New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-18

Messrs. Huger and Jones; and by this con-
tract thew were entitled to certain rights
and privileges; and subsequently there was
a subrogatior of these rights Sau
privileges to the present nfmy "a
James. Buckner and Bynum. There
fo"e these gentlemen are entitled to
the same rights as the former contractors.
In addition to that, desire to say, that IL Is
the history of the whole case oil the tenlVen-
tiary. that rs regularly as the Legislature
meets, a bill is brought in for the rehe1 Q,
the lesees of the Penitentlary; ana ihs.eau
OF this being self sustaining insItution'
instead of being partly self.sustainlng ID.
svitution. il is really q dead weight, ana q
constant drag upon the treasury OF the
State of Louisiana.
These gentlemen now come forward ana
say: I'VE are willing to take the fehlteh
tiary Off of your hands" IL Is true lhaI a.
the last session of the Legislature, you ~
propIiated $500, 600 for this INSTITUTION, pus
it is also true that $500, 900 OF this amount
was made applicable to putting IN proper
renair the buildings of the Penltentlary.
DESTROYED by the Federal troops and the
| causes OF the war. You mieht just as Wen
| endeayor TO hold these lessees responsible
| for those causes as to hold them responsive
| for the 500 600 used to put the buildings IN
proper repair Therefore, there was really
| only $500 ,OO0Whch vas given by the Sta,e iof
| the purpose OF carrying on this INSTITUTION.
| The interest upon this amount durlbg
| twenty one years Will amount IN the aggre-
gate to SAL 900: i'll other WoT0s IL VIII
| amount to sd 900 year. or seven per ceh'
| upon the entire amount PAID by the STATE.
! This sci 600 a year is used simply Tor the
| purpose OF paving the interest on those
! bonds, and not a single dime OF II goes 10
| tle interests OF The Penitentiary, as It exists
| today.
! The State is a full partner TO all the WORK
! done In the Penitentiary ; holds one ahd!-
| yided interest il the partnership, ana the
| gentlemen ION the other SIDE putin really
every year the sum of SOS 600. Now, l
would like to know if this does not place
! the State in a much more liberal position
| than could be accom- 1lished between indlvid'
mails. You can not find in this community,
! or in the whole State, any capltaIsy or oIher
| p4rty, who will enter into any such CONTRACT
where two-thirds of the capital is put IN by
ore of the parties, aud one third by the
other, and then this to be an equal partner
| ship. Ia this partnership, itthere Is any loss
| it is nos loss to the State, but 10 the IN
divdua!s WHO 90 into the enterprise. LasV
year an appropriation of $500, coo was made
| in seven per cent bonds, $50, $50 to pc eN-
pended on machinery, ana the renalhlhs
| 5000, 600 to be used TO rebuild Inc
buildings destroyed during the war;
Tnis was done as measure OF state neces-
sity, Ii was absolutely necessary that the
State should have Penjtentlary, pace
| where to send her convicts, and this SZyo
$50 was required for this purpose. Tnls
$500, 600 then was to be expended Oh %uG
| buildings, and $500 600 for the purpose o.
buying machinery. Now, this $500 0J0 1or
the purpose of buying machinery alone has
no financial bearing on this question.
| The interest on this amount at, seven per
cent, is $4,000, and for twenty-one years
this interest amounts to SAL, 900. In ofher
words, the State puts up S2l, 600 as her snare
| in the manufacturing business, IN Whch
she has a half interest, aud she rids herself
of the burden of supporting this institution,
and the lessee assumes every l.em OF the
| expense, and these necessary expenses
amount to at least $4,000 year, or
$4,000 & month, which the lessees are
required to pay IN advance. mere
this way: One puts in $4,000 for
the maintenance of the PenitentIlry, and
the other 81 900 a year, and that 81, 600 Is
used simply for liquidating the interest
upon the bonds.
Again, the lessees also pay to the State the
sum of S341, 600 for the lease. They pay
$4,000 this wear, $1,000 the next year, anu SO
on. making for the twenty one years the
aggregate amount of $311 600, which
amount annually TO SIC, 200 that they pay
every wear TO the State; in other words,
they eXpend $50 200 year for the necessary
expenses Of the Institution; and then they
give TO the State, in addition To that, SIG 2U0
year, amounting TO Sll2 Coo year thaI
they eXDeDd, while the State commences
with az expenditure OF :2l coo q year.
Now. this S2l Oc0, which the State pays
annually, ls merely to pay the interest OF
the bonds, and the lessees pay Sl6,2O0 OF
thls amount which deducted from the ST.
COO, leaves $500, ali that the State really
pays year.
Jn addition 10 that, the lessee5 contribute
$50 600. without fail, to carry on the lnstitu-
ZION. If they do not the lease becomes
forfeited aud they are compelled to do this,
4 and il is immaterlal whether they are sue
cessful or not, they are bound TO pay 1t.
| Again, the labor, as now constituted, Is
raw and unskilled, and the laDoTers disln-
clined to work. Ia other word, it is diff
cult to get any work at all out of the Peni'
Tertiary birds. 4 bird that can not sing
must be made to sing, ard they have to use
force. 1t is different from all other machine
shops and factories in this that you gen
orally find skilled labor and easily managed,
because the laborers work for regular wages,
and unless they perform their labor
promptly, they will be discharged; but III
the Pemtentiary the object of the la5orer Is
to escape work, and, therefore, they have to
be forced. The statistics show that there
are three hundred and fifty inmates, htty OF
them are superaunuated and dead Welgnl
on the hands of the lessees-they nave 10 De
supported and produce nothing. Inen, OUT
of these three hundred inmates two
thirds are short term men, ana one
hundred are, perhaps, etfrc i've men.
AS soon as the men become skilled IN the
labor they have ID perform their terms eN
pire and they have 10 be discharged. l.
seems therefore to me. under The statements
made that the interests OF the State require
that some such provision as this shoult ne
| from that n contract was
en- cred into. which was sacred and binding
on the State, and which l for one, az q req
resentstiye. would be unwilling to have
forfeited.
Can you imagine any contract that would
operate more iavorably to the State; can you
| imagine any combination of circumstances
that will produce happier result for the
state? Here is the State compelled to ap
nropriate $500, GEO to repair the building:
and to. purchase the machinery, and Ieces-
sary labor and work. The State WAS com
: PEELED to make such an appropriation to pu
that institution in the same condition t.
which it WAS prior to the war. sue nae
either to do this, or 20 allow the conylcts Il
! be confined in the parish prisons o.
county ia,ls; in order to do this we had tt
appropriate 5000 Now, upon thu
the interest at seven per cent amounts t.
81. 600 q year; and here these parties sa!
i to the State, although you were compelled
to do this, although you are required to pa.
the seven per cent interest, yetwe come for
ward TO your relief; we say that this inscitu
ton. although it never has been self-sus
g tanning but on the contrary, an incubus OF
e the State; although every lessee of the Pen
: itentiary heretofore-Mr. Pike and others
4 | though excellent financlers, have been com
D PEELED to require relief; yet we come for
ward and sly we will not only make you
/ joint partner, but we require you not tt