The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-08-07
CRIME Elm THE SOUTH,

During the days of slavery there was
comparatively little crime. The easy
go-lucky nature of the uneducated and
poorer whites was not ambitious enough
to be criminal. The better educated
were too well bred to stOOp to criminal
life; and for the colored criminals the
masters acted as court, judge, jury and
eXecutioner. There was no well-de-
veloped idea of meum and tuim in the
negro's brain, and if he sometimes in
verted the pOssessive adjectives he met
his punishment in the stroke of the over
seer's lash. If he was guilty of murder
he might have to forfeit his life, and the
State-some of them, at least-made
good his loss to his master from the pub
lie treasury. Here and there acalaboOse,
and now and then a Jail, comprised the
chief provisions for criminals under the
law, and State penitentiares were almest
unknown. Tennessee was an exception
to this. One of the earliest and best
State prisons of the South was erected
there in 1898 IA forlorn building it is now);
and, largely inspired by visit from
DorOthea DiX-whOse portrait, given by
herself to Nashville, is one of its most
priced pOsscssions-th criminal law was
made broad and progressive, and the
treatment of convicts humane and wise,
as compared with other places in the
South.
Suddenly this stricken land finds six
million of people thrown upon it, of
whom hundreds and thousands are soon
culprits under the law. What should be
done with them, without buildings to
receive and house them? The States
were at first almost palsied by the situa-
| Whan thn rrnnnCiftnn IN
lease the convict labor it was regarded
as the best and wisest thing under the
circumstances Here, again, the provis-
ions made by Tennessee were intended
to be humane. The first lease kept State
control over all the prisoners. No hand
could be raised against them without the
permission of her authorities. Every
prisoner who was adjudged guilty of the
infraction of rules of the lessees, and SC
deserving of punishment, had first to be
examined by the State officials, and
could be punished only by their permis
sion. Other States had somewhat simi
lar provisions, though it is safe to say
they were not always carried out to the
letter.
The leasing of convicts disposed o.
them effectually for a time. The various
States were no longer haunted will
visions of the necessity of building grea
prisons and penitentiaries. The lessee'
carried the convicts off, body and soul
though in many a transit the soul tool
its flight, and only the dead body wa
left on their hands, to be covered ava!
out of sight, without Christian rite o.
ritual, as soon as possible. The horror
of this second age of slavery have no
only been written by George W. Cable
; but by less practiced masters of the pei
, in minority reports of Legislative com
mittees throughout the South. No on
.. +. appreciates more keenly the evils of thi
iniquitous system than the best and mos
thoughtful men of the South. 1t ha
seemed, however, a hopeless task to ri'
themselves of it, and it is therefore tn
, , still accepted system of most of TIN
lSouthern States. Texas threw it OF
l some years ago, and its army of 3,2O
convicts is employed in various indus
!, tries under the direct control of tn
D State. South Carolina, thanks to the dc
I voted efforts of Mr.. Guignard, one of tn
. directors of the State penitentiary, ha
Q given up the lease system and cares TO
Q her convicts herself Arkansas, it is be
lieved, will not renew her lease when tn
present one has expired. The Othe
d Southern States continue this method o
r employing cOnvicts, though the agita
ton OF public opinion has lessened man
S Of the abuses connected with it.-HdI
per's WeeklV