The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-03-15
THE PENIrENrIARY LEASE.

Our Austin letter this morning contains
some valuable figures and suggestions rel
alive to the penitentiary lease which the
lessees have been urging the ratification Of
for weeks at cur state capital, and yester'
day succeeded in having the senate approve
From the showing made in this letter all
honor is due TO the shrewd and patrlotlc
yenators and members who have been so
: persistently and ably fighting this lease
during the present session. Why the state
should deliberately throw away in the term
proposed 81. 100000 or 50, 600, 600, as it will
do, according to the figures furnished by our
correspondent is a mystery IL can only
be accounted for on the supposition that
those making or ratifying such lease
know nothing about business or the
value of money or care nothing when they
see millions taken directly from the peck
cts of the people and placed in the pockets
of two or three men. To lease state in
stitution for few thousand dollars that is
paying profit of $4,000, over and above
all expenses, is simply preposterous. The
theory that the state cannot manage such
an institution as successfully as can the
lessees is absurd and but fimsy excuse
for throwing big, fat job into the hands OF
two or three men. When members of
legislative body have thrust into their faces
the undisputed and indisputable fact that
the state is losing thousands upen thou
sands Of. dollars annually in persisting IN
such and such course, and still heed not the
fact or attempt to rectify it, the conclusion
Is irresistible that there is some
thing decidedly "rotten in Denmark. The
chief reasons for the lease seem to be the
want of business capacity in the state to
manage the psnitentiarya as well as private
parties, the possible loss in resuming con-
troll, and the foolish sentimentality that
insists that the state should not run its
penal institutions for profit. The hrst
argument Is extremely flimsy, from the
fact that the state Is as well able TO hire and
pay superintendents and guards as are
lessees. In the next place, the appropria-
tions already made for the penitentiaries
are 30 ample, while those institutions are
in their present condition, that the state
could have resumed control without
having 10 appropriate another dol
lar over and above the present munihceDt
provisions, or without losing dollar other
wise. And then again, while the penal in
stitutions Of state should not be run for
profit, every dollar that can be legitimately
made By the state in the ordinary and
necessary methods Of punishment OF its
criminals. 10 render such burdens upon
the law-abidiDg people selfsustaining or
even remuDerative should be made. IL
costs the state.and society much money TO
punish its criminals, and the state is En-
titled 10 a return, IL possible, IRON the
labor Of these convicts Of every dollar e1-
minded bv Il. In other words, the people
of Terss must decide whether the senate
Of the state has done its duty or defranoed
me people when hey take one OF the best
nrvfnx institutions in The state and
furn il over for q mere nominal pr1ce per
ruuum 10 two or three favored lessees- Inc
question Of humanity IL also one 70 con
rider. for there is no one but knows that
ler-ee>, who t.ks The psniteutisry for the
simple purposs q making money, VIII sx-
zrud lsss In the care q and BE far more ez-
acting IN Tie labor Of c0nvicts than would
fhs stst>. when he Object vas not 70 squeeze
e-r-r cent Il could cut Of The Institutions
Tour psnifeufirries insiesd Of paying .
el~-r proft - he STATE. larger thnn the
.rrrrt for rkIth fbsT are nov LEASED, hsd
- FOND r-sourcs 81 los nnd impossibls
81 b<inr ur1s s.lfElstelnine, there
x~~I1 h wisdom Estting I'd o.
<.~-- % AZ terms fhnt YOU'D p<J ool-
L.. I<ft i<rfhsr.-i< 10 e1rthlT wisdom - |
g. - - q 80. o1 ne part q Isz-s n /
1900 49, irrffr1fions i1fo olhs-s hnr1s