The Brookhaven leader., 1888-09-27
An Historical Reminiscence.


for the jackson Comet in which he
suggested that the State of Mississippi
should purchase machinery for the
manufacture of iute bagging, place it
in the penitentiary and devote the la
Dor of long term and life prisoners to
the production of this vitality necessa-
~ article.
If the Herald had taken the pains
to have Investigated the official rec
ords of that savory institution, the
pcnitentiary, and its more savory
management for the past decade, it
would have learned the further fact,
that Gen. McCardle's suggestion took
such firm hold on the public mind as
to induce the Legislature of 1880 to
make a provision in the bill, author
ling the releasing Of the Penitentia-
ny, that a .iute factory should be es-
tablished in the walls of the penitcn-
tiary, and Ncssrs. Hamilton. Allen &
Co., the Iessees, on the @Oth day of
July, 1880, signed the contract CON
tanning the following clause:
"Said Lessees shall, within (2) years
from date of the approval of the Act
of 1880, erect and put in the main fac
tory building, within the PeDitentlary
walls, all necessary machinery for the
manufacture of ,jutc bagging, with the
necessary engines, spindlcs and-l0
for complete bagging factory, and
put in the new brick building, erected
for that purpose, all necessary ma
chinery for the manufacture of wag-
Ons, and thereafter all cOnvicts whose
term of sentence exceeds 10 years,
shall not be allowed to work outside
the prison walls, unless it lie in the
prison garden or fam, or work neccs-
sary to improving the prison or car
rying on the prison work"
But following policy characteris-
tie of the. lessees, the provisions Of the
act of March 9th, 1880, and the solemn
compact entered into in July following,
were ignored and no machinery was
purchased and put in the walls of the
penitentiary, but instead, the convicts
were hired out, i'll some instances to
State officials, in many others to pri-
vate individuals, to work on farms,
at from $3.50 to $500 per month,
and the lessees pocketed the money.
The record will further show that
the Legislature of 1882, at the instance
we believe of these same lessces, pass
ed an act releasing them from the oh
legations they were under to erect the
jute factory, thereby sanctioning
their palpable violation of the con-
tract and licensing them to- go forward
and beat the State out of the money
they agreed to pay for the lease or as
much thereof as they might.choose to
reserve to themselves, and they did it
to the tune of $4,000 in round mum
bers.
The Herald says:
"The machinery would probably
cost some $50, 600, and the labor would
cost only the food and raiment of the
cOnvicts, which the state is compelled
to furnish. The .iute can be purchased
III New York, Boston Or New Orleans,
at the same rates paid by the Trust
manufacturers, and as it is "'raw ma
teiialn should come in duty free. We
may be in error i'll regard to the cost
of machinery, for the estimate is a
random one, but suppose the cost
should bc double the estimate, we
shall by this proposition, obtain no
"inGcmnity for the past but we
shall unquestionably obtain security
for the future"
Gen. McCardle builded wiser than
he knew at the time he made the
suggestion, and if the Legislature of
1882 had insisted upon the fulfllment
of the contract, Instead OF surrender
ing to the penitentiary ring, the State
would now have the machinery, both
as an ''indemnity for the past" and a
"security for the future" and she
would not have endured the lumilia-
ton of being beaten i'll her hall of leg
islatiOn and her courts by a Grasping
and INSCRIPTIONS political junta,
composed in part by high state Off
Gals Chiekc8aw Messenger.
Aspart of The history connected
with the proposed penitentiary jute
bagging factory, the Messenger might
also have added that the unscrupu-
lous and oily lessees not only failed to
build said factory, as their contract
originally required, but that after be-
ing relieved of their obligation to do
so as it describes, subsequently
came into. court and unblushing-
~ set up the act of the Legislature
relieving them as an instance of bad
faith on the part of the State chang
ing their contract, and coolly plead
this us one of the reasons why they
should not pay their $500, 900 defalca-
ton.
II