New-York tribune., 1879-05-05

ot .Lout per cent per annum. When 1t ia remem-
bered that the average mortality OF All the prisons
In the United States Is less than per cent per an
nulu one naturally lnfers that during these two
wears other than natural causes hurried some OF
Georga's convcts into eternity lhe neagrer reports
of this period eyncc some slight indications OF an
ottcmpt at reform. Ii Is stated that the male and
female cOnvlcts were kept separatelyj but, ad-
mitting tins to be true, the TACT that children
were born in the peDitentiary was STAN OF the
backest dye upon the character OF the iessees Com
nlaints of the gross inequality of sentences were
still numerous, some conylctS gettihs hNS years LOT
the same offence for which Others received one year:
I'm href during the existence of this contract ma
indications of the same lnhumanity
and brutality that were terminated Wi'h t4e 5ys'
fem itself. The contract expired April /, Io1t'
The Government of Georgia was now OYerWhelm-
ingly Democratic. A second opportunity was now
presented to the party 10 dlsentangie the chain-
gang system, falsely called OF Repubncan origin,
from the State Government. But on the 81 day or
March, 1874 an act was passed, virtually the same
rs the one of 1871, which allowed the Governor 10
lease The conylcts for term or hVe years. seven
companies invested; by subeases these had swelled
ore the expiration OF the hvc-years lease 10 lOftee
The c,nvlcts under TINS contract soon became
scattered over the State, and to the eyes ol inc
Governmeut they were almost l0st, save
WHEN attention attracted To them Dy the appal-
ling but unheeded mortality reports OF each year;
Conplaints still came III of the gross INEQUALITY OF
sentences Tor the same offence Inc camps were
swrIed by the accession of large numbers OF negro
bows ranging in years from ten To hlteen. lhiHor-
oitv was uurtuTed by chalnlnR lnen ana women To-
49, or and working them without discrimination.
Rad as the system had been under the former leases,
nnder the fiye-years lease it was douby.yes treDly,
,~nrse TuE TRlBUNE's letter of the ith INST. de-
sribes few of the horrors OF the year 1878 reports
Show that for the year 1S77 the mortality was almost
twice as great. Never was there history Dacher
,,ith uniustiiablo death than the hye-years
hi"tnrv nf Gsorga's chain gang that ended on the
Ist of April, 1879. With these years oi brutal
record, before them does il seem possible that any
cIviI,yed Government would have longer continued
snch n system Yet continued 1t was; the Demo
cratic Legislature of 1876 passed an act contlnuing
IL fortwenty yeaIslonger and Democratic Governor
has nnt il INTO effect Last week eighteen convics,
s,xteen of them negroes. passed through this city
s,rung together on one chain on their way TO the
~ ratnps Bay after day have | seen III Atlanta
a female convict, guarded by men. breaking rocks
mon the streets in gang of male convicts Inc
"ncstion of the womans deserving this punishment
- of little Importance, but the immoral tendency OF
snch punishment il Of vital importance to society.
Smeh is brief sketch of the origin and develop
,,ent of Georgia's chain-ga / he only act on
record 10 amelorate the system was that OF October
IN. 1870 hen Governor and Legislature were both