The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-03-28

On the other side OF tins question that A
convict can be supported, FED, guarded and
clothed AT Ssl per annum. | do not know
how tha: result is reached. In seems
to me it is not correct, confess tbas
cannot support buggy. horse on
that amount of money In is
assuredly a mistake, and all their cslculs.
lions based upon 1t, and upon like Wild eS.
Inmates, are not To be relied on, IL will cost
at least $40 year 10 support a convict.
remember, 1t Is not simply the support
Oh man, clothing him, feeding him. pn,.
ting SHOES upon HIM, but il is also guarding
nm; furnishing guards and taking all the
precautions In order that he don't ESCAPE.
.heIeiore, say 1t can't be done for les.
suan ~ year, ana when you MAKE yout
calculations upon the basis of an average
IA round numbers 5000 conyicts. Won
| WIN nave an expense OF S600,OO0 a wear for
tne maintenance, care, feed, clothing and
suaruihg OF these 5000 prisoners; $500, 900
Where, IN all their calculations il tound
ohe single word or figure to show
Where the state - TO be reim
bursed for that 100000. don't
see out OF the labor OF these men that The
state can hope to realize that amount,
though every one OF them be placed on
sugar farms. don't see where they are
gong TO get that amount. Now. are Won
going to find anybody who will say The
state can manage and control as econom-
iGaily AS the lessees The lessees are, or
lIney ought to be, men Of unlimited credit,
Ihey nave the privilege OF going into The
New York and st. Louis markets, or els.
where, and buying everything required of
thelr business AT the lowest prices, and in
quantities desired, and they have this risht
also, 10 turn around and discount their ma
pes hhey nave the right to take the most
prontaDle contracts for building railroads,
10 work farms, and to contract this l.hor in
many ways upon infinitely more adyanta'
geous terms than the stale can do. They
can make their purchases and arrange
thelr business with such securi-
tieS mat their shrewdness, skill
anu good management will result
IN making largely more money ont
OF contract labor, than any state of.
leer would be permitted to make of H.
Inc state officer who would 10 into the
same transactions that the lessees could 20
INTO, would bring about his ears the denun-
Clatlohs OF the people. He would be i'm
peacue1i OF you would demand his re-
moVal rom Office in less than twenty
four hours. A state officer can't engage
III these transactions. These laws and rules
OF business open TO the lessees are not omen
10 the agents OF the state with limited
powers are rs well established and as
strongly III force as if written upon vnnr
your statute books, and we must recor
ME the difference they make between
the state acting through salaried officer
ana an Individual managing his own at
lars What legislature Is going to place 10
the penitentiary board $4,000 TO carry
On the penitentiary? Will this legisla.
q legislature assembled that would do II >
Ii 1t is to be carried on, on state account, it
must DC done by warrants and vouchers.
approval OF accounts, red-tape and circum-
lOcutlon, all This delaying settlements and
payments, and resulting In the state paving
TWO or three prices for everything that is re-
quirtd. You will have superintendent
with horde of followers, leeches and SAP.
suckers, fattenlng upon the state, every
thlng passing through their hands must
SUCK, anu all the profits OF the labor OF the
cohVicts iall to- the hungry crowd rs crumbs
from the public table. The experience in
past years OF the state of Texas in mana
glng the penitentiaries ought TO warn sens-
tors against this delusion at resumption.
But SIR, this lease is denounced as a most
uamnable lniquity. How can any man
who has read the law under which the
tease was made, and who has read the lease
Itself, contend that II turns the whole mat.
Ter over to the lesSees. thas been said
that 800 men can be brought down here bv
The lessees aud turned upon this commu-
MY TO run out the mechanics and la6orlng
men engaged IN honest industry. How
absurd the proposition. 1t is provided by
the lease and the laws under which IL was
made, that the penientiary board shall still
retain control and direction of the labor of
the convicts. The law contains In 80 many
words the express provision that the con
tract OF TINS labor shall never pass from the
hands OF the state. The state has the sr- !
preme control and under that power the
lessseS use the labor, under this
law which governs the contract laws
may hereafter be passed to control and d. !
rect the labor, or add to or diminish the
control OF the lessees or the state board, as
the case may be. Then what is the neces- |
slty OF all this pretense, this demagoguery.
about bringing Convlcts down upon this |
city or any other city TO stiile free labor?
1t is said this lease is to be the death. |
knell, that the support of it is TO be the |
death-knell OF the political hopes of some |
senators. do not believe there Is "A man |
i'll the senate who would go before the peo- |
pie OF Texas and place this question !
squarely before them, including all its
damnable features, and then submit TO |
them the plan OF resumption and its conse- |
quences, but that would be indorsed in |
every town, county, city and precinct in !
the state. There is not precinct in the |
district OF the senator from Dallas but |
would unanimously sustain the lease svs-
TEN. Another reason for sustaining the
lease is this: The democratic party has. |
for many years, in fact ever since it has
been i'll power, looked to the confinement
OF the convlcts within the walls of the peni-
tertiary. This, as a state policy, is wise
and correct. First, it is wise and lust be.
cause the sentence of the court is, that
the defendant be taken to the penitentiary
at hard labor for the period of his sentence.
IL makes no provision for combining and
convicts on sugar farms or on rail
roads. Now, 1t is the universal sentiment,
into the people not only by their
own ideas, but at infinite pains of senators
who are opposing this lease, educated up TO
1t. 1t can't be gainsaid that it is wise
policy that these men should be confined
within the walls Of the penitentlaries. |
dare say that when those constituents OF
the senator from Dallas, who are said
TO be prepared TO rise up and
overthrow these convict camps aud
to shoot down guards and turn the convicts
loose upon the community-when these
OF the senator have seen that
clause III the lease and ii is shown to them,
which makes the confinement OF large
huliOSI VI inc COuNlClS WltDlH Inp WAllS |
necessary, they will say to him. "Ieu are
u good senator and We like you, but when
you so back, never make any such mistake
as not to pass that lease" II provides that
ani time during the continuance o. the
lease the legislature may make provision
Tor the increase OF the number within the
walls, or even for the confinement OF all |
within the walls, thus carrying out that
state policy We have all so long preached
about and talked about. 1t
provides further that the mum
Der OF couvcts in the walls shall be in
creased until it is sufficient 10 I'll the pri.-
ons; 400 at the end OF the first three years.
Such has been the policy OF the party, such
is the demand OF tue people OF Texas, and
you say 1t is not this the people
want, but that they want resumption, you
are betraying the people and the party.
Since this question has been before the
senate, | have, in passing through the lob.
by aud elsewhere, met citizens reading