Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-03-17
"EAIR PLAY"
Writes In Refutation of Democrat" Con.
cerninE the Penitentiary.
=, "a, ESs..~ At H. p.x,.t-r


10 ne Editor Of tie Regisir.
CHARLESTON, March l0.-Your issue Of
the Sd inst. contains Communication from
Ciarksburg signed Democrat" from which
one is led to inier that the management OF
tie Penitentiary Is entirely under the con-
troll Of the Superintendent; and although
unaccustomed 10 newspaper correspondence
l cannot refrain from correcting some Of
the false impressions therein conveyed. l
have taken some pains to examine the Law
governing that institution, as well as the re-
port Of i1 officers, and CLEAN the following
facts:
The penitentiary is now run under the
contract labor sytem, deriving its revenues,
as the reports show, almost exclusively from
contractors for labor which contracts are
made BY the Board of Directors. The ex-
penditures, however, are under the immed-
late COL Iol and supervision Of the Superin-
tendent, who is responsible for its ecouom-
ical or extrsvsgant administration, as the
case may be. From the reports Of that in.
stitution, learn that during the last three
yesrs of the former superintendent the
total cost per capita for Ordinary" expenses
was 3lf cents per day, while for
the past three years, under the present
superintendent the cost per capita
was over IS cents, showing difference in
favor of the economical management OF
the former superintendent Of III cents per
capita per day, equivalent to Sl0,lOl.3I
per annum for supporting 246 prisoners.
From this it will be seen that had the same
economy been prscticed during the past
year. as characterized The former manage
men;, the deficiency of Sl65 referred 20 by
Democrat would not have existed, but
instead, a surplus would have been shown
Of several thousand dollars, and the tax
payers relieved of that much burden.
1t seems TO me that the sanitary regula'
tions" and ridding the institution OF YER
mine" so pathe,ically referred to had been
rather expensive, when the reports show that
for the year 1850 with an average Of
25S prisoners, 5,270 DAYS were lost by sick
ness, while for the year 1854, with but 2i6
prisoners, G,337 DAYS were lost from the
same cause. sgree with Democrat that
prison management is science, and re-
quires years of study and practical training,
and when a competent official is secured, 1t
is to the interest Of the tax payers to retain
his services. Whether the present official
is that person, leave to the record and
Gov. Wilson to decide. Justice de-
mands that when our public institutions
are faithfully and economically managed
the credit therefore is due to the person or
persons entitled to the sane, and not to as
pirauts for Office regardless OF qualifications
or services. In this instance it seems TO be
the object OF Democrat" to ignore the
Board who, BY their contracts, made it pos,
sible for the institution to return consid'
erabe revenue to the State, and to credit
an officer for SO increasing the expenses
that deficiency must be provided for.
There are other matters referred TO in the
communication, but they are hardly worth
your space for reply, and leave the mat
ter in the hands Of proper officials for
remedy. FAIR PLAY