The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-03-31
THE PENITENTIARY LEASE.
Having Rejected the Report Recommend
ing Ratification the House Takes
Final Action.
A Series of Queries by Governor Ireland
Half Million Wanted for
Prison Expenses.

Governor Ireland yesterday received from
Messrs Cunningham & Ellis, lessees of
Huntsville penitentiary, and Morrow, Handy
& Co., lessees of Rusk penitentiary, COM
munication worded as follows:
On the 18th day of November, 1882 at the re-
quest of the Penitentiary Board, of which
Governor o. M. Roberts was then chairman,
we made contract with the board for the
lease of the Texas penitentaries. Acting in
good faith ourselves and believing that the
contracts were fair to the State and that they
would be acquiesced in by the Legislature, it
has now become evident to us that the Iegis-
lature will refuse to ratify said leases and we
therefore request that prompt action be taken
to relieve us from further responsibility i'm
connection with the same, and such addi-
tiOnal action as is necessary to full settlement
with us of the matter growing out of said
leases.
This Governor Ireland transmitted to the
House, accompanied by the subjoined mes
sage:
GENTLEMEN-I am in receipt of commune
cation from Messrs. Cunningham & Ellis and
Morrow, Handy i Co., which herewith trans
nit. So soon as the Penitentiary Board can be
convened / will transmit to your honorable
bodies an estimate that will be necessary to re-
imburse the leSsees for moneys expended under
! the leases now abandoned. J. also desire I
earnestly impress upon the Legislature that the
as now constituted is II work of great labor and
the consumption of great deal of time by the
members, over and above the constitutional
duties imposed on its members, and that, i'm my
Judgment, it is the clear and imperative
duty of the Legislature to say, in terms
that cannot be mistaken, how anu in
what matter the board shall manage these pen
itentiaries. Shall the convicts be placed inside
the walls of the prison buildings? If so, then
let the necessary appropriation be made, which
for the next two years, cannot fall short of
Second If the convicts are not TO be placed
within the walls, then are the penitentiaries to
be leased?
Third If the penitentiaries are not to be
leased, in what manner shall the board con-
duct them
Fourth If none of these plans are to be
adopted, then is the board expected to hire out
the cOnvicts and collect the hire ? Further, il
the board is to do this then to whom, and for
what sort of labor?
Fifth. What shall the board do with tn"
1900 or 1900 convicts that not fit to be hired
and who cannot be hired out?
Chambers, of Tarrant, said he was not one of
those who believed that the State could assume
control of this pOnderOus piece of machinery
with all of its concurrent attachments and be
able to prevent deficiency.
Taylor moved that the communications from
the Governor be referred to the Appropriation
committee.
To this Cochran, Jones and Foster, of Lime
stone, objected, claiming that if the lease was
not revoked now by the legislature it would be
binding, Notwithstanding the communication
received from the lessees.
ArmiStead made aengthy.argument opposing
the lease concluding with: II regard this
lease as:the most monumental act of stupidity
ever participated in by any set of men in any
of the histories of the past. L regard the re-
commentator blythe Governor that 100000 be
set aside for the purpose of resumption as ridi
culouS i'll the extreme. As to the
message received from the governor, he
is nothing but man. When i was
child and heard of great men L thought they
were something stupendous, but since | have
been in this Legislature and have seen the great
men of the country / have arrived at the
inevitable conclusion that men are only men,
after all The man who does right because it
is right, is the greatest and nOblest work of
God. | am in favor of putting this thing
through nOw and | had rather die than swerve
from the path of duty" Applause.
Upton argued that as the board had leased
out 1910 cOnYicts to other parties before the
present lessees took charge of the peniten-
tiaries that Il resumption would not release the
State from their original contract, and that
those cOnVicts confined within the walls would
consume the profits arising from the labor of
those who worked outside of the peniten-
tiarieS."
The amendments revoking the lease were
adopted by a vote of IS to 81, negative votes
being made by Abbott, Benavides, Chambers,
of Collin, Cundiff, Elliott, Lakewood, Jackson,
Latham, Leo, Mcbride, Moursund, Newton
Odum. Peers, Rushing, Stagner, Swan, Epson,
Watkins Workman and Wurzbach.