The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-02-22

Dut regard to race or color, between
the ages of eight and sixteen years,
shall be entitled to the benefit of the
free school fund.
Mr.. Johnston, of Shelby, chairman
Of the committee on penitentia-
ries, presented a majority report
the lease of the peni-
tentiaries to the present bidders.
Mr.. Gooch, for the minority of the
committee, presented the following
adverse report:
COMMITTEE Room,
AUSTIN. TEXAS, Feb. 10, 1888.
Hon. Marion Martin. President OF the Senate:
Your penitentiary committee nave
had under consideration senate con-
current resolution No. 2 entitled.
Concurrent Resolution Ratifyng
Penitentiary Leases"
A majority recommend its passage.
The undersigned members of the com
mittee are opposed to the ratification
of the lease, and are in favor OF the
state resuming direct control and man
agement of its penitentiaries and con-
victs.
In view of the magnitude of the
question, and interests involved, aud
the fact that we differ with the ma
jority of the committee, induces us TO
present our views at greater length
than We would otherwise do.
The first inquiry is, viz: If, IN our
judgment, the lease-contracts are I'M
wise on the part of the state, are we
justified in declining to ratify them?
The statute authorizing the lease
provided that "every lease shall be
subject to the Approval or Tev0c56 lon
of the first legislature thereafter coils
vened." [Sec. y, laws of 1881, p. As.
The lease contracts under considera-
ton contain the following clause:
ut (the contracDi is also subject to the
approval or the revocation of the next
legislature"
1t appears, therefore, that the pro-
posed lease-contractS ought not to be
approved unless their provisions COM
mend themselves to the Judgment of
the majority of the legislature. 1t
was made known by both the law and
the contracts that this was a cOndl-
ton, and the lesSees have neither been
misled or deceived with regard there
to. Ii the legislature are expected to
approve lease-contracts by leglsla-
tive act or declaration, when their
Judgment does not do SO, it is use
less and idle ceremony to submit
them for approval.
We therefore proceed to the consid-
Grafton of the merits of the lease-con-
tracts and the policy upon which they
are based, impressed with the view
that if they are wise they should be
approved, or if unwise they should he
revoked.
Among other things it is urged in
favor of approving the leases, that
they increase the number of conyictS
to be confined within the walls, above
the number heretofore confined, and
that this is done not only without risk
of loss by the state, but with an as
certained profit of $4,000 per year
for two years, and $4,000 per year
for thirteen years.
In investigating this question we
should consider the following facts:
The penitentiary convicts now NUM-
Der 2278. The annual net increase
per year as Show. by taeIeport of the
amnnnn PISSzs Page IL. is
! seeus ~ p6r fifteen years the
! net increase will be 1875. The total
number at the end of the lease-con.
tracts, fifteen years, will be 4lo3, not
accounting for increase in population.
The leaSe-cOntractS require liUt
conYicts to be confined within the
walls after three years, but under Its
provisions at the end of the fifteen
Years there may be outside 1858.
As above shown, there are 227e
convicts at this time, and there will
be at the end of the fifteen years
lease. 4153; so the annual average fol
the term will be 3210, and we take
this number us a basis OF calculation
The average number OF conyictS
during the next fifteen years will he
32l5. Convicts confined in the walls
400; annual average outside of walls
Ills. 1t therefore appears that the
provision of the lease most commend
ed, because it confines an increased
number of cOnVictS within the walls
will leave many more on the outside
that it will place ON the inside.
The lease contracts save the state
from risk and secure $4,000 profit fol
two years ami $4,000 for thirteen
years.
What could the state realize, if II
carried out the policy of the lease, il
it confined 400 within the walls, ano
worked the balance outside for profit
As above shown there will be an
annual average conVictS outside of the
walls of 1915 for the term. The state
can hire them out ut an annual profit
of S72 per capita, or for the 1910 thu
annual profit of SlS0,680. and for the
u nnf
above that of the leases of 81 $4,000
Out of this sum the state would have
to pay for the support of the l4OO II
the walls Tor nearby what
ever sum consumed above theil
earning, or whatever they lacked OF
being self-suppOrting, if anything.
But we understood the policy OF
the state and that of the statute to be
that us many convicts shall be con
fined within the walls "as can be com
| fortably accommodated and prOfitably
employed;" and not that the state
shall place 400 within the walls who
cannot be profit ,bly employed" anC
consume the profits of those worked
outside to support them.
The superintendent, Mr.. Z. j. Goree
in his very ably written address, de
livered before the joint committee Of
] the senate and house of representa-
tives on February IL, 1888, furnished
some very valuable information rela
ting to penitentiary management.
On page seven, of the printed adj
dress, he says: AS before stated, il
may be safely calculated that thu
profit from outside labor will be re
quired for sometime to support ant
build up the inside And on page
eight he says: "There is a very large
class of eonvicts in Texas. as in othel
southern states, who, being totally
unfit for skilled labor, can never bt
profitably employed in the walls; ant
| If their labor is to be remunerative
outside employment will be neces
sity." Again, on page tel
he says: While there is clamor il
Texas to place convicts in the wall'
because of competition with fret
labor, there is clamor in northern
states, where all are in the walls
working at skilled labor Tor mechan
ical or manufacturing industries
note) to work them at unskilled labo
to prevent competition.
We are bound to realize it rs fac
that farm hands, with no eXperienc,
or adaptability to mechanical or man
ufacturing industries, cannot, within
a year or two, or within short time
Of at alD become sufficiently skilled t
earn enough profit to feed, clothe anC
supervise them, A very large pro
portion Tor about 80 per cent?, of thu
convicts are called short term men
and are unskilled laborers; and ar,