The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-21
BROWN LEASE TO BE BROKEN.
THREE HUNDRED CONvICTS TO BE
THROWN on THE STATE.

THROWN On AAAE >AAAA.
The Governor Expected 20 Oher 40
Lease Them TO Other Parties, Rat
no Certainty That He Can DO 30.
MIR. Brown Won't Pay the Pine
and Is Somewhat severe in His
Comments on the Governor.
Atlanta. Ga, July 29.-Before the pres
ent week IS out, the state OF Georgia VIII.
IN all probability. have three hundred or
more sble-bodied convicts 10 let 60 the
highest bidder. Gov. Atkinson has prac-
tically made up his mind TO cancel the
lease contract Of Penitentiary Company
No. ]. and when the order is passed. an
the cOnvicts held by that company in the
Dade county mines. az Chickamauga and
IN Barlow county. viii De on The state s
hands. What viii be done with them is
uncertain. though the governor viii in all
probability offer 10 release them 10 other
parties. Pending such disposition they
will have TO be supported 10y the state out
OF the contingent fund. Guards would
have 10 be employed. and a place Of con-
fnement provided. These details have not
yet been discussed by Gov. Atkinson,
however. He prefers 20 wait until the Of
fetal order cancelling the lease is passed
before considering these questions. Under
the present contract, company No. ] Is
entitled 10 800 able-bodied convicts, but the
concern has been using a good deal more.
there being now in custody 500 or more
with the extra men who have been OBJ
tanned from the other two companies.
These other companies, Nos. . and 3. can
not be compelled to take all the convicts
in case OF the cancellation Of the lease OF
company No. 1, though they might find IL
a good investment TO take them of the
states hands when the lease is revoked
Julius L. Brown is president Of company
No. l. The immediate cause Of the trou-
BILE which now threatens to end in the
revOkal Of the lease contract Is the fine
imposed by Gov. Atkinson on account
of III treatment Of the men fin the Dade
mines Some horrible facts on this line
were brought out I'm the Investigation
and the general impression is that the
fine imposed is light punishment to the
lessee company President Brown has re-
fused TO pay the fine. declaring that he
prefers the cancellation of the lease, as
the convicts are a drag on his hands.
Mr. Brown has shown "a shade Of feel
ing over the governors action. To-day
in discussing IL. he styled IL "as piece
OF executive biackmail.' and said he would
never pay the fine, although the other
the treatment their convicts received at
his hands delivered their checks to the
governor TO the amount of 1881 IS last Sat
urday Il would be only too glad to have
Gov. Atkinson cancel our lease and take
these cohvicts of our hands" said Mr..
Brown. There is no money in them any
longer, and we would be glad to get
rid of them. ] have no idea of paying
the fine, and viii let the governor do
what he pleases about II.
1t costs us from $1,000 to $1,000 month
20 keep the convicts,' said Mr. Brown,
who questions Gov. Atkinsons right to
fine him. The governor has 5000 in his
contingent fund. He can keep them for
about twenty days. The governor Is try
ing TO make a grand stand play out OF
this matter. Il he does not watch out
dhis very thing will be the cause of the
populists defeating him.
During the past few years the Georgia
Mining and Manufacturing Company has
lost a million dollars on its convicts
There has not been time in the last sew
en- years that l would not have paid the
state $4,000 TO annul the contract.
Why doesn't the governor collect the
hne, II he has any right to do So its very
clear that he had the right to impose II
or he had not, If ne did have it. why is It
necessary for him to come at us in another
way. The whole business is nothing but a
piece Of executive blackmau."
In cancelling the lease it ifs understood
that Gov. Atkinson will put his action on
the ground that Mr.. Brown, the president
of the company, is not a fit person to have
control Of the cOnVicts. This information
comes from an inside source. The COVER
nor, It Is said, in Mr.. Browns case does
not regard the situation as one of dollars
and cents, but one of morality, and Is sat
5sfied that a man of Mr.. Browns temper
ament ought not to be entrusted with the
arbitrary control OF human beings When
asked about the matter to-day, Gov. At
kinson refused to say anything about this
feature of the case. but stated that he
would take action some time this week.