Huntsville gazette., 1885-02-21
COnyicts and Coal Mines.

CO0VlCCS anu VO8l AlucOs
While the Senate had under con-
liberation last week the Convict bill,
senator Shelby offered and urged an
4nendment prohibiting the working
f convicts in coal mines. 1t brought
ut the following discussion, but was
oct:
Mr.. Gardner moved to amend the
,mendments by adding "or on rail-
roads"
MIR. Crooks moved to table this
This motion failed-ayes IA noes
IA.
Mr.. Gardner speaking to bis amend
ment said the mortality Of convicts
had been larger upon railroads than
any where else, and he thought he
ran no risk in saying that the work
on railroads was severer and more
dangerous than any other except
mining.
Mr.. Simpson said he did not see
how railroad work was especially dan
yerous. He found from the Miss
issippi penitentiary reports that there
had been a larger mortality on the
farms than on railroads. The law
stringently required railroad contrac-
tors, like al other lessees, to provide
proper accommodations for the con-
victs.
MIR. Gardner did not think railroad
cont, actors could take proper care OF
convicts.
Mr.. Jones, of Wilcox, read from
the report of the Alabama inspectors
to show that the causes of the unusu-
ii mortality among convicts on rail-
road work was the bad condition in
which they came to the road, the
want of proper facilities for caring
for the sick, and the rough and badly
cooked food.
Mr.. Gardner withdrew his amend
ment. Speaking of Mr.. Shelby g
he said about 80 per cent
Of the conyicts belonged to race to
which farm work was congenisl and
mining uncongenial. He thought tina,
wen ut the smaller rate Of hire, q
quad Of convic,s in ten years would
make the State more st farm work
than in the mines; and at the end OF
the ted years the farms would return
81 out Of every hundred conviets and
the mines 80.
Mr.. Henry said that few large far
mers could work convicts. He would
ike to know wbrt evidence there was
that the mortality Of convicts would
be smaller on farms than it had been
in the mines. He read Georgia sta
tistics showing that the average death
rate of the convicts Of that State in
1873 and 1884 was 1.0l per cent. in
mines and 66 per cent. on railroads
In Mississippi where ali the convicti
were worked in farms, the death rate
was 7.75 per cent. in 1901, and
Is per cent in 1874. He did NOT
think the facts supported the state
ment that mining or RAILROAD WORK
was more fatal than other work.
Mr.. Gardr or said he did not favo,
the hiring Of G onvic:s in large mum
bers to few men. He read from the
report of DR.. Jerome Cochran, State
Health Officer, passages calling at.
tention to;the remarkable death rate
ct the mines.
Mr.. Smith could not see why min.
ing or railroad building was not Al
good for convicts as any other. Th,
Senator from Dalles had said farm
work was conkenial to the majorit,
Of the conyicts. His own inference
from this was that most of the con
victs were farmers, and he resented
this reflection.
Mr.. Jones read from DR.. Cochran
report his CONNIE ndation OF the Pratt
mines prisons as the best convict pris
on he had ever seen, and also from The
report Of DR.. Cunningham, pcniten.
tiary physician, an extract showing
that Pratt mines was positively the
best place in the State for ehronlcally
diseased or crippled convicts, the
death rate there f"rthe last six mouths
reported - having been less than
half Of the nominal prison death rate.
He moved to table the pending
This motion iprevailsd-ayss II,