Arizona republican., 1897-09-29
THE PRISON CONTRACT.

 ed by the supreme court of the terri tory. By the light or nearly two years time that had elapsed between the signing of the contract and his induction into office, he discovered that the interests of the territory would be subserved by securing some amendments to the contract. These amendments he asked for and they were mainly assented to by the com pany. He asked for eight different things, seven of which were granted as follows:
 1. That the company should have upon the ground and ready for work before any labor was furnished, first ed patterns, to cost not less than $2O,O0O.
 2. That the company should give to the territory suitable bond that it would complete the canal.
 3. That the company should re- move earth each working day that would cost double the amount of the value of the prison labor furnished by the territory to the company. 4. That the company at their own expense erect and ,have in readiness for use suitable barracks to accom- modate all the prisoners that should be worked at the head of the canal.
 5. That no prisoner should be sent to work upon the canal whose escape in the opinion of the superintendent would be probable.
 6. That the territory should not be compelled to purchase any water that it did not desire to use and what it did purchase should be at price no greater than is paid by other patrons of the canal.
 '. That the territory instead of ! the company should keep the time of the prisoners
 8. That no prisoners should be worked at any other place or at any other work except upon the canal.
 Every one of these propositions ex- | cept the second, the company ac-
 
 l for the reason that in his opinion the 1 acceptance by the company of the 1 first and third requests was a suffic- l tent guarantee of good faith on the | part of the company. This contract as amended, in the opinion of the i governor, is not only fair to the terri tory, but the general policy of work l ing the prisoners has his hearty con- currence
 The appeal case to the United States supreme court will, therefore, be dismissed. It will be dismissed for several reasons. First, because the governor does not think the pol icy of obstruction pursued by the last administration-aft the highest court of the territory has approved the contract-is either right or for the best interests of the territory. If it was not dismissed On motion of the territory it would be on motion of the company, for the reason that the appellant, Hon. M. J. Nugent, refused to sign the appeal bond; and second, because it is believed to be best for the territory that the contract should be executed in good faith The expense to the territory in carrying out the contract will be nominal. There will be no extra guards employed; no tools fur nished by the territory, and the cloth e. II. l. at work will cost little if any more than now. If the canal is built it will bring under cultivation a large amount of the finest citrus fruit land in America, that today is valueless It will add two or three millions o1 dollars to the taxable wealth of the territory, several thousand inhabi- tants and make southwestern Arizona one of the richest parts of the terri tory. The territory OWES over 2,O0( acres of land that can be watered by this canal which can be cultivated by prison labor in such a manner as te make the prison self sustaining. The talk about prison labor coming into ! SouiPOlIl4Od WILL uCutSL ldUOT IS Du the vaporiIgs of demagogues. The friends of those whose lives have beer taken; the people whose property has been stolen or burned; the suffer CTS from the many crimes which hay, been committed by these prisoners the honest, industrious laboring ma1 and the overburdened taxpayers wh. have to support these prisoners il , idleness, are not laying awake night breeding over the hardships inciden to their being put to work It is tn demagOgues, the charlatans and tn calamity howlers who are making tn Outcry.