The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1867-01-29
The Penitentiary.

The ordering of I'VE hundred copies IN
handful form and the distributing OF
quantity to the Legislature is an index of
the belief and its potcntiality in which cred
ulitv INDUCES The signature would indicate
that the article iG question was written In
HarreH County. and that the policy Of the
Legislature in leasing the peuitentiaTy, was
there regarded az a very unwlse and resPon-
sible one Its paternity Is acknowledged by
a distinguished gentleman of Warren Coun-
ty whose mechanical skill for many years
has been employed in the erection OF strue-
lures with increasing profits, upon money
foundations The intentions of the lessees
we're so wei guessed" that the ghost OF
a printing office IN which convict labor was
to do the work was conjured up to convince
newspaper men" of the proprlety OF hght-
ing this monopoly" "JuFenis' follows
Warren County in an approving style and
in don't we apples swim pat me on tine
back" kind of argument. The 'anlinus OF
the article while apparently directed against
the system Of leasing, IS IN reality leVeled
a, the lessees, and seems TO be IN keeping
with the threat (already uttered) to do the
lessees all the injury possible
The author may or may not be mechdhic
The osfeasible father IS certainly not one
The author may have been employed to Wnte
the argument or he may have been LED 70 DO
so. by some Of those philanthToplc feelings
50 lamentably wanting among the Ies7ees.-
In either case, while he may have done full
Justice to his ability, be has fallen far short
of doing Justice 70 his subject.
Assuming that Warren County" Is pure
lv disiuterested in this matter, and II ami
mated by "a philanthropy that sympathizes
with misfortune and is ever actuated by
desire "to lift from out the depths the sen
fenced criminal, let us address ourselves to
his argument. viz: The policy of the leas-
ing system aud its effect upon the mechani-
cal skill and labor Of the State The policy
Of leasing can be best understood by an e1-
animation of the terms upon which the lease
is founded and the condition Of the State
finances at that time.
In the first place then, the lessee, or con
tractor. controls only the labor Of the con-
Wet during working hours His food. cloth
ing. treatment, are all subject 10 the uspec-
ton Of the Superintendent, who Is elected
bv the Legislatures The lessees cannot pun
ish The State does this, through her super
iuteudeut The Superintendent IS response
BILE for the safe keeping Of the cOnFlcts,
approves the guard both as TO the number
and character aud capacity of each indIvId-
nal member The lessees cannot work the
couvicts at ANYTHING that is deleteriOus to
their health, or that endangers tue safety OF
their keeping. The lessees furnish suitable
and accentable 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 and State Superlntend-
emit the Governor is umpire. To recapltu-
late then. il appears, Ist. That the State has
through its agents elected and appointed
by her seEvants) the control of the
convicts 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.
=. The Lessees, or contractors merely d.
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 a more tyran-
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 cruel and tyrannical" and in the other,
"stiives 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
a large sum of money. Though the finances
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 a roof,
while the others had not even the debris OF
destruction removed from off their fOunda-
tious; the question then came home, how can
we retain the main features for which the
pcniteDtiary system was Inaugurated, and
vet stop the drain on a depleted Treasury
a2d tighten the burden of heavily taxed
and Impoverished people. After mature
consideration, this solution was arrived at
viz: 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
he offered. l recommed the investigation
of this part of the subject to Warren
/ County" Having shown that the diff
erence between the old system and the new
system adopted by the State concerning
the Penitentiary, differs, in reality, but in
the result of the labor it follows that the
| change for the convict, so far as 1t 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 ,cOrSe, if it is not better, than it
was. As to the effect of the policy, in a
financial point of view, to the State, tn g
/ ripe experience of the men who favored, advo-
Gated, and voted for the leasing, is the strong
est argument that could be used against the
assertion of even so potential a writer as
Warren County
/ Now as to the effect of convict labor upon
/ the mechanical skill and labor of the State,
as u matter of course, the effect will depend
upon what branches ofinduStry, or mechan-
/ ical skill the conYiCts are employed. With
/ out the shadow of a pretensiOn "of an aC-
! quaintance with the designs of the lessees in
| this respect, Warren County" assumes that
any skilled work carried on by convict labor
must drive beyond the reach of its influence,
1 and beyond the limits of the State, every me-
/ ehanio who depends upon the sweat of his
brow and the employment of his Skill for
/ livelihood. Let us see-Suppose the
! lessees manufacture brsoms and sell them
/ for less than the Yaukee-made brooms are
offered in this market Is the mechanic
/ benefited or injured Suppose they erect
/ cotton tactOTy-and. assuming that be-
cause their labor is cheaper, their cloth is
/ cheaper Though Just as goOd) than cloth
I brought here from New England Mills
/ Is the mechanics in Mississippi benefited or
I injured Take hollow ware buckets, tubs,
wooden bowls, &c. If the lessees manu-
I tacture these at such prices and IN such
quantities as to successfully compete with
Yankee notions" is the mechanic benefit
/ ed OF injured Suppose the hubs, spOkes
/ and seasoned timber for wagons, &c, are
put upon our markets at rates to drive ont
. OF them articles sent all the way from
down east is the mechanic benefited
/ or injured Suppose the lessees run
lanyard and cheaper the price of
+ leather, Is the mechanic benefited or in
luredt Sup Jose the lesSees make shoes
+ which, IN price and quality, are cheaper and
1 better than the same shoes our merchants
+ buH from Senator Wilson and other saints
[ IN Now England and which many of our
/ mechanics purchase and wear. is the me-
I chanle benefited or iuiuredl Our own shoe
I makers here IN our midst do not and cannot
make these shoes to compete successfully
/ with them. Suppose the lessees erect car
I shops and build ears for our railroads. To
/ what extent do they interfere with our me-
+ chanIcal and skilled laborl Where do our
( cars come froml New York, Massachusetts,.
4 PENNSYLVANIA, Is the answer. Our railroad
I car shops do little else than repair and near
/ ~ all need mechanics at this time. This cry
/ OF INJURY to the mechanic, is all ''bosh." I
/ might GO on and extend these illustrations
/ at considerable length. have already Civ
+ en- enough TO show that the various branches
/ which would most likely engage the atten-
ton Of the lesSees would bring them in COM
petition with Ike articles of {" Nee Enolaad
AaHgfdctEre,' and that no one class Of our
people would be more benefited thereby
than our worthy mechanics-while the
whole State would reap the benefit of a well
directed au4ligaffDT1 af this convict IL ~,