The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-23
FINDING HOPE IN CONFUSION.
ADVOCATES OF PRIVATE LEASES
MAY BE SUCCESSFUL.

victs Have No Concert of Ideas in
Their Ranks and Those Who Fa-
vor Matters Remaining as They
are Hope TO Stampede the Crowd.
The various Plans For the DispO-
sitiOn of COnVicts Again Under
Consideration.
Atlanta. Ga. Sept. 22.-The joint meeting
of the penitentiary committee of the Sen
ate and House, which convened yesterday,
adjourned to-day without having agreed
upon any pan for the disposition OF the
convicts at the expiration Of the present
lease.
After the two days session the commit
tee is no nearer a solution Of this all inn
portant problem than il was before The
meeting opened. There are almost as
many ideas as to what ought to be done
with the convicts as there are members
of the committees. So far as the discus
sion shows the sentiment of the members
no two of them agree upon any one plan
offered
The disposition to make another lease
somewhat similar to the present one is
stin apparent. The strongest speech Of
the day was made on that line by Mr.
Stone of Madison, although there is
growing. sentiment in favor of the ideas
advanced by Gov. Atkinson and Principal
Keeper Turner. But while this is 50, it
is a significant fact that the committee
pointedly refused to adopt resolution
offered by Mr.. Little of Muscogee, which
declared it to be the sense of the meeting
that the bill drawn by Mr.. Hall of Coweta
embodying the plan of the governor and
principal keeper was on the right line.
Without attempting to have this bill adop-
ted by the committee. Mr. Little sought
to have the committee go on record as fav-
oring the general plan embodied in 1t, with
the details left open for completion later
on. But the effort was a failure, and
when it adjourned, the committee was alb
solutely without any scheme in sight
This was highly satisfactory to the fac
ton which is lighting for a renewal of
the present lease, though upon different
terms, and they will come back when the
committee meets again prepared to re.
new this fight, even in the face of the
governors declaration that he will veto
any bill that contemplates a renewal of
the present least contract. Many of the
leading members declare that there is no
danger of the success of this improve
ment, because there is a majority of the
legislature opposed to it on principle, as
well as on account of the strong public
disapproval of the old plan The advocates
of the lease. however base their conf
dence upon the latk of unity among the
opposition, hoping that the confusion that
now surrounds the situation will finally
result in a resort to the lease system,
because nothing better can be agreed
upon.
After discussing the question during to-
days session, the committee finally CON
cluded to leave the problem in the hands
of a subcommittee composed Of Senators
Cook, DunWoody, Shopshore and Atkin-
son and Representatives Hall, Boyntol,
Dodson. Fielder and Thomas This sub
committee is to sit at the capital from
now on to oct. 10 to receive plans and
suggestions from all sources and from
among the mass of schemes presented
evolve plan TO be drafted into a bill
The bill is to be completed by oct. 10 and
copies of ii mailed to all members of the
joint committee so that they may study
it and be prepared to raise objection at
another meeting of the general joint COM
mittee OF the Senate and House. to be
held on Oct. %, prior to the assembling of
the legislature
The subcommittee has no instructions
whatever from the general committee as
TO the line to be adopted in the drafting
of the bill, and when that is accomplished
the chances are that it viii come about as
far from meeting with general indorse-
ment as the bill offered to-day by Mr. Hall
embodying the plan of the governor and
principal keeper of the penitentary. AS
already stated, Mr.. Little of Muscogee in 4
troduced a resolution insuucting the sub
committee to adopt that as the funda-
mental principle of its plan, but there was
not enough present who favored this to
carry the resolution through
Hon. Joe Mansfield of Mcintosh to-day
formally proposed the penal island colony
plan, making a short but interesting
speech in favor of it, He spoke with spe-
clad reference to Sapelo Island which he
assured the committee would produce
anything from a diamond-back terrapln
to sea island cotton, ana would offer the
additional advantage or a natural wall to
prevent the escape of prisoners and thus
reduce the cost of guarding them to
minimum. He also said that it would not
be necessary TO have fires in the stockade,
as the weather was warm all the year
around, and houses could be rooted with
palmettoes, which would save the cost of
shingles. The only trouble about the
island plan, he said, was that the life
term convicts would live forever, unless
sent 10 the up-country 10 die, the locality
was so healthy.
Mr.. Stone of Watson, who made Wig
orous speech in favor of another lease of
the convicts for not more than twenty-five
nor less than five years. also offered a
sketch of a plan by which the women
juveniles and aged and infirm convicts are
TO be put to work on the states property
near Milledgeville. He said the state al
ready owns two thousand acres there that
would be available, and he did not think it
would be wise 20 buy more land for that
purpose. The classes referred to could be
sent there to run the farm and reforma-
tory could be established out of part of the
able bodied men,
Mr.. Stone made an amusing slip in his
argument. which caused a roar of merry
ment in the hall He remarked thar there
were twenty-three hundred convcts I'm the
Georgia legislature instead of the peniten-
tiary. II was some minutes before the
members got through enjoying the Joke
and We're ready to listen seriously to the
member from Walton who declared that