Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-25
Superintendent Goree in Favor of the
State Purchasing Farms on
which to Work the Convicts.
The House Lorpvration Bill Under Dis.
cussion in the Sanste-Figures
on the Capitol Furnishings.
Senate Educational Com mittee In Favor of
Returning SEC, 200 of the sum Bor-
rowed from the Universally.
DANCED TO ALLIANCE MUSIC.

AhA't hPiiA bCudtC
danced to Farmers Alliance music this
morning. The House corporation bill
was under discussion, and it soon be.
came painfully apparent that many of the
Senators had made up their minds to shut
their eyes and bolt the measure whole
The bill is designed to allow the Farm
ers' Alliance II form corporations with
unlimited capital for the purpose OF es-
| tablishing stores throughout the different
counties.
Senator Lane offered an Amendment
| limiting the capital stock to S100,U.';
providing that when the assets, including
| the capital stock, should rssch $780,
| 600, dividends should be declared
psid sufficient to keep the assets st that
figure. In support of his amendment
Mr.. Lane pointed out the fact that while
designed to benefit the farmer the law
will allow others to enter into these cor
porstions, the effect of which will newt
| ably be to place the mercantile business
| OF the state in the hands of corporations
with large capital who will break down
and ruin all competitors, and then dictate
the prices on all commodities.
Mr.. Houston made q most logical and
earnest speech In favor of the amendment
but msjority favored the bill as it came
from the hands OF the Alliance committee
and voted the amendment down. The
| bill will become q law, though many are
fearful of the result, which they say will
endanger the mercantile interests Of the
state.
| WHAT THE UNIVERSITY WILL GET.
| The Senate educational committee de-
cided to report against returning to the
University the 100000 borrowed there
from by the state. They are in favor,
however, of returning 100000 of the
money, and will so report.
TO FURNISH THE CAPITOL.
| The committee to inquire into the
amount re quired to furnish the new CAPT
toll got figures from the departments to-
day. The Governor wants $4,000, the At
torney- Genera, $4,000; the Treasurer,
$40 900; the Educational Department,
| $500; the Comptroller, S25. 900. Treas
urer Lubbock wants no carpetF, mattiDgs
or spittoons. The Others have given es-
timales on very handsome fittings
throughout. About s150. 900 will be ask
ed for altogether.
APPROPRIATIONS CUT DOWN.
| The House finance committee scaled
the appropriation in Mr.. Gresham's uni
versity bill down to $4,000, and will re-
port it with favorable recommendation.
1t provides for building the medical
branch.
The appropriation for the Austin luna-
tic asylum WAS cut down to about $780,
900. In the original bill it was $780,
600.
TO AMEND THE OCCUPATION TAX LAW.
Mr.. Browning will to-morro introduce
a bill amending the occupation tax law
so as to exclude from the payment OF &C.
cUpstion tax merchants, auctioneers,
land agents, lawyers, dentists, bill post
ers, livery stables, cotton brokers, cot
ton buyers and sewing machine agents.
! STATUS OF THE CoNvIcrs.
Colonel T. j. Goree, penitentiary SUI
perintendent, has been in the city several
days. He now has something over 5000
convicts distributed throughout various
parts OF the state, working on farms and
railroad contracts. The lease system
which prevails In other states has never
been adopted in Texas. That is to say
the state never surrenders the con-
troll of the prisoners into the
hands of the contractors. When
a railroad or !private citizen makes
contract for convict labor the state sends
along its own guards, who have entire
charge Of the men, preserving proper dis
cipline and looking after their welfare just
the same as If they were engaged in state
work. Physicians are employed by the
state to keepsa watcbful eye upon the
physical condition Of the prisoners
and every possible safeguard
is thrown around them to
preserve them from neglect and ill usage.
The advantages which this plan possess
es over the out and out lease system are
obvious. Ulder tie regular lease the
convicls are turned over 10 the entire
control Of the Contractors, 10 whose inter
! est 1t 1t 10 feed and clothe them at the
least possible cost, and to get the great
est possible amount OF work out Of them.
The consequence is they ale
FREQUENTLY UNDERPED,
badly clothed and worked beyond endur-
ance. When the guards are employed by
the state and the bills for food and cloth
ing paid either by the state or by the con-
tractors, the guards have no monetary
interest to subserve in saving expense in
food and clothing, and when there is lack
Of either they are very apt to see the want
supplied. The state, too, has fixed regu-
lar hours for work, and the guards
have no interest which may be
benefited by working beyond the time set.
Even under the present system Colonel
Goree says abuses have crept in, but he
thinks they are reduced to Q min mum
and are as nothing in comparison to those
that have occurred wherever the regular
lease system has been adopted. He is in
favor of the states purchasing
farms on which the convicts can
be worked. This plan has been and
Is being tried with satisfactory results,
and he is in favor of its entire adoption.
In this way, he thinks, will the prison
system become self-sustaining, and the
| competition with free labor be reduced
to minimum.
Don't yssre and money and RzdeIgo