The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1885-10-22
The Remedy.
Chickasaw Messenger. /

shoull I've Observation-Disclosures
Messenger.
/, We have never liked the leasing sys-
I tenn, hut il is q difficult matter to suggest
a remedy. Will the editor of the Mes$rn-
I ger, who is always ready to measure lan-
ces With any one, suggest plan to re-
! lease the State of the leasing system
What will We do with the conVictsf We
| imagine tho question il easier asked than
answered.-.Stdte Ledger.
The Lessee system, as shown BY a
volumnious report made by Lgis
/ lative Committee two years ago. Is II
shame upon our humanity, dis.
grace to our civilization, and foul
| blot upon our State government.
which noi,ody we presume will un.
dertate to Justify or defend Tn
der its operation not only are the
convicts brought directly in compe.
tition With honest labor, but they
are made to endure the most horri
bile brutality, that the b-lcsseGS
may make their labor more profit
able. The claims Of humanity are
lost sight OF. torture borrowed Of
the Spanish Inquisition is often re-
sorted tn, and cold blooied murder
is frequently the browning act of
mercy perpetratcd BY the barbarians
having these poor wretches in
charge. This is the history of the
Lessee system rs given by com
mittee of honorable men charged To
investigate. Then. we presume TO
say: The Penitentiary Lessee sys-
TEN should be abolished" and we
hope TO find enough christian gen
tlcmcn with hearts in their bosoms
in the next Legislature who will
agree with us To wipe the infamy
from our statute.
The intimation that dollars and
cents should be considered, with the
fearful cruelty perpetratcd under
the present system staring him in
the face, is not creditablc to the
Ledgar's head and heart, even il the
remedy did not release the State
from expense.
But our esteemed contemporary
asks us what will we do with the
convicts ? We answer, require
those sentenced for ten years or
more to be confined at hard labor
inside the walls Of the Penitentiary,
! and allow the counties To work those
! sentenced for shorter time than
: ten years on the public roads under
the supervision OF competent Road
, Commissioner.
We Imagine from the amount the
State has been required TO pay for
improvements in and about the STATE
p prison, there should be enough ma.
chinery there to employ the ten
wear Convicts, il not at profit,
without serious loss to the State,
and we are sure the counties can
. work theirs proftably on their pub
lie roads. bridges and levees. Al
though we know our Capital cotem-
porarv does not take kindly u our
figures on State matters in general.
we have taken the trouble IL maxi
some on this convict question,
which we think might BE- Of inter
est even to the State Ledger.
To begin, it The present system
Z was abolished, and the convic:s
now being worked by private indi
, viduals on farms and olhe. wise iu
direct competition with honest la
Dor Of the country, were remanded
to the counties, Chichassw would
2 have about twenty with which to
, organize her road gang. The coun-
tv incurred the expense of convict
ing these prisoners and Of right
should have the price of their labor
now paid by the Lessees, (tut she
: don't get 1t. which We believe, is
about S. per month each or $1,000,
90 for the whole number. Upon
this we make our calculation, al
though the former lease Onlv real
lied to the State $l,l0 per month or
1922 90 for twenty hands. Hamilton
IL Co, it is well known, sub lease the
convicts for q handsome profit, but
suppose they get $1,000 per month
from Ned Richardson, John NJ. AL
len and other favorites of the syndi
cate, they would receive for Chicka-
saws convicts 100000 permonth or
$4,000 per month profit on this
county alone. Can the State Ledg.
err give a sensible reason why the
Penitentary ring at Jackson should
he constituted by law middle men
to speculate upon the crime Of the
State, to whom the taxpayers are
required To contribute one half of
the hire OF the convict, who is not
confined in prison, hut worked in
direct competition with honest la
Dor?
If convicts are to be hired out in
the future to private individuals to.
work on farms, in shops, etc, why
not have the statnte to provide that
the counties themselves shall do the
leasing and cover the whole amount
into the county treasures
Nothing would enhance the value
of real estate in Mississippi more
than good dirt roads They must
he worked by somebody TO make
them passable even in winter, but
as fact they are worked very little
in this county. Actual calculation,
after an investigation of the records
Of this county shows that gang of
twenty convicts could do more work
on the roads ct the county each year
than is done by all our citizens sub