The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-12
The GoVernnr,r Plan.

4 ht NHoNShhhE AAah
/ In message which he will send TO the
/ legislature. the governor states strongly
| and clearly his views on the question OF
/ making provision for the care Of the
/ state convicts. In order that the legisla-
| tive committee which has charge of the
matter may have the benefit OF his views.
and also that the people and the members
Of the legislature may have time to dis
! cuss these views before the legislature
meets. he has made public that part of his
message which relates to the penitentiary
question.
II is plain that the governor has given
this question a good deal Of thought. and
also that he does not intend that the pres
ent system Of caring for the convicts shall
be continued. if it is in his power to pre-
vent it,
He discusses at considerable length in
this message the plans proposed for car
ing for the convicts. and particularly the
plan for working the conviets on the pub
lie roads. He does not think that the pub
lie roads plan is a fair one, and he gives
some very good reasons why he thinks so.
From what he says there is ground for
believing that it would not stand much.
if any, chance of receiving the approval
of the legislature.
His own plan ne urges forcefully. 1t is
evident he has considered 1t carefully.
and there doesn't appear to be much room
for doubt that if the conyicts are to be
kept wholly within the control Of the
state it would cost much less than any
other Of the plans proposed. In his plan
a prison commission is to have practically
the management of the eonvicts and the
building of penitentiary. one or more
tracts Of land are to be purchased on
which prison buildings are to be erected.
on the land the women, boys under II
years of age, the men who are not fit
for hard work and a few ablebodied men
are to be placed. All the other convicts
are to be leased TO private parties for
terms not exceeding five years. No pri-
vate person is to have control of the con-
victs. The state alone is TO have control
of them.
This plan is going to cost the state con-
siderable money-much more, in fact,
than the average citizen has any idea of
Sill it is the least costly Of the various
plans proposed.
The penltentiary buildings will be
constructed by the youths, the con-
victs who are not strong enough to do
hard work, and the cultivation of the
farm will be carried on by them. The
money earned by the able-bodled convicts
will be used in erecting the penitentiary
buildings and for the expenses of the PEN
itenuary.
From present indications a portion of
the members of the legislature will sup
port the governors plan or a plan similar
to it, and another portion will insist upon
continuing the leasing system. In view
of the fact that the governor would veto
a bin authorizing a continuance of that
system the Probabilities are that that sys-
tenn will be abandoned. but II is not GER
tain that the governors plan will be
adopted Plans which have not yet been
made public will no doubt be presented
for consideration. and some one of them
may be regarded with more favor than
that of the governor. The convict ques-
ton is likely to occupy a large part of the
legislative session. That would not be a
cause for regret if a settlement of it
should he reached