The weekly North-Carolina standard., 1869-01-13
OUR PENITENTIARY
Communication from the Penitentiary
Committee.

5a.fa {. l. 4N1
Communication from the Penitentiary
COMMITTEE.
To the. General assembly of North Carolina:
o The undersigned by whom, under the
authority of IAN act to provide for the EN-
ployment of conyicts, and the erection of
Penitentiary," "a purchase was made OF
site for Penitentiary and of iron mines,
rock auarries, and timbered land, as ap-
purtcnant tn the same, beg leave to submit
the following statement, and respectfully
and urgently to ask for u Committee of In
vestigatien OF their action in the premises,
to be fully and fairly made: eiei4
By section first of the act aforesaid. it was
provided that Il Committee =
shall he appointed, whose duty it shall be
to hear the claims of the several places and
then locate at once the Penitcntiary, and
purchase site for the same, and if in their
Judgment it is desirable, they may procure
by grant or otherwise, coal or other proper
ty." The Committee have already reported
to your honorable body, that they heard the
claims of various locations, and decided
that the valley of Deep River in the County
of Chatham, possessed a greater combina-
ton of advantages for the location of a
l.
State 1t is central in position, has mar
vellous resources of coal, of iron and other
mineral and metallic nres, unlimited water
! power, fertility of soil. and healthiness of
| location. In their decision in this matter
| the Committee are confident they are sus-
| tanned by large majority of the intelligent
men of the State, who lave not been misled
by the unfounded and false representations
of those who, from pecuniary or other mo-
tives. are interested in fixing the Penitenti-
| airy at some other point The main ohjec-
tinns urged apply, however, not to the
| selection of LockviIle as the site, but to the
/ purchase OF other lands to be used in con-
ncction with the Penitentary. The Com
mittec are prepared to justify their entire
action in the matter.
| 1t will be observed that the act above
/ mentioned commands the Committee: 1st,
to locate the Pcnitentiary at once !; 2d, to
purchase "a site for the same. The act
| further authorized the Committee, if in
their Judgment desirable, to procure coal
or other property. Under, this authority
the Committee would have been ,ierelict in
i duty, not to have considered the question
whether such a purchase was desirable.
Certainly the Assembly would not have con-
ferred this power if there had not been an
expectation that the power might possibly
be exercised.
Why was the authority given to secure
for the State coal or other property, in con-
ncctinn with Penitentiary2 Plainly in
order to furnish fuel for the comfort of con
victs or power to run the machinery of their
work shops. Why was authority conferred
to purchase "other property 2n Plainly to
furnish stone and timber and other material
for the construction of the Penitentiary
building, and to afford means for the en-
ployment of the convicts in labor valuable
to the public. a ,s.
The General Assembly having left it to
i the discretion of the Committee to "procure
| ty,' they proceeded to exercise that discre-
tion. An excellent site was offered to them,
comprising a magnificent and valuable
/ water power on Deep River and means Of
access by navigation works to the coal de-
] positcs above and Theron deposites, granite
quarries and timbered lands below. In
connection with this site containing twenty
five acres, We're offered to the Committee
within few miles of easy water communica-
tion, very valuable tract containing iron
and other ores, and granite quarries and
farming and timbered lands, in all eight
! thousands acres The quality of this ore
and granite have been tested by actual
! working, their quality is believed to be in
exhAustible, and the Committee are inform
ed by experts familiar with the lands that
| the whole of them contain valuable mineral
deposites, and very valuable water power
exists on the same. Tie ore, stone and
timber can be foated with little cost, into
| the very walls of the Penitentiary, and
animal power almost, if not entirely, dis
| pensed with. And all this water power
| and other property were offered for 800, 900,
/ payable in the bonds of the State.
The General Assembly having made it
the duty of the Committee to purchase a
site, and having authorized them to procure
this other property, if in their Judgment it
! was deemed best, they, after careful con-
| sideration, concluded to procure it. They
thought it an eligible purchase for the State
they thought the convicts might be adj
yantageously employed in some Of the
manufactures OF lion; they expected at
least that honorable gentlemen would en-
i quire into the facts, before condemning the
4 exercise of their best discretion. They did
not expect that without an investigation,
/ credit would be given to this false state.
ments of INSCRIPTIONS political partisans
and of men disappointed because the claims
of their localities were not preferred in
this reasonable hope the Committee have
been disappointed.
They have been amazed to find that
assertions. without shadow of foundation,