The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-01-03
n PracticnI View Of the penitcntinry
Lease Matter


d from the last issue of the Clarion, an
: are the closing paragraphs of the sag
i ideas of Experience"
4 The entire article is devised and writ
= ten solely for the purpose of wringi. j.
IN the gist of Its purpose, contained il
, the extract quoted.
That the two houses nre to be organ
ized-~an United States Senator elected
that Judge Campbell has been codify
ing the laws to be passed upon by th,
Leglslature-has been printed in all th,
newspapers in the State for many
months past, and are certainly notnev
to any man likely to read Experience. ,
But having thus deadened the way, he
proceeds:
What shall be done with our penitentiary
c0nvicts, is problem of difficult solution
ii the question were one of mere dollars
and cents, we should probably be DISPOSED
to let well enough alone, but involving as
IL does, the wise, just, and impartial admin
lstratlon of our criminal laws, it is mani
fest that change is required. The leasing
system Is wrong in principal, for it takes
ouc Vi the hahds OF the state the punish
,iloiC III vIinlc. Whlst criminals are just
,h mciu th 70 nave iorieited their personal
d aSntr'I 'nuy sh9uld not De subjected to the
citizens and as at present managed, the
supervision of cOnvicts by the State is
capes now are, and on the present nls an
WI, commune TO be so very frequent as to
of its usual terror The propcr 5ro Of .io,
Of society against crime and lawlessness, is
society to be Without ibis protecfion ut VIII III
cerIaihiy, IN the end, cost great deal more.
internal improvement the n mTiec
tennessee, Ripley and Gulf Railroad, in
state is more or less interestcdItthn IIo NV
springs and Memphis road-the bridging
the roads of every county in the State an ="
as the Constitution requires the Legisla-
RnorJ * Pn IJ ,oi WE vnU o'snniZaI.Eh OIL
duties, fix the compensation of its mem
tho n "I a., o occ,S "u GnpIoyeS upon
experiments be tried of working convicts
wou I c . Sti he n nreSraE rms mode
system, if it could be successfully prosecllt2
az eu nut no disposition should be made of
loses sight of the proper end of all punish
mentS lnillcteu by the state, to wit: the
Whatever NAV be its cost, MUM Vi '''i'0'
EXPERIENCE.
lhat the "problem" is "of difficult
'olutioh," no one doubts-and has al
ways oeeh so 10 every State-more es-
oeclaliy all the southern States since
ne war. Experience has taught every
southern State to lease its Penitentiary.
Not from choice, but necessity. To
lay seven-tenths of the State prisons
II the United States arc leased. Every
ne in the Southern States. Then why
J this fresh discovery that the "leasing
ystem is wrong" and cry of "protec-
ion against crime? The fact is "Ex-
erience" has had no experience in this
ERECTION, and has made no investiga-
ION into the facts, or he would never J
dvance such utterly impracticabIe
Jews, or seek to rig in this State such
xpensive machinery if he is honest in
is purpose. From the endorsement
wen him, give him credit for hon
ty and good intentions, but he falls
to error by not investigating the DIFF r.
rent plans of prison seryitude and tbe
,solute necessity, that has driven every
,uthern State to the same step. IF if ~
ere possible TO confine all convicts n
ntenced to the Penitentiarv within !!
a w,lIs everv ono would ogroo tbot al
at were best-but the noonla of M Nc
ato South oo,,ld o4ord +o do tl,;s ,,;+l as
e class of convicts usually sent to tbe ri
hundred and fiftv
ousand dollars annually would not
fray all the expenses incident to such -,
lrse in this State. -
Experience" mistakes Nntirely in N,
eyence to escapes. r, wer have oc- r.,
red in our leasing system than when
the hands of the State since the war. v
1873 there were only 2SS convicts is
/ 81 escapes; in 1872, 212 convicts Co.. Co..
| % escapes, and if you go back to snt
8, there were only 293 convicts and Ru
escapes. On making inquiry into W No
Sc matters, the facts show that out Gu,
about 1910 convicts on the register ord
ing the year 1879, the escapes n w W
cunt to about ~, and 80 were re- o
tured But these matters will of b
rse all be investigated by the legis- "a,
We committees, and sentimentalism H.
not influence the course to be pur-
ust how this gigantic railroad scheme
,ing to Ina monoood Or tbis Ronr1 nf
w w Vi 'i'l' i'o'i" ii
lniZed. il NOT deveIOned and con I'll
~ c>,
IRE IS lost i'll the compensation of CON
members md all Off1ners and alo
:, m, IN
'es." Ihere Is no question but there 81
Id he n carnival at the Stote,s ex
r. .t.
'e IL SUCH pan couid DC worked Nov
7 IL cu. .