The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-03-15

| NAOA1C LII OnC pcloG lOi leiDOI
resumption would cost nothing ex,
cept board and clothes.
TO be little more explicit, the state
will let Cunningham & Ellis and
others have convictS for nothing and
Immediately thereafter pay them
about one dollar per day for 1.-THE
same labor. This financial policy
may suit some of the senate, but
must confess that it looks to me very
much like adding to the already un-
considerable profit of the lessees.
The senator from Montague plants
himself on the Democratic platform
and really that platform must be like
unto the answers of the oracle of
Delphi, since each side claims that
they are carrying out its provisions.
That platform says nothing about
leasing the penitentiary, but that the
cOnVicts should be confined in the
walls as rapidly as they could be
/! made Self-SuStaining, or thereaboutS.
Now, sirs, 1 contend that the state. by
resumption, can put very near as
many convicts in the walls in one
year as as they require the lesSeeS to
confine therein in three wears. and
that there cannot be any efficiency,
as the labor on the plantations will
pay expenses of those in walls
even if supported in idleness.
The state for thousand conYicts at
| plantation work can realize a clear
profit of seventy-five thousand dol
lars per annum.
| According to the largest calcula-
ton made it won't require over one
hundred dollars per capita per annum
to support convictS in the walls.
Now, thousand in the walls in per-
feet idleness would cost the state one
hundred thousand dollars; one thou
sand outside on plantations would
net the state seventy-five thousand
per annum at present prices, which
are less than the planters paid the
leSSees for same labor.
Certainly it won't be cOntended
that convict in the walls
can't earn all told as the result of his
labor the small sum of twenty-five
| dollars per annum, which is only a
few cents over two dollars per month.
The gentlemen who ratify the lease
are themselves scared, and will at
tempt to scare the people by pictur-
| ing the large deficiency which can't
exist except in imagination. The
| three hundred convictS mentioned in
the above enumeration can ON the re-
formatOry farm be easily made self
sustaining. For the life of me can't
see where the deficiency can come
| from, and do see chance for large
profits.
Now, sirs, have some state pride,
and 1 believe that my people have
some, and even if there should be an
| annual deficiency of ten or twenty
thousand dollars, we would have the
satisfaction of knowing that we were
performing the functions of govern
ment and not leasing them out. 1t
would be a matter of humiliation to
me to have to acknowledge, as the
gentlemen on the other side do, that
the state is helpless. l have not yet
been able to form such poor opinion
of our present officers, or of the aver
age honesty and ability of our citizen
ship to concede that this matter
can't be managed by the state
through its officers and employees.
L feel assured that we can resume, and
by keeping up for five years or more
the number ofconvicts on plantations
now employed there, that we can, in
money and men, realize more from
convict labor than we receive from
the leSSeeS and work them more in ac-
cordance with the desires of the peo-
pie, more consistently with the pride
of the state and possibly more in har-
mony with the dictates of humanity.
| There is another objection to this
| lease; under it the leSseeS cannot only
keep the present labor hired out on
plantations, to which there can be no
serious objections, as it is the most
satisfactory outside labor, but these
I'leSsees can, when present contracts
expire, put up the price of that labor
and make the planters pay the last
| dollar they can afford for this, to
them, unnecessary labor.
The cash balance, like unto charity,
may cover a multitude of sins, but
won't answer every demand of the
| people for legislation, and think the
senators can more easily explain eX-
penditures thereby than they can eX-
plain a continuation of this lease sys-
TEN, where the duties of the eXecu-
tive department are farmed out to in
| dividuals.
| On motion of Mr.. Harris, the previ-
Gus question was called on Mr.. Davis
amendment, which was lost by vote
of IL yeas to 19 nays.
| Mr. Gooch, amendment: That the
lessees be required to accept each
modification and the whole contract
as modified.
| Mr.. Davis, amendment: Reducing
the time for lessees accepting the
notifications to the lease from thirty
to ten days.
Main question ordered, on motion
of Mr.. Johnston, of Shelby.
Mr.. Davis amendment lost: that of
Mr.. Gooch adopted.
Resolution confirming lease passed
by the following vote:
Yeas Buchanan, Cooper, Evans,
Fleming, Getzendaner, Houston,
johnson of Collin, Johnston of Shell
by, Jones, Kleberg, Matlock, Patton,
Peacock, Perry, Pfeuffer, Pope. 16.
-Chesiey, Collins, Davis. Far
rar, Fowler, Gibbs, Gooch, Harris,
King, Martin, Randolph, Shannon,
Stratton, Terrell, Traylor. 10.
BILLS CALLED UP.
Mr.. Harris: House bill to reorganiZe
the fifth, seventh and thirty-fifth judi
cial districts, and to change the time
for holding courts in the seventh
fourteenth, twenty-fourth, twenty.
ninth and thirty-fourth districts, and
the counties of kaufman, San Angus
tine, Sabine and Nacogdoches.
On motion of Mr.. Harris, Coleman
county was transferred from the
twelfth to the seventeenth district and
the bill passed.
Mr.. Gibbs: Bill ceding to the United
States Jurisdiction over certain prop
erty in Dallas. Passed.
Mr.. Patton introduced a resolution
instructing the attorney general tC
institute a suit against the Houston
and Texas Central railway company
for money due the school fund from
the Washington county railroad.
Mr.. Pfeuffer called up bill permit
ting the withdrawal of territory from
cities and towns l'y a majority vote o.
citizens of said territory; relating tt
: New Braunfels. Passed.
Mr.. Terrell: Senate bill authorizing
the city of Austin to issue bonds TO
the construction of a system OF cit.
sewerage and drainage. Passed.
On motion of Mr.. Davis, the senat'
: adjourned till p. m.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Mr.. Johnson, of. Collin, called u
!. his bill to require cash in the stat
5 treasury in excess of the amount o
e the treasurer's official bond, to be de
l posted with private persons. givinl
I annie SecuritV