New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-10
SELECTIONS FROM THE MAIL.
4 PHASE OF GEORGIA PENOLOGY.

Sir: After reading the article IN last o"'''"'
Tribune on Chained Negroes Compelled to WORK
it occurred to that you may care to have iur'her
account Of the Penal Code as administered III
Georgia Most OF these points are gathered from
the last message of Governor Northen to the Legs-
lature
The State is yet asleep to her disgrace tho"e"
many Of her citizens keeny feel IT, She herseli' Is
having vague STRINGS just now over the condluoh
and punishment of youthful criminals ana Is
making some effort TO have a reformatory for them
Under the Georgia statutes there are, besides the
death penalty, four methods oi punishment 'o'
crimes first. confinement in the county JAIL seco"''
fines: third imprisonment in the county o"a''
gangs: fourth. confinement at nara h"or III '"o
state Penitentiary The penitentares are leased TO
private persons under State SUPERVISION 'he coh-
vcts being used for private enterprises
Confinement in the county jail consists OF over
crowdng and budding men and women ana emil
dren together in common wards. where they await
trial or serve out short sentences. Here III thoSe
close quarters are the worst. most depraved char
acters along with the innocent. or comparatively So
No woman matron in most jai,s is present to min
lister to the wants and needs Of female prisoners.
In many cases toilet accessories are shared III
common and are usually in loathsome CONDITION
The second method that Of alternative fines, Is
one Of great temptation to officers OF inc courts a.
they DO not receive fixed salaries. one may see AZ
a glance that this has grave and far-reachinS o.
iec,ions In many cases penalties would not be IN
nicted at all were it not that the fine Is to he ds-
trbuicd aftcrward. Governor Northen In MS mes
sage states that he has reason to know this from
cases that have come under his sight lie says
AS Executive of the State, | have been asked ume
and again to fix alternative penalties in fines when
the innocence of the party was partially II not
wholly conceded" Again: THE social conditions
that exist in State make it possible for the me
10 be paid by innocent parties. This system under
such policy amounts practically to compouniihs
felony" He recommends that the ofiicers OF
our courts should be paid fixed salaries. 50 that
they may be relieved from the temptation 10
wrong-dong toward unfortunate citizens who can
be convicted for a price" should think he would
mean who can be released for a price. When
unable 10 pay these fines prisoners sentenced ior
short terms sent to the county chain gang II
the crime H. OF fragrant nature they must be sent
TO the State convict camps.
In the county camp, as in the otheF' they are
leased out according the market demand for con
Wet labor II the budding together In the JAIL j.
promiscuous. what lis II here? Little cAIlHreh.
young men, boys half grown and old men are mere.
Small negro boys who have for the hrst time IN
their lives stolen some trihe mcn-and white men
who have come to this pass from some short
lived spree only last year a weknown man IN
Atlanta found himself in the city siockaie Tor
drunkenness Too dazed. III and unnerved to KNOW
what was happening. he was convicted ana put 10
work on the roads under brolng midsummer
sun He protested that he was H. II was pam To
be seen that ne was unused to manud. libor-Dui
he brutaiiy kept at work ana died IN MS tracks
in a few hours This case attracted great attention.
and the necessity for different system was
written up by the newspapers, but no legislation
has set taken place. The horror OF THIS pf"miS-
cuous phase II the system strikes deepest into the
scnslhllltles OF humani'arans.
Negroes are convicted for the most trivial things
10 serve fdr longer terms than Their msi'.n Al'9s
TIM .fr44 D. q
convicts. either for private cnierpns'- oF pup.
work Thor. j. n doubt ~ this The case. dAi>
c.tel ia tAe papers show to- conc.usVey th"t t"-s
re conditions Of the shor; leases Of county chain
gangs are similar 10 those OF tn stat" p'hi' %
uary, but tho STATE has I'D J'4l.'ll'..." "''' ' I
care Of tn ~ son,Ts. They are oii'n Ibt 10 ""In
in the most p9b.'c places "netr ny can ~ 80,
ana recognized hi any one VINO mas N'e' N'. ,
them 1t made me sick az heart on on" occasion
to rec nc shamefaced do"neistelo'Hs 81 one ~
devil fon 'f-carc expression ~ many others tou'i
fhs-e ,.h5 v.orc -, new 70 ,ne asor,y ~ n ana
,n,l, Iffr.. as no. ar. fo individuals FOR the
~. h., ,h,ir r'or,i state how can u DO any
ihIng else than harden them Ia sn ana "ickednessf
n,,rr Under the best condition is regarded only
AZ a benst OF burden under circumstances Ike thi-
small thought Is bestowed ON ahytllhs D"t 10"
,1,. rb work can be ground oIi Of him.
The Governor also says That In many cases ines"
county convcis are hired 5y the same parucs "h"
hirr ucuiicntarv convicts and they therefore,
practically roniientiary prisoners when thc courts
did not 80 .ciefmine and thcir offence. "a not 50
warrant lie has been obliged frequently To order
The dlscharee Of prisoners from ine county camps
Who have been detained for ihcir services bF IN"
authorities long after the court order rei'ns.nS
mem had been issued Some lossccs u the county
g,ugs have engaged ~ open violation II IN" ia"
Iy selling individual convlcts to outside persons
Tti- is A general practice though lt Is almost i'm
possible - believe that NucH a iHiHi''"i 'u'9' "a
human beings could take place IN cNihzrd 'o"l-
Governor Northen defends the state penientary
system OF leasing prisoners. while decryng III"
county system. and asserts mat duc care ~ gwen
- their hcaItn ani morals u may De ual 'i'.s
true but 1t appeals to reason thht "hrte hiB'
bodies - helpless men are given over To the abSp-
luic secret management Of very fe" mrr great
wrongs 10 the helpless are bound 10 result ,,,
We do know beyond doubt lnHt terrible a,r,,s
wrongs are pereIatea dome me horc Tho ' men
are rrncl.y whipped for any INSTRUMENTATION. tHy
are worked almost beyond the p"ers "i pnys s
endurance Many are kept IN the mines ana 90
not see the Hight OF day for months at a tline
and the ha and chain is an "SrpHtaTs COIN ih
little responsibility attaching TO one side and such
absolute impotence Oh the o.ntr, " nm, ~ h "s
ton entirely The need 81 moral iIainlhs or ~
keen his people happy ana In good condition. well
The moral spectacle presented by these latter
dav slaves would make shudder go around me
MANY people here are aSitatinS for reform IN
this mattcr-ou good outgoing Governor among
The rrst-and all hope for better things, but untll
I'M. secrets Of the mining camps can be thoroushy
disclosed the worst vii not be- known, Mork'hs
day Is heaven In comparison. ill.,,
i,ist now the good people ~ Atlanta are making
s,ronuous efforts to establish "A rcformatoIy Tor
fhe Young children who are arrested ana con,
viccI for the most trivial offences. one case cltei
vas that Of a little negro boy: eight years OLD sen
fenced for stealing "A mans newspapers 'hlHr"h
of hut eight and ten doomed 10 the same
stock ,d. with hardened wretchrs, TO wear thcir
shocklrs in company with all the rest ana under
The conditions | have mentioned. Ouen there
are AZ many as twenty seven AT one tim" worklhS
ONT sentences for childish .rnadcncanors
Never until now has Their" been any concerted
fhgsc tile their voices,
crying" have fallen deaf cars. ana they nave
been hung hcadOng into careers oi crime Hs''au
~ hcinc rescued from them. II has not been FOR
lack of money to provide other ways, FOR Fulton
Comfy IS one of the richest In the state
Tho plan now proposed by this Rcformatory
COMMITTEE is to take the confederate Soldiers
U,m.' for their building. This nome was
,rcried with great pride and cost and care by
private subscription but has never been occupied
ar used on account Of the refusal by the state 10
OF malntenAnc of her old