The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-02-17
The pen,tept,arv,,

! oiu not IN the ieast avail to deter the peo-
| pie from their purpose to change the manner
OF furnishing crime. Many voters remem-
bered the insane outcry by which in lS40 the
proposition to erect an institution OF the
| kind was voted down. The result OF that
/ experiment in the shape OF taxes 10 1eed
and incarcerate idle fellows, had taught a
/ painful lesson worthy of being needed. Even
| now, all over the State, there is demand
| for bastei in this matter, and the anxious and
tax laden people are impatient of delay.
The .taur pas by which the plans for its
/ speedy erection were brought to stand
! still was discouraging, and daily are heard
mutterings coming up to the Capitol. A
demand is made to repair as far as may be
any wrong the State has suffered and 90 on
with the work Fa g44s n
| In every county are convicted felons SEN
fenced to hard labor. The people are anx-
ious to be relieved of the burden of their sup
port, and are eager to see them at work earn
ing their own board. 1t is true also that
many county jails are insecure, and in several
counties last week the prisons were broken
open and all the offenders made their escape,
thus turning loose upon the country some
very vicious and dangerous men.
We trust our Legislators will at once dis
| pose of all the issues involved in this ques-
ton and put the erection of a building
under way. No time is to be lost; too
much has already been wasted. The present
session is rapidly drawing to a close, and
the Constitution expressly provides that the
General Assembly shall, at its first meeting,
make this provision for its erection, and
every interest of the State demands that no
delay be suffered to disappoint the just ex-
peetation of the people.
We are pleased to see that the Senate bill
repeating the law of last summer, has passed
the House also. A resolution, adopted in
the Senate, will speedily reach the House,
that provides for joint committee to report
some mode of procedure in the case. There
is also bill before the Senate that provides
for the reputation of the whole transaction,
as it respects the purchase of the 5000 acres
of land; the issue of the bonds of the State
to the amount of 100000 is declared I'M
constitutional and void, and the Treasurer
of the State is forbidden to pay interest or
principal
We hope that all this indicates prompt
action, and that in few days all the rubbish
that has accumulated about this matter will
be removed, and that the site will be defin-
itely fixed upon by the General Assembly
This done, one of the vexed points will be
settled, and the way will become much
clearer on which to proceed. On this we
have no preference, and only desire that the
best location as it regards accessibility, cen
trality, health, etc., be quickly secured, as
much to the advantage of the State as pos
sible. When this has been done, it will be
needful to determine the plan of the struc-
ture that should be erected. In order to do
this intelligibly, it will bepropert to consider
the nature of the business at which it is
contemplated to employ the labors of the
prison. This will affect the form, size and
arrangement internally of the building.
At this stage, the matter will have to be
committed to commissioners to carry out
the idea OF the Assembly, and with care and
economy erect the prison. There is no real
cause now, that we can see, for delay in this
matter, for with all the haste and diligence
that can be used in this work, it will require
time. The idea must not be lost sight of that
the felons shall he made to do most of the
labor of tine construction of their enforced
home The public mind will feel great
relief SO soon as they know that location
is made, and that the guilty men whose
crimes are their expense, are at work. Ev-
cry step in the progress of the erection of
this structure will be watched with unusual
interest We think the recent movements
in the General Assembly are assurances that
at an early day the whole matter will be put
in such form that at no distant time order
Will come of the present confusion, and the
people be satisfied that their hopes will not
be utterly disappointed.
AS this is one of the matters of deepest
interest to the public mind, we shall
not forget to keep them informed of all that
may be done to hasten the resumption of
labor on this enterprise y wac
The first number of the Eastern J1,te7Zi