Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-01-26
Gurcsa Daily Sentinel.
TIE PRISON quEsTIoN.

Senator Westerfeld has introduced q
bill for the removal of the State Prison
to Reno. 1t provides that the construc-
ton of the prison shall be by convict
labor exclusively; that the stone for the
building shall be shipped from the Car
son p~enitentiary; and that the arms now
in use, the ammunition, utensils, iron,
cells and other materials shall be trans
ferred to the site of the proposed Reno
prison. The bill allows each convict en-
ployed a credit of ten days tor every day
of faithful labor. 1t provides that $780,
600 shall be set aside for the purpose;
not more than S25, 900 shall be expended
this year and the remainder in 1884.
The Reno Gazette discusses Mr..
Westerfeld's bill at considerable length,
and argues for it very s~trenuousiy as, OF
course. it would naturally be expected to
do. The Gazette thinks if the prison
were at Reno it would become selt-sas-
tanning within two years instead of cost
ing the State, as it does now, $4,000 a
year.
This is a very important measure and
desirable conclusions should not be
jumped at. The Gazette does not give
coed reasons for its assertion that the
prison would be self-supporting at Reno.
1t makes an estimate that the prisoners
could produce on the Reno prison grounds
enough potatoes, vegetables, grain and
hay to supply the institution and bring
into the State S25, 900 besides. Does
our contemporary really believe what 1t
says? Hardly. 1t knows that II It's
prediction were not absurd it would be
advertising a similar scheme for private
persons to try. Why should not the ed
itor of the Gazette engage a number OF
farm laborers, equal to the number OF
proposed conyicts, and start in to farm
ing on the banks OF the beautiful Truckee.
He would be at no expense to guard his
citizen farmers, and they could be
worked for considerably less than so
many convicts driven to work and
watched every time they turned a spade
for fear they would escape to the hills.
If such a project were not visionary we
really believe the Gazette could do better
in it than in journalism, in which nevsr-
theless it is an eminent success.
The whole fact is just this: The
prison is bound to be a burden upon tax
payers in Nevada. With all the facili-
ties for utilizing convict labor in Cali
fornia each convict costs the State some
SO OR. "a cents per day. About double
that is what they cost us in Nevada per
capita. The penitentiary would be a
dead weight at Reno, somewhat less
expensive than now, perhaps, but very
expensive nevertheless.
And right now is about the worst time
for removal, if it ever becomes expedi-
emit, that could be thought Of. The
present prison is good enough, consider,
ing u extreme poverty and distressing
taxes. The items Of expense in building
a new prison would be very large, the
fancy figures Of our contemporary to the
contrary Notwithstanding. The cost OF
freight on the sandstone carried from
Carson to Reno on the Virginia &
Truckee Railroad would Of itself be
enormous. 1t looks as though there may
be a little darkie Of this kind in the
fence, The passage of the bill would be
a good thing for the V. & 7.
The Gazette expresses our views ox'
aotly in the following paragraph
"The removal of the prison is a qpes-
ton that should, and no doubt will, be
carefully considered. The Legislature
should take a position above the petty
p~rejudices of any particular town or
locality and give the question careful and
intelligent consideration"