The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1872-11-02

THE STATE PENITESI1ARY.-A correspond
ent of the h. Orleans Picayune gives, under
the date of June 90, description of this ms
titution from which we extract the following
conclusion 4:
s'There are now in the State Penitentiary GIG
convicts. AS it respects race, they are i'll the
proportion OF four negroes to one white person.
Among classes of citizens in Baton Rouge
is a general complaint that the lessees of the
Penitentiary employ a portion of the convicts
contrary to law. 1t is charged that many of
them are employed outside of the walls, and in
competition with the honest labor of the par
ish This, it is claimed, is contrary to law,
and should operate to forfeit the character Or
contract of the lessees. Having heard SO
much ON this point, inquired of the prison
officers, and they gave me exact figures, show
ing that 457 are employed in the inside, and
2l9 on the outside of the prison. The officers
stated that those on the outside were employ
ed in working on plantations, in brick yards
and in chopping wood. There is therefore no
dispute as to the general fact; the. citizens,
however, are very specific in their charges
against the lessees. They charge that tive
conviets escaped recently while working out
by knocking down the guard : that nine,
while so employed, escaped on the 9Th of May,
who were hunted with dogs; that eonyicts
have been known to jump upon the horses of
the guards and thus escape. 1t isAtso EfgRTg-
ed by the citizens that even life cofvSrts II o
been worked outside of walls, and tha#on
one occasion one such effected his escape. s0f
course it was impossible for me to ascertain the
truth of each particular charge, but the gen
eral fact that escapades have taken place re-
sulting from the employment of conyicts out
side OF the walls seems to be beyond doubt.
1t seems also to be we'll established that the
levees opposite Baton Rouge, as those oppo-
site Natchez, were built with convict labor,
and that canual in Baton Rouge was ding with
convict labor, under a contract between the
lessees and the parish, for which the lessees
received $4,000 in parish warrants.
The citizens inveigh against this employ
ment of convict labor as not only contrary to
law, but as being prejnnieial and degrading
to the free and honest laboring men of the
country. 1t is manifest these complaints are
not without just foundation. That convicts
should be made to labor, and that their labor
should be made available to the State, are
proposition that will not be denied but it is
also true that their labor should be employed
strictly in accordance with law, and not to
the injury of the honest industry of the coun-
try.
On the whole the Penitentiary is but indif-
| ferently well managed. am not prepared to
| say that other lessees would do any better;
1 they probably would not The error Is III
| leasing the institution, which is a perversion
OF it from place of punishment and re1orma-
tion into q grand scheme of speculation in
i which the lessees become insensible to all
other consideration than their private gain.
1t is also charged by the citizens of Baton
Rouge that the Penitentiary has become the
\ local centre @ OF political ring, which seeks
i terest eft Gov. Warmoth.. If this accusation
be true, the conduct of the lessees is certain
iy most reprehensible. The truth or falsity oil
this charge is remitted to the people of Baton
Rouge, with whom it properly belongs.