The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-11

! board Of commissioners of the Deaf
Dumb and Blind asylum and thf
board of visitors Of the Citadel have
a life tenure, This appears to me *
be all wrong. There is no chance Of
injecting new blood into these impor'
tant administrative positions if such
is needed, and then there is always
the danger of an abrupt change IN
/ the management of these important
institutions, which change Of all
old men for new might bring about.
They should be continuing bodies
with new men when needed coming
in, but preserving these institutions
from harm by retaining part of the
old appointees. Long tenure of Of
fee has invariably produced careless
less and the growth Of abuses, and
new brooms sometimes sweep too
clean. I advise that the General
Assembly take steps to remedy these
defects in existing laws.
THE PEN1TENT1ARY PROBLEM.
Next in magnitude and Importance
to the Asylum Of our public institu-
tions is the Penitentiary. The num-
Der of convicts in the latter is nearly
the same as the patients in the form
er, and I am of opinion that the
Penitentiary ought at least to sup
port theT Asylum. The fresults OBJ
tanned at the institution have not
been satisfactory to the people, and
the bane of its management is poll
ticts. The General Assembly, when
called on to fill positions of honor or
profit, finds itself besieged by class
of men who are hunting ''soft
place" and who have or make claims
on individual members for votes as a
reward for political support in the
past, or promise of such support in
the future. Officers requiring a
high order of business talent are
given to men who can speak well or
who have rendered political services,
while they are wholly lacking in ad-
ministrative ability.
This being the case, it is small
wonder that we so often find mis-
management in government business
and incompetent men in high Offices.
This is a vice that is inherent in re-
publican government, and in proper
tion as its influence is great or small
in legislative bodies is that govern
ment good or bad. The antidote is
an opposition party to watch those
in Office and show to the people any
shortcoming. We have been denied
this blessing in South Carolina by
reason ofthenecessity of the whitesre-
naming united. But the present Ad-
ministration and the present General
Assembly will be watched by the
people as no other in our history has
been watched and we must bear al
ways in mind that reform cannot
come from any such line Of action
Having given this caution, I will rely
upon your sense of duty to vote in
teligently and for the best interest of
the State in fulfilling all Offices in
your gift. In makingthese observa-
tions I in nowise mean to cast any
reflections upon the gentlemen in
charge of the Penitentiary.
FARMING OUT THE coNv1cTs.
have only a few observations to
make in reference to the manage
ment Of the institution. It's failure
to yield anything like an adequate
income from so much labor is at
tributed to the losses by freshets in
the river. Year after year in spite
of these losses the attempt to farm
has been persisted in, and I see the
board has presumed to make con-
tracts on these same places for next
year, thus tieing the hands Of the
next Administration. If the State
is going to farm. it ought to work its
own land so as to derive the benefit
of all Improvements. 1t ought to
farm or it ought not, and in my
judgment, the best results to make
the institution yield an income CON-
mensurate with its worth can be Sc
cured by removing all restrictions on
leasing or hiring the convicts and
allowing them to be employed in
any work, public or private, that
pays best. Agricultural labor is, and
always has been, the least renumera-
tive of any in the world, and l think
the best results will follow when the
directors Of the Penitentiary are al
lowed to contract for labor at 80
much for so many days labor of ten
hours, the contractor having nothing
to do with finding, clothing or guard
ing the convicts. The State should
retain control of the convicts to pre-
vent abuse.
RETAINING THE SWAMP LANDS.
The recent purchase Of a farm
which is subject to overflow is con-
trary to law, and therefore, to be
condemned; but I think the law
which forbade it was unwise, because
when the State shall by levees keep
out the water the object lesson may
induce capitalists to invest in these
swamp lands and reclaim them.
With the large amount of labor at
command it is certainly cheaper to
keep out water than to buy up lands
as rich. One such farm the State
ought to have, both to show the
value of these lands and to employ
it's surplus labor at certain times; but