The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-05-09
Convicts-What to do With Them

SALEM, BLACK RIVER, May 5, 1894.
Editor the Wuehman n SouthTon: For
several months I have been intending to pro-
pound a few questions to the public through
your valuable journal, upon the convict farm
system,. snd,s in the same connection 1he pub
lie road system. think the present time,
Just after the Supreme Court has declared the
Dispensary Law unconstitutional upon the
ground that the State cannot engage IN trade
in competition with, or to the exclusion OF, its
citizens, a very opportune one to discuss the
constitutionality Of the convict system which
puts the State in competition with its honest
farmers in the production Of cotton especial
", and of all crops grown on the State farm.
New York several years ago had trouble over
the competition of convict labor with honest
labor in it's factories, Tennessee two years
ago had a small war on account Of the com.
petition of ~convicts with honest men in the
coal mines. The question is being agitated
in Alabama, and the Birmingham district is
now, or has recently been, the seat Of riotous
demonstrations which it will try the good
sense and conservatism of her Governor aud
best citizens to their utmost to quell without
bloodshed 1t surprised met hear the labor
ing men out there 80 ontsPoken against the
convict lease system, aud give good reasons
why it should be discontinued, and with the
same breath say, .'sput them to work on farms
and let them support themselves"
ssBut," l said, FARMERS do not want con-
vict competition anymore than you do, and
if it is not right for convicts to compete with
miners and other laboriug men, no more is
it right for them to compete with farmers and
farm laborers."
aBut," they would say, 'just let the cor.
victs support themselves" answer, even if
that were done they would then be competing
with honest farmers to the extent of the food
products they produce, and as they must OF
necessity be clothed, they must grow some
money crop to buy those clothes With, or
competeswith manufacturers IN thAproducton
.of their own clothes. On the one han they
compete with farmers, on the other with fac
tory operatives. Anyway you look at it, 1t
is competition with honest labor, and in this
State it is with the farmer and farm labor.
The advocates of this system tell US it can
not be avoided without increasing taxes.
Well, then ] say, increase the taxes, let every
man contribute his share toward the feeding
and clothing Of the con7icts, and not lay the
burden altogether upon one class Of citizens.
But it will be said, 'swhat will you do
with the convicts? let them live 10 idleness?
By no manner of means would make
them work, and work at hard labor too, and
under such. conditions that it would be a
wholesome lesson to evil doors every where, an
object lesson, so plain that he that ran might
read. | would put them to work upon the
public roads, and I would have a stockade
10 every township in the State, and if there
f..~ %ovoehs. -
pay to guard and superintend, / would pro-
vide for combining the coovlcts of several
adjacent townsbips, and keeping them in the
different stockades by turns, so as to give
each township its proportion of the labor on
its roads. There would be no romance
about the penitentiary then, and every evil
disposed person could see the punishment for
crime melted out to the criminal. would pro-
vide that all convicts sent up for more than
ten years should be placed in the penitentiary
to be worked on inter-coInty jobs or State
river improvement and sach work.
Now, Mr.. Editor, such, hastily sketched, is
my plan. What about some of its results !?
l think it is the solution, the right solution
Of the much vexed convict question. They
would certainly be doing the lowest kind of
manual labor, and doing it where it would
compete with no man, but where it would
benefit every man and every occupation in the
State.
Gen. Edward McCrady said several years
ago in a committee room of the Legislature,
that what this State needed more than any
thing else was a good system of public high
ways. And be spoke the truth. 1t would
do more to build up the railroads, the towns
and cities, the manufacturing and farming
interests of the State than any other one
thing, or several that can be done.
| do not mean to say that the convict force
would be sufficient to give US such 8 system,
but / do think it is the only proper way to
work them, and they would do a large part
toward making good roads. To supplement
this force, / would have a poll tax levied on
all able-bodied males between 81 and SO years
of age, and a property tax Of one or two
mills-lhe amount of poll tax and the num-
Der of mills property tax 10 be adjusted upon
an equitable basic and fixed at a minimum
and maximum rate between which to work.
l think it is an outrage to put all the burden
of keeping up the roads upon labor while
property reaps as much good as labor does.
The two go hand in hand in the benefits de-
rived from good roads, and in the loss at
bSuO0uI uptu OQo lOd0o-"ito
greater gain and greater loss on the side OF
property.
But Mr.. Editor, l must close without more
than touching upon the subject. 1t is one OF
great importance, and | hope will receive the
consideration which it deserves. am aware
that most of the changes | propose can only
be by a change in the Constitution. But
even under the Constitution as it stands |
would like to show that the State has 40 right
to buy farms and run them in competition
with its citizens-not even under the much
talked of police powers.
When | have more leisure l will try to write
out some of the details and answer someot
the objections that are sure to arise.
E. W. DABBs.
Letter From Elliott.