The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-07-31

I'LL knowledge of all the facts, as W
ume such position. fl
Fellow citizens, with these explana- Il
ions of personal matters; 1 will now v
ddress myself to the consideration t,
f those matters of public policy Y
which l shall advocate, should you a
zee fit TO tender me the senatorial a
U
First, L shall endeaVor, whether l t
tand alone or not, to set aside the t
,ernicious penitentiary labor system, T
which Is an outrage upon the people q
md monstrosity In state government. q
claim as principle OF law, that {
he state has not the right whenever Is
men have been convicted and sent to
the penitentiary to interfere with the
judgment of the court, by hiring
them out all over the country to COM
pete with the honest labor Of this
land. To have such system of con-
vict labor, to have convicts sklrting
the railroads of the country, or penned
up on plantations, to die from expo
sure, to be subjected to constant
temptation, if not opportunity, to
escape, only to be shot down, or torn
to pieces by bloodhounds in the at
tempt to do so, is a disgrace to the
state and a crime against humanity.
The place for the convict is confne-
ment in the penitentiary at hard la
Dor fer a certain term of years.
do not know that l shall be able
to do aught that will abolish this con-
Wet labor system, for the reason that |
it is backed 10y powerful monied in |
hueuce that OVerri les the will OF the |
people, the executive and all.
RIft thnrn @ ctilI onnthnr fnotnrn of |
this perniciouS penitentiary system. |
How often have you seem beardless
boys brought into court and tried for
grave offenses. By referring to the
old constitution of 1886, you will find
provision that the object of punish
ment shall be to reform the offender
and suppress crime, which has been
followed by every statutory provision
on the subject down to the present
day. But under our present system,
lad oflfourteen years who is convicted
of horse stealing is sent to keep COM
pany with old and hardened crimI-
nails, the only object it seems being
derive remuneration from his services
regardless of his associations, and not
to reform him. Therefore l am in
favor of establishing a branch peni
tertiary or reformatory institution in
which youths and girls may be pro-
tected against deeper vice by those
methods dictated by common human
ity and sound public policy.
| To illustrate the evil OF this system,
while returning few years ago, from
the upper country, saw on the train,
little girl fifteen years old, chained
and manacled, weeping and shudder-
ingas if all hope had fled and her heart
broken, being conveyed to the state
penitentiary. 1 asked the officer in
charge of her, what crime she had
committed, and why he had her so
heavily manacled. His curt reply was.
sit is none of your business" Suisse
quently, however, 1 learned that she
had been convicted of infanticide.
Here was mere child, sent
down among hardened convicts
stepped in crime. to be taught
infamy and disgrace by methods pro-
vided and countenanced 10y the state
itself, and it would seem devised tor
the results it creates. Such was the
impression made upon my mind by
the horrifying sight that | at once
went to the Old Alcalde and stated the
case to him, He consulted with the
penitentiary authorities, and ascer-
tanning the correctness of my repre-
sensations, Immediately pardoned her
The spirit and intent of the law is
to reform criminals, and more partic'
ularly those of tender age, who have
not become hardened in crime, and
make of them good and W-abiding
, citizens; to give them the benefit OF
the gospel, and have instructions
to free them from the thraldom OF
vice, and to teach them to do right
and shun wrong. The present system
is blot upon civilization and the age
and should be radically changed.
Another important reform demand
ed is in our banking system. (AnG
right here expect to hear a howl OF
opposition from the banking institu
lions to the measure l advocate). Ev
cry paper we read, every passing
. breeze brings the news of dis
:. astrous bank failures by which the
unsuspecting depositors are crushed
and the poor of the land are robbed
of their hard earned savings. What
is the cause of this? The people are
corfding in men whose business il
for the sake of plumber, and who are
thieves and robbers. The case of
Klein, telegraphed from Vicksburg
: Mississippi, is but one in numerous
list of bankers who have received de.
posits up to the hour Ct closing the
doors of the bank for permanent sus.
pension, defrauding creditors because
they had no showing of the banks
condition. We need check upon the
banking system, requiring every BANK
er to file, under oath, in the commits
sioners court, four times year, a COM
plete statement of the financial stand
ing of his. bank, the amount of assets,
deposits and loans. Then you will
not have constantly recurring bank
failures. The sooner rogues in your
midst are found out the better for the
community, and men unworthy to be
repositories of your business trusts
should be compelled, under penalty of
law, to max a showing of their tinan-
ciol standing. There is no necessity
for such a i aw with such men
as Taylor and Steele and 9th
ers of their character, who are
gentlemen of personal and business
integrity, but it is generally needed as
a protective measure against fraudu-
lent bank failures, which will con-
tinue indefinitely until some whole
some restraint circumscribes banking
| transactions to legitimate sphere
| and to the inspection of its patrons.
To show what little consideration our
| banking system has received at the
hands of the law-making branch of
the government, though with shame
be itIsaid, the word "bank" does not
even appear in our civil code.
Amendments to our asylum laws
and essential change in the system
itself, are also urgently needed. Our
system, because of its insufficiency,
has for years been one of shere incar-
ceration for our unfortunate insane,
instead of one for the amelioration of
their condition. In the prisons of this,
and nearly every other county in the
state, may be witnessed from year to
year, half-naked, helpless lunatics,
glazing through the bars of iron dun
geons like Gagged wild beasts because
of the failure of the state to make &C
commodation for their proper confine-
ment under medical direction, and
whose cases are rendered incurable by
uawholesome surroundings. Two
branches are needed TO our institutions |
for the insane, one for those cases that |
are incurable, where they can for all |
time be protected, cared for and |
supported by the state. Then another |
department, or hospital, for those |
whose insanity is durable should be
provided; and the two systems, or de-
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