The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-02-25
THE rUSIrrNIIAHS LEASE.
reat OF the Minority Report In Opposition
To Ratification

Committee Room. Austin, Texas, Feb. n. 1854 -
Hon Marion Martin, President Of the Senate.
Your penlt 'niiary committee have had
under consideration senate concurrent reso
lutioa No. ? entitled Concurrent Resolu-
ton katiiyiHg Peuitentiary Leases"
majority recommended It's passsge
The undersigned members OF the commit.
tee are opposed to the ratification OF the
lease, and are in favor Of the state resuming
direct control aud management OF its peni-
tentiaries and conyiots.
! Ia view of the magnitude of the question,
and interests involved, and the fact that We
dller with the majority of the committee.
Induces US to present our views at greater
length than we would otherwise do.
The first inquiry Is, viz: n in our judg-
ment the lease-contracis are unwiso on the
part ofthe state. are We justified in declining
| TO ratiiy them
The statute authorizing the lease pro.
vided that every lease shall be subject 10
the approval or revocation of the first leeis.
lature thereafter convened" (Sso. 70, laws
Of 1881, p. Is
| The lease contracts under consideration
contain the following clause; 1T (the con.
tract is also subject to the approval or the
revocation OF the next legislature.
| II nppears, therefore, that the proposed
lease-Contracts ought not TO be approved
unless their provisions commend thom.
selves 10 the Judgment Of the majority of
the legislature. II was made known by
both the law and the contracts that this
was condition, and the lessces have
neither been misled or deceived with re.
gard thereto. II the legislature are OK.
| pected 10 approve lease'conlracts by lapis-
lative act or declaration, when their indg.
ment does not so, ii Is n useless ana idle
ceremony TO submit them for approval.
| We therefore proceed to the consideration
OF the merits Of the lease contracts and the
| policy upon which they are based, inn.
| pressed with the view that If they are wise
they should be approved, or il unwise they
SHOULD be revoked.
Among other things, IT is urged in favor
OF approving the leases, that they increase
the number of convicts.to be confined within
the walls above the number heretofore con.
ilnei, and that this Is done, not only with.
out risk of loss hy the state, but with an
ascerlainad profit of 10000 por year for two
years, and $4,000 per year for thirteen
wears.
IN investigating this question we should
consider tho following facts. The penitcn.
tiafy ConYlc,s now number 2,2iS. The
annual net Increase per year, as shown by
the report OF the superintendent for 1852.
page II, is l25 per year, For fifteen years
tie net Increase will be ,s75. The total
number Mt the end of the lease contracts
liiteen years will be 1888, not accounting
for increase In population.
The lease contracts require loo convicis
to be confined within the walls after three
years, but under It's provisions Mt the end of
the iiteeD years there may be outside 1853.
AS above shown, there are 2,27S conviols
at this time, and there will be at the end of
the ti,oen cars lease, i,l53, 30 The annual
average for the term will he S,2l5, aud We
take this number asa basis of calculation,
The average plumber of convicts
duriog tho next fifteen years Will be
S,-lo. Convics confined IN the walls
LOO annual average outside of walls us.
IL therefore apI ears that the provision of
the lease most commended because II con.
ines mn increased number OF ConvCts with
IN the walls, viii leave many more on the
outside than II will place on the inside.
The lease contracts save the state from
risk and secure S2O,0 900 profit for two wear,
and SO 90 Tor thirteen years.
What could the state realize, il il carried
ont the policy OF the lease, II IL confined
!, 100 within the walls and worked the bal
aHNt pNlAlut LOT nfnlltt
AS above shown; there will be an annunl
average c0nvicts outside of tho walls OF
,SlD for the term. The state can hire them
out AZ an annual profit uf So per capita, or
for the SIS the annual profit of $l3O.GS0,
and Tor the fifteen years, u net profit over
and above that of the leases, of 81, 3Si. 200,
Out OF this sum the state would have to
pay for the support OF the I 100 In the walls
(or nearly Whatever sum consumed above
their earning, or whatever they lacked of
being seltsuppOrtinc, ii anything.
But we UNDERSTOOD the policy OF the state
and that of the statute to- he, that as many
conylots shall be confined within the walls
"as can be comfortably accommodated and
probably employed, - and not that the state
shall place 400 within the walls who can.
not be "prolitably employed, and consume
the profits OF those worked outside to sup
port them,
The superintendent Mr. T. !. Goyoe, in
his very ably written address, delivered be.
fore the Joint committee of the senate aud
house ot representatives, ON February II,
1883, furnished some very valuable infor.
nation relating to penitentiary manage
ment.
On page 7, OF the printed address, he
says AS before stated, it may be safely
calculated that the profit from outside labor
Niit w iNVhlNu lOI Sulllt Nluit 10 support
and build up the inside Aud on page \
hc says There is very large class
Iof convic,s in Texas, as in other
southern states, who, being totally
unit for skilled labor, can never be
probably employed in the walls; and II
their labor is to be rcmunerative, outside
employment will he II necessity" Again on
page ~, he says, while there ia A clamor
in Texas to place ccuviCts in the walls, be-,
cause of competition with free labor, there
is clamor in northern states, where all are
IN he walls working at skilled labor Tor
mechanical or manufacturing industries
-notel to work them at unsk,lled labor, TO
prevent competition.
We arc bound to realize IL as a Tact that
mrm hands, with no experience or adapts.
biltty to mechanical or manufacturing in
dustrics, cannot, within u year or two, or
within short timu az at all) become suf.
| ho,ontly skilled to earn enough profit to
iced, clothe and supervise them A very
4 large proportion Tor about so per ccntO of
| the Cpnvicts are called short.term men, and
are unskilled laborers, and are therefore of
that class that cannot be made selESupport.
| ,ng within the walls, where few but skilled
lahOrers can be.
now on hand arc long term men, and may
be utilized within the walls at mechanical
and manufacturing pursuits Tor selCsup.
| port,
We do not agree that Il Is the policy of
the state or people to place every conv ct
within the walls, whether no can be made
seli-supporting or not, and levy taxes and
burdens upon the honest and law abiding
and upon the industrious of the state TO
support them In whole or in part,
Therefore, IL we base calculation of the
probable results OF state resumption ON the
theory that, say GOO solCsupporting con.
| vets lQt to become Seli-supporting), Shall be
placed IN the walls, and the balance hired
out IN groups TO be secluded from the pub.
lie and worked at farming (which is not OF
that character OF labor which injuriously
oompeicS with fee labor, ut profit OF
about SO per head, We find the following
probable result;
Average number OF Convlcts Tor Is years S2ls
ANoIase number self'suppottius In
Average number Of unskilled lahorets
on secluded FARM, ...... .,..,,. s,GiS
Average profit per mouth at s...o,. $3.50
AveiaSc annual profit ,,,,,,,o,,.,", lSN2Q