The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-01-29
HOUSE-TWENTY-SIXTH DAY.
THURSDAY, Feb. 8, 1876.

Mr.. Speaker Street in the chair. Prayer
by Rev. Mr.. Zealy. Present, los; abse mt,
IL. Leave of absence was granted to Mr..
Boyd.
Mr.. Powell, chairman, reported upon the
contracts under which the convicts of the
Penitentiary have been leased, as follows
That on Feb. n, 1875, the Inspectors of the
Penitentiarv entered into . contract with
o. C. French and o. S. Jobes, for the labor
OF $50 male convicts, to be worked outside
the Penitentiary, but within the limits OF
the State, contract to terminate January
LIST, 1880; the Inspectors, on May ID, 1875,
made another contract with the said JObes
Il French for the labor of 200 male convicts
until January 1st, 1880; that Jobes e
French, on the same day, February "a, 1875,
sub-let 100 of said $50 convicts to E. Rich
ardson, until January LIST, 1880, and that for
the sub-contract E. Richardson paid Jobes
& French $1,000 cash that said sub-con-
tract was approved by the Penitentiary
inspectors and the Governor. That on Octo-
Der 9Th. 1875, JObes & French sub-let to E.
ed to them on May 18th, 1875, the lease to
terminate January LIST, 1880; that for this
snb-contract E. Richardson paid Jobes &
French $3.50 cash said sub-con.ract was
approved the same as the other. That
$50 convicts have been delivered under
said contracts; that the number has been
diminished by deaths, escapes, and expira-
ton of terms of sentence. The committee
was impressed with the indecent haste ex-
ercised by the Penitentiary Inspectors in
the lease was approved Feb. 26th, 1875, and
the next day, Feb. 27th. $50 were leased to
Jobes & French, and the same day 100
of them were sub contracted by said JObes
and French to z. Richardson at profit OF
$500. Two of the Board of Inspectors,
Avery and Cessor, and one of the contract
ing parties, French, were members of the
Legislature that passed the law authorizing
the lease. Why such indecent haste in
leasing said convfcts? Why could not the
able for the State as Jobes & French made
for themselves by sub-leasing? The COM
mittee believe the act allowing the lease was
ga Legislative job" and that the contract be-
tween the Inspectors and JObes & French
was a swindle upon the State. They have
not discovered any violation of the contract.
They report that they can find no law au-
thOriZing the sub-letting the labor, and in
asmucb as It is legal question they recon-
mend that the subject be referred to the Ju-
accompanied the report referred as request
ed.
The bill to provide an Office for the Super
intendent of Education was taken from the
hands of the Judiciary Committee, and was
referred to special cOmmittee-Messrs
McNair and Dear.
Mr.. Featherston, chairman, reported a
substitute for the bill in relation to the rev.
enue of Marshall county and the bills to
protect the interests of agriculture, and to
change the criminal laws. with the recon-
mendation that they do pass.
The committees substitute, entitled an
act to provide for the payment of the out
standing warrants of Marshall county, was
passed.
The bill to protect the interests of agri-
culture and change the criminal laws was
taken up.
Mr.. Barksdale offered substitute. and the
bill and substitute were discussed ut length.