The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-03-06
A WILD SCHEME.

A bill introduced In the House by Mr.. For
bis, aProvidlng for the erection Of the Mon.
tana Penitentiary and for other purposes" ID
before ". How Mr.. Forbis could consent TO
nurse this bill Is astonishing. The general
idea IL for the Territory to furnish on the
ground, TO . person named J. G. Nobes, all
the material for penitentiary and workshop
and keep the same In repair, and enlarge the
same as demanded by the said Nobes, and
shall also enter into . contract to pay him
90 cents day for the keeping Of each con.
vict sentenced from Montana to said prison
for the next fifteen years, and IS cents per
day for the next ensuing ten years; the said
Nobes may also contract TO take the prisoners
from any other State or Territory, or any
foreign country, provided he keeps them
without cost TO Montana, and the provisions
OF this lease extends TO any other prison OF
reformatory In Montana. The Territory
must also furnish him any additional cell
room when he needs and demands 1t, even,
we presume, II he should take In convicts
from abroad. In consideration Of these ben
efits, Nobes Is, under the direction of Su-
perintendent, to be paid by the Territory, to
erect the buildings from the material fur.
nished, having all convict labor free, and is
TO maintain, guard, medicate and clothe the
prisoners At his own expense. A Board of
Directors il also permanently provided for
who are TO be paid by the Territory; and
this Board, Is Its first duty, is IN receive bids
until the 1st of June, 1886, for the location
Of the penitentiary, and It's determination OF
the location is to be subject to the approval
Of the lessee. To carry cut this contract on
the part Of the Territory II Is provided that
tax Of II mills on all assessable property
in the TER tory shall be levied and collected
during the years 1885 and 1886, which shall
be the "Penitsntisry Building Fund.-" out OF
which the cost Of materials for this concern
Is TO come. On the present basis of $780,
DOC, 900 taxable property, this would aggre-
gate In the two years $4,000, which this
bill proposes to give the use of TO this shrewd
contractor, In addition to 60 or 55 cents per
day, which Is considerably more than the
actual necessary cost Of maintaining convicts;
1t also furnishes him workshops, where the
convicts can, in addition, nearly or quite
earn their own subsistence and 1t oblgates
itself and, IS Its successor, the State of Mon
tans, for twenty five years, TO do this or be
subject TO q suit for damages that would
make State Treasury q, hollow as q bal.
loon. If the go cents per day, the continu-
Gus expenses for Directors, the interest on
the money invested, the wear, tear and re-
pair of buildings, and the dangers of fire or
cost Of insurance Is added to this, It will be
found the Territory proposes to contract
away all Its prison labor, aud In addition
pay absolutely more per capita per day than
1t at present costs to have these convicts kept
by the United States, and that contract price
is considerably larger than 1t should be. In
stead Of encouraging by memorial the com
pletien Of building by the United States in
Montana which In all probability will revert
TO the State of Montana on Its admission,
the effect Of this bill would be IN implied
notice on the government that Montana pro-
posed to build Its own psnitentiary and tie
itself up In one-sided contract for twenty.
Eve years at extravagant rates, and does not
desire the United States to even complete
the building 1t has commenced. For, unless
II shall be for the custody Of Territorial con-
victs, the present penitentiary Building Is
probably more than adequate for oil the
United States prisoners that will ever be
sentenced there. There is no stronger evil
dencs needed that the advants ages of this bill
are oil In favor OF the lessee and against the
Territory than the fact that the lessee is put
under no obligation to fulfill his contract.
The contract would, we believe, sell for
$4,000 bonus In Helena the day IL was
the Territory can make such
analyze the details Of this bill. If, a. stated
In the Independent, an appropriation Of
s25, 600 for the completion Of the U. S. Pen
tentiary at Deer Lodge has passed in the
United States sundry civil bill. That amount,
although not adequate TO oil that should be
done, will build the south wing Of the pres
snt psnitentiary at Deer Lodge and furnish
70 mere cells, capable Of accommodating, IS
hey have been kept, "a mere convicts than
he present building. BY empowering the
Governor, Is has been done, to send convicts
abroad for incarceration where necessity
requires, any surplusage of prisoners there
here may be can be at once disposed Of
but We believe, with the present conditions
II Montana and the completion Of the peni-
entiAry here, adequate facilities will exist
or the keeping Of all convicts in this prison,
md that the expenses will be so reduced
'roportionately that they can be maintained
It considerably less than the expenses would
10 under the Forbis- bill. The Legis-
ature would do well to reject this bill and
ave this preposterous $50, 900 outlay. When
he State of Montana wants to build peni.
sntiary II should keep II and the care Of Its
onvicts entirely under It's own control.