The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-04-27

IheSe interesting ngures demonstrate the tact
that the Republicans either through incompe-
tency for some corrupt reason totally failed to
use the pruning knife They Inaugurated ex-
travagance in the outset and kept it up to the
end of their career We need not tell 81 well in
formed a journal as the Kty that beginning
with Reeds administration in 1868 and ending
with Stearns' in 1S76-running through period
Of eight and half years-the receipts into The
Treasury averaged over 1852 900 year. and that
In addition 10 expanding this large sum, they in
creased the bonded debt from $466 900 TO 81 391.
600, inclusive of $97 900 in The Sinking Fund,
thus adding 10 the burdens OF the people in the
shape Of interest over SO 900 annually Besides
this fruit of Radical rule the evils Of Which the
taxpayers Of Monroe, As well AS of the whole
State must endure year by year, there was lett of
debts TO be paid by the present government over
$25o,OOO. This much has been already paid,
and there is still outstanding an untold amount
Of old jury and witness scrip the best estimate
OF which puts it at thirty 10 forty Thousand dol
lars. Now we submit TO the Key. that an ad-
mInistr stion which succeeded to power under
such grievous financial discouragements and em.
barrassments, and has not only met and over
come them, but has steadily reduced taxation al
rate averaging $4,000 year since 1877, is
entitled despite its alleged errors to the confidence
commentator and admiration of the taxpayers
Of the State Of all parties. The difference be-
tween noae and then is so overwhelmingly appar-
ent that all honest citizens must admit and
rejoice over il. Demagogues and knayes will do
neither, but continue 10 misrepreseni as usual
That is their vocation
The Key says:
The Democrats have in one respect saved the
tax payers of the State little bv abandoning
the reformatory principle of punishment which
has been accepted by every civilized nation of
| the globe, and gone back TO the days of barba-
rism, when q criminal ceased to be considered as
human, and lost all claim to humanity. We re-
fer 10 the abolishing Of Stale penitentiary and
| starting school where men for petty offences
| are turned into brutes, and either legally muir
| dered or turned on the community a thousand
| times worse than before.
| 1t is a consolation to know That our esteemed
| contemporary admits that Z" in one respect the
Democrats have saved the tax payers of the
State little" but he evidently thinks that even
that little" is not TO be taken into account when
| the saving has been made by abandoning the
"reformatory principle of punishment " illustra-
ted by confinement in the State penitentiary If
we did not know that the Key is not given 10
humor We should suspect il Of endeavorng to
poke fun at our late penal institution at Chatta-
hoochee. AS a general thing pentenarics, so
far from being reformaiory,' are schools of
vice The report OF the Chicago prison for 1880
| says: The unrestraned intercourse between
prisoners which is frequently tolerated in our
jas, makes them the scOrst nurSeries Of criminaLs
,clich it IL possible to fnd!'' The prison at Chat
tahoochee was no exception TO this denunciation.
The expense, too, of keeping it up was cnor-
nous. For the eight years ending with 1875, i,
had cost the State $2o5, 1859 5-an average OF
over 5000 year. During that time the num-
Der of convicts received into il was 502, Of whom
1877 escaped and were moi recaptured. Maniftsily,
the thing was an expensive luxury, besides being
VIGOROUSLY insecure as a place of confinement.
In no sense was it reformatOry " but the re-
verse. 1t may be that the system OF hiring
out +" adopted in 1877 is liable to abuse beyond
what strict discipline may require, but this Can
and should be guarded against. Properly regu-
lated, however, it is better than The old mode
and is no doubt just as " reformatory." Besides
! it relieves the State of a heavy burden end inns
Is no small consideration, while we think the
effect Of the changed system will have ten
dency to deter crime. Confinement at hard
labor" in the penitentiary was once huge farce
but now it means something II is a reality, and
this is no doubt the secret of the howl against il