = pat me on the
back kind of argument. The "animus' Of
the article while apparently directed against
the system of leasing, is, In reality leveled
at the lessees, and seems to be in keeping
with the threat (already uttere6 ITO do the
lessees all the injury possible. Z
The author may or may not be mechanic
The ostensibb father is certainly not one.---
Z The author may have been employed to write
the argument, or he may have been led to do
so, by some of those philanthropic feelings
so lamentably wanting among the lessees-
Tn either case. while he may have done full
instice TO his ability, he has fallen far short
of doing Justice to his subject.
Assuming that Warren County, is pure
" slisinterested in this matter. and ia ami
mated by philanthropy that sympathizes
with misfortune and is ever actnated by o
desire ito lift from out the Depths. the sem
fenced criminal, let us address ourselves to
his argument, viz: The policy of the leas-
inc system and its effect upon the mechanic
cal skill and labor of the State. The policy
of leasing can be best understood by an ex-
animation of the terms upon which the lease
is founded, and the condition of the State
finances at that time. @ efs
In the first place then, the lessee, or con-
tractor, controls only the labor OF the con-
yict during working hours. His food, cloth
ing, treatment, are all subject to the inspec-
ton of the Superintendent, who is elected
by the Legislature. The lesseeS cannot pun
ISL. The State does this, through her Super
intendent The superintendent is RESPONSE
BILE for the safe keeping of the conyicts,
approves the guard, both as to the number
and character and capacity of each individ-
nal member The lessees cannot work the
eonyicts at anything that is deleterious to.
their health, or that endangers the safety of
their keeping. The lessees furnish suitable
and acceptable medical attendance in case of
sickness, provide religious instruction and
books, acceptable to the Superintendent and
Governor-and, in case of any disagreement
between the lessees aud State Superintend-
emit, the Governor is umpire. To recapitu-
late then, it appears, LIST. That the State has
through its agents elected and appointed
by. her servants) the control of the
eonvicts in everything that relates to their
physical health, their security for the term.
which they may be sentenced, and their
moral and religious training and instruc-
ton. The convict works under rules and
regulations established or approved by the
State Superintendent a 81
3. The Lessees, or contractors merely di-
rect the labor. The convict knows that
while in prison he has to work. If his own
volition merely was consulted, doubt if he
would regard the contractor q more tyran-a
meal master than the State And when
the Task Master is the same, whether the
result of the labor benefits the contractor, or
the State. cannot see how in one case he
is acruel and tyrannieal, and in the other,
.strives to reclaim and benefit the repentant
criminal To procure materials, erect
suitable buildings and place proper ma
chinery in them, in order to provide for the
safety, comfort, health and employment of.
the convicts, require the expenditure. of
of the State were in bad condition, the Leg
islature at their first session, refused to lease
the Penitentiary. But after $4,000 had
been expended on the buildings alone, and
the main prison building still lacked roof,
while the others had not even the debris OF
destruction removed from off their foHndar
ti0ns; the question then came home, how can
we retain the main features for which the
penitentiary system was inaugurated, and
vet stop the drain on depleted Treasury
aad tighten the burden of q heavily taxed
and impoverished people. After mature
this solution was arrived at
wiz: Let the State still keep the control of
the convicts but let us lease the labor, or
sell the direction and result of that labor to
that party or parties who can make the
fairest and best terms for the convict and
the State. 1t was done. Experience of
years in the older States, where this system
has been successful is the best justification
Of the wisdom of the Legislature that can
be offered. I recommed the investigation
IF this part of the subject to .sWarren
County" Having shown that the diff |
srence between the old system and the new
,ystem adopted by the State concerning |
5he Penitentiary, differs, in reality, but in |
the result of the labor, it follows that the |
change for the convict so far as it affects his |
health, his comfort, his moral and religious
training and instruction, and his security
for the term for which he is sentenced, is
certainly no ac0rse, if it is not better, than it
was. AS to the effect of the policy, in a
Huarcia1 mint IF view To the State. the