The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-03-17

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~"s sse-e>' Ss"
IN nas..sa ssas As't SHOW
The tellextrS speech vas delivered In the
xen.,s Nv A, rs--.l an his amendment
- - -, =, -
=" NV tS-A-ec--sHs tsese N"n'ise'' w nv
hiht the vcrsinS O. eonvicts outside the
walls. In towns and cites. or on railroads.
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s
Mr.. lrssiaeet The amendment 10 the
joint resolution confirming the lease of the
penitentisry IS one Of vital Importance. To
the leasing system in all It's forms, am at
t,rly opposed. but II BY the action of this
Legislature We are again 10 ne afflicted with
1t, then let US AZ least, by adopting my
amendment. help TO make the contract of
lease endurahle. know this contract was
made by two men on the part of the state
both pure and patriotic. As a statesman
and patriot Governor Roberts stands the
peer OF any man in Texas. But no man is
infallible, and as have sometimes been
compelled to differ with him, SO | must
differ with him as to the wisdom of this
lease. If am wrong, | must bear the
consequences Of my error, for when | am
deprived OF the light OF past experience
on any question. have no standard by
which to measure the rignt, except my own
Judgment. oppose the whole leasing sys-
TEN when applied to penitentiary convicts
| detest 1t as violatlve IN its results Of the
instinct OF humanity, the civilization of
the age, the whole former policy of our
laws and tosouud craftsmanship.
THE LEASING SYSTEM VIOLATES THE POLICY
or PENAL LAW,
For thirty years our statutes have de.
Cared that the peniteutiary was established
to reform the offender and deter others
from following his example" The law
never publishes for the sake of punishment;
that would be barbarous and inhuman.
IL Furnishes only in the hope of rclorma-
ton, and to warn others by showing tho
consequences of crime. The state of Texas
desires neither the death nor the torture of
any OF her citizens. However we may
warp her policy by speculative contracts,
the state strikes only to reform, she pun
ishcs only to intimidate, and none of ner
people ever demanded that merchandise
should he made of her criminals.
The very word penitentiary indicates q
place of pontence, but when you make
commerce OF man that a state may reap
profits, the criminal curses in his heart
your barbarity and the whole object Of law
Is defeated.
IL is n mistake to suppose that only
thieves find their way TO the penitentiary.
The man who, in moment OF passion and
when stung by insults or wrongs, att mpts
the lie OF his iellow-man. is doomed also
by law to the pententiary; and amongst
tho US convicts now there, l6l men who
are not vagabonds, but committed violence
under impulse and anger are found--sent
there in the last Two years-men whose i'm
pulses and sympathies, though hayward,
are as gentle and humane as those which
animate the bosoms Of tho men who punish
them. They are there, learning by a ter
rible lesson that man must curb his pas
sions. Turn to our Code of Procedure and
you find that the very second object men
toned for criminal procedure Is that the
convict shall have no hope to escape pun
ishment for his crime. Yet, in the face of
this, we adopt leasing system under
which 800 men have escaped in the las. two
years, to terrorlse the neighbour rods where
they were worked Twenty per cent. of
all convicts have escaped in the last twelve
years. Now, In the face Of these plain re
9utrements of law, we are invited TO con-
hrm lease which empowers two firms to
move around aud barter for profit over 1000
human beings on railroads or wherever
thnl choose. away from all reformatory in
dncuces amt where escapes are not only
Mt,sei,y, but invited by the terrible ex
periencs through which they are made to
pass.
Turn nov to your statute law, on page
500 OF the Revised Code, and read law
winch has stood there for twenty five years.
aud which requires chaplain to preach TO
Vie convlc's. which creates library for
their Instruction, aud requires the preacher
70 iurnisa tho prisoners with books for their
moral reformation. Look at it, for II covers
nphge of your laws, and ii IL were not for
the CHASTITY inhumanity of vour LEASING
system, we would be tempted to smile nj
the inconsistency of u contract which makes
THIS effort at reformation impossible.
now .coNvIors ARE WORKED by LEssEEs.
You have Just beard the senator from
Dallas tell MS how they are housed at NIGH
WINE working on railroads A few gun
fS5 throwh across railroad ditch, COVERED
--' with a mass of earth, and with ono hole (o,
an entrance, into which human beings
who have labored all day, 20 to be guarded
atnight with shotgun over the hole tha,
leads to it, as one would watch snake.den
From this sweating.bed the victims o.
avarice and perverted law stagger lortl,
each morning to resume their daily toll
Can you imagine your chaplain cnterinl
there, with book in hand, to preach thu
be a lovely place to learn the beauty nm,
holiness and the humanity of government
Against the lessoes have no word of re
proach; but one of them | know, md i
Leasing Is TO be done, had as soon " trns
him as any man In that business II ia In
devilish ana barbarous system OF traffic In
human muscle and bone OF which com.
plain, and of its Inevitable conseonencs
which will, and must. nj wavs he NH n y, !,
Three years ago, when tho law which nor y,
mitted this leasing system was re enacted.
stood almost alone in opposing the law.
very few of us opposed il and refused /
vote for it. Our ranks are now reinforced
and when tho people arc again heard from,
nthis lease is ever confirmed, there will h
enough men thinking like ma To blo M' IN n n
act from the statutes, WV 'Na
Before this act the law authorized ,w
superintendeuts, for we have two ncnit .m
tiaries, II changed the law, and permit
and look after 1000 conyicts s sca,,nrom y
over Texas, and requires HIM TO visit ths ~
camps but twice a year, NV nh;sct;o ,"V (,
that law was chiefly that i autSnr S,,v' ~
leasing system. II does not and did NOT W =,
quire itwhen this contract was made.
r0mittpd thu vvhNia tks,,- ''''"o'