The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-05-29
CoNvICTs AND PENITENTIARY.

DENVER, May Ex-Governor Eaton has
received . letter from Governor b. Plat
Carpenter, of Montana Territory, asking II
arrangements could be made with this State
to have the prisoners Of Montana taken care
Of here. The letter was forwarded by the
Governor TO the penltentiary commissioners
at Canon City. No recommendation &C
companied the letter TO the commissioners.
The State Penitentiary 10 now full and the
answer will probably be In the negative.
An Ill advised act OF the last Legislature,
and one that Is very defective even In the
formulation Of mistaken policy. authorized
and directed the Governor Of Montana 10
contract for the keeping, clothing, medica-
ting, care and maintenance In SEINE State
Penitentiary Of all Montana convicts SEN
fenced for q period Of two Or mere years.
The said contracts are TO be for . term Of not
exceeding three years, with the Governors
privilege TO renew 1t on like advantageous
terms for another term Of three years-the
rate In no case to exceed fifty cents per day.
We havs heard for some time that the ef-
forts Of Governor Carpenter to secure such
contract had bsen unavailing in all the States
applied to, and the above would indicate the
response will also be 9 refusal from Colo
RADIO. One barrier In the way is that in
penitentiaries where csnvicts are kept at low
rates, a. stipulated in this case, they are re.
CURED TO work, and 1t seems the penalty
"st hard labor" has net hitherto been . part
of the Montana sentence. The rate is lower,
We believe, than idle men can be contracted
for. The Territory at present pays the
United States IS cents per day for keeping
lite prisoners ia ths penitentiary At Deer
Lodge. This has been In excess of the cost
and should be reduced, but the diminished
number Of prisoners in the past few months
(msny being discharged and no new snes
ADMITTEDLY and the continuat ce Of the same
number of guards will, of course, increase
the per diem cost Of each man.
But while the efforts to secure foreign
contracts fail, there are q large number of
Territorial convicts still held in the several
jails Of the Territory,-in the eye of the law,
standing at the penitentiary
door waiting for admission-and We notice
contracts arc being made with the Commits
sioners OF one or more counties by which the
Territory Is to pay $3.50 per day for such
Territorial prisoners as are confined 10 their
county Jail. In the meantime, the $25, 900
10 build The South wing of the
here with AZ cells and Q capac-
ity for safely and properly keeping, with the
old wing, all the cenvicts now in Montana,
has not been made available, nor do We
learn that any effort whatever has been made
10 secure the construction Of the building
this summer. The matter 10 In the hands Of
The Attorney General who will determine
upon the plans and appoint person to have
direction of the work. This should DO under
way now. Three months have elapsed since
Tie appropriation was made. The best sea
,on of the year Is passing for building
and every day it Is deferred is con.
tinuing . double expense to the Territory
Tor csnvicts kept In jails. We again urgently
,all the attention Of Delegate Toole to this
matter. His representations Of the situation
o the Attorney General are certainly oil that
are necessary to insure speedy action. This
would relieve the jails of their convicts and
The Territory Of the increased expense, and
would obviste the necessity Of adding email
sfactors" to the otherwise crsditabls list Of
Montana exports.