Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-04-25
W. w. BARKsDA1E. PROPRIETOR.


Judge Turney writes very plain
letter in answer to the Appeal-Ava.
lanche, stating his position on GER
tain questions, which we present
elsewhere.
AS to the legal points involved
Judge Turney ought to and does
know the law. We agree with him
heartily in regard to constitutional
convention. Tennessee wants no
such expensive luxury. His plan of
submitting constitutional amend
ments to the people is the right way,
and this the Legislature can do. We
want but few amendments to perfect
the present constitution, and when
submitted the people can act intelli-
gently.
He is correct in his notion about
moving the penitentiary away from
any large city and abolishing the
lease system as soon as the present
contract expires. This the next
Legislature must provide for. The
Judge, however, is hardly so explicit
on this question as his friends would
like for him to be. Everybody is
agreed that the penitentiary should
be moved away from Nashville.
The Nashville people want it moved
and there is also unanimous senti.
ment for change from the lease
system, but what shall be the
change, that is the question The
details, to some extent, or the plan
for the future management OF our
convicts is what the people want to
know. They expect the candidates
for Governor to present the plan in
some feasible shape, so that the can
didates for the Legislature may take
hold of the question In an intelligent
way and accomplish something.
We agree with Judge Turney that
the State should not set up business
to make money out of convicts, but
the convicts should not become q
burden and tax on the people. The
object of a penitentiary is to confine
criminals where they will be harm
less to society and to punish them
humanely for their crimes. Labor ID
just punishment and is necessary
to the preservation of manhood.
The system to be adopted should at
least be self-sustaining, and we be-
lieve it can be made additionally so
without harm to convicts or injustice
to free labor. If the Legislature
simply goes on the idea of building a
great penitentiary that will accom-
modate | 300 or 500 cOnvicts, at a
cost of not less than one million OF
dollars, how are we to make it self
sustaining? Convicts that fill South.
ern prisons are not that class that
can be made useful in manufacturing
in competition with machinery and
skilled labor. Fully half Of our con.
victs would serve out their terms
before learning trade, and this
would make the institution a tax on
the people and very soon we would
be forced to return to the lease sys'
tenn, as past experience in this State
has taught.
1t occurs to us that the Myers OF
House bill, that was defeated by the
Senate during the extra session
comes very near meeting the de
mand. 1t is simply plan to utilize
the labor just as the lessees have
done, under State supervision, profit
ing by the experiment of the mer
who have made fortunes out of it
Every convict can easily earn hi
living in coal mine without being
overtaXed or cruelty treated, anc
more, relieve the people of the grea
burden OF criminal prosecution.
Let us have something definite
that the Legislature may meet un
derstandingly. 1t may not be thC
Governors business to legislate, bu
if he be a man of any force or cour
age he can do a great deal towarC
shaping good legislation, and we be
lieve that Judge Turney is that kline
of a man.