Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-09-05

Penitentiary Legislation.


The Legislature is not starting of
In a way that indicates any decided
reform or improvem ent in our convict
system. 1t appears already that the
lesses, or men having control of the
convict labor, already have the ears
OF very many, If not majority OF
the members, and they are not exact
ly the men who should exercise Il
controlling influence in such legisla-
ton, and yet they are likely to do so,
because so few members have any
settled opinion on the subject and
have no experience or example from
which to form satisfactory conclu-
sion, and as matter of course must
be unsettled in their views
on so complicated a question
until plans are presented and senti-
ment crystalizes; and no people
will be more industrious in trying to
bring sentiment to focus than those
interested in the profits to be made
out of it. The plan that the lesses
seem to be driving at is to sell the
old penitentiary and build fine one
near the city of Nashville. OF course
there will be no abrogation OF
the present lease and no provision
for change in future, leav.
ing that to the future for
some other General Assembly.
This will please the views of the les
ses and they will readily agree to
withdraw the convicts from Brice-
vile, settle that trouble and hire 300
or 400 of the convicts to the State at
the same pro rata they pay under the
lease and turn over to the State such
convicts as are not able to do good
service in the coal mines.
This seems to be the drift of the
popular idea in the Legislature, as
we gather from the proceedings, and
IL 1t prevail the last state will be
worse than the first. The new peni-
tertiary and grounds, in the first
place, will cost the State in the end
no less than $1,000,000. There will
be no provision for change of sys-
tenn and no other alternative, when
the lease expires, but to release the
prisoners on the same terms.
No plan yet proposed presents
more practical solution of the prob
lem than that suggested by the LEAF
CHRONICLE weeks ago and several
times subsequently referred to-that
OF buying and operating a
coal mine. The State can
purchase 1900 or 5000 acres
of coal land for so TO $l5 per acre,
and build cheap, comfortable block
houses for the prisoners of the timber
on the place, and all will not cost
half so much as fine penltentiary at
Nashville. The Briceville cOnvicts
may be taken OIL of the hands of the
lesses to DO this work, and when the
lease expires the State will have a
mine open and ready for the employ
ment of convicts. The average work
of miner is not less than two tons
of coal per day. Then one thousand
convicts will mine 1000 tons per day,
which at the mine price, cents per
bushel, is $3.50 per hand per day,
which amounts to $4,000 per day for
coal taken out. The whole expense
of maintaining the prisoners, board,
clothing and guards will not amount
to more than 1000 per day, leaving
the State net $4,000 per day or ST.
24S,0O0 Il year. These figures may be
reduced one half, and yet it occurs
from them that the State can make
more money by taking charge of its
own convicts and get rid of the
stigma of this abominable lease sys-
tenn and its constant interference in
political affairs.