Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-02-13
IN PENTrRNTIAnY AoAIN.
BUTLER, Ia, Feb. 4, 1873.

i ASOAAVAS NVO6A8h - sVU ~ yVNt
last issue that Col. Root returns to the
charge, reinforced by DR.. Craig and
the whole garrison Of Fort Madison,
and doubtless iInagines he has given
me quietus and exhausted the whole
subject; yet there are still two or three
points l want to hear the Colonel on |;
in fact, there il one point upon which
,nsist on hearing him, Of which
"more anon"
In one respect It proves as l antici-
pated, the Col. has relied on exparte
statements Of interested parties At Fl
Madison, and has been misled. First,
in regard to coll room: Tho Colonel
admits there are Sl8 cells. Now cell
10 built and intended for only one per-
son, Judging from memory, they are
about Ski feet), and II is unsafe, IN
wise and inhuman TO place more than
one convict in o cell; and is never re-
| sorted to unless unavoidable. Now,
DIR. Craig says there are IA State con.
cfcEs confined In the prison, leaving
the public to infer that there are "a
empty cells, which would be nearly
half Of what Col. Root stated In his
| fret letter, but this statement 10 calcu-
lated to deceive, for assert there are
not "a empty cells, for fnd in the
CouRrER of Jan. 29rd the statement of
the Warden that there are 278 convicts
still In confinement leaving only -
empty cells.
Now Colonel, who has lied, and
who 10 trying TO decsive3 But says
Col. Root, 80 of these are u. s. con.
victs. What of It? They must be pro.
vided for the same "a State convicts.
Tho Warden 10 compelled to receive
them. (See Sec. 613S Rev. OF 1902
Why 10 this? some may ask because
the q. 8. appropriated ct least $4,000
TO commence the penitentiary at Fort
Madison during our territorial condi-
tion, and l presume that It has an in.
terest in the institution. Now Colonel,
who has lied, and who 10 trying to de.
ceive2 leave this for you and DR..
Craig to AZ up.
In regard to shop room, I presume
DR.. Craig's dimensions are correct, yet
his allowance Of ten square feet per
man will not do In all cases. For in
stance there 10 saw mill in one Of
these chops, with boiler, engine, &c.
The forge and other shops have large
machinery, occupying much space and
requiring few hands. The wood and
other bulky material has to be dried
and stored In these shops, so that it il
apparent that the variety Of work
these contractors are doing cannot be
done on ten feet per man. The con.
tractors bnilt the foundry and POLISH
ing shop at their oicn expense, and have
always alleged want of shop and yard
room as the reason they refused to en-
ploy the surplus hands.
But the Colonel reiteratcs that there
is plenty Of shop room, and the con-
| tractors are "anxiOus" to take one hum
bred and fifty more convicts. Now, It
is pertinent to this inquiry to know
just when these contractors became
anxious Z" and whether 1t is at 40 Gets.
per day, or like the supplementary
contract at % cts. per day, the State
| clothing, feeding and guarding the
men in both cases. As Won are speak
ing for the contractors, Colonel, tell us
what precise time they got on the
"anriOws seat
Again, he says the statements are
confirmed by recent visit of DR..
Beardsley aud others, who stand very
high, ETC., etc. do not intend to i'm
peach these gentlemen's statements,
nor do / intend to doubt their homes
ty, but the public should be told that
these gentlemen drew their conclu-
sions from . different state of facts
from what the committee found a gear
ago. The report for December shows
an actual decrease of II during the
| year vast, and Il is from this fact they
draw their strongest arguments. OF
course, II the committees foresight"
had been O. good as Col. Roots sshind-
sight they might have known this,
but II was not and they drew their
l conciusi0ns from the prison statistics
for the year and years preceding their
visit. Now, let ne see what was this
| condition of affairs, and If they were
warranted In their conclusions. Fret,
that there had been an actual increase
Of 43convicts during 1871, and stead
increase for some years previous. This
left only 30 vacant cells, and at this
rate, the prison was likely to be filled
to its utmost capacity during the year.
In view of this increase, in view of
the clamor OF the contractors for more
shop and yard room, in view Of the
so surplus idle men, and in view OF
the scratched site Of the prison and the
difficulty of enlargement, and in view
of the fact of stone having 10 be hro't
from Ills contended that the com.
mittee were fully justified in making
the following recommendation a'that
the best interest of State requires '
the erection OF new priaon at some
point in the State where there are ex-
tensive quarries Of good rock. let the
surptass convicts be employed in con.
structing the new buildin2s-and the
State need never DO Ut the MERCY OF
contractors for the prison labor. II
may not only be made less expensive,
but entirely self-supporting."
There are some institations In the
State which We might dispense with,
for instance the Insane Asylum etc, etc
| 1t is . question Of policy, Of humani.
| ", Of charity or philanthropy but
| the State 10 under no obligations to
erect and maintain them. But it is the
fret duty Of the State, Of society
to provide for these persons who prey
upon Il. This Il an imperative duty
and cannot be avoided.
Had the prison statistics shown Z
decrease year ago, ] am free to con
fess my action would have been differ
ent; and it is this decrease which hal
nerved the citizens OF Fort Madison
into such desperate efforts to proven
q new building at Anamosa. TIT
contractors have over 10000 invested
In their prison contract, their disbursc
ments and those OF tho State 10 . sub
ject OF vital interest to them. II they
can stop the erection OF new building
on these "stonc-clad hill" they see Ii
prospect long lease Of . fat job. DR.
Craig, the Warden, Is their friend, al
though nominally from Council Bluffs
he represented Van Buren, Co. In Iii
18th General Assembly. Col. Root i
another "near kinsman" from Higl
Henry, and is apparently their disin
terested champion. Had he confined
! himself in his first eiIhsion to q criti
cism of the committees action, HI