Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-09-29

once and the record Il q splendid one.
Instead Of q physical. there is to be a
moral war. The treatment Of conyicts in
the South at the present time. calls to the
front ranks, the most skilled soci0l0-
gists. philanthropists and economists
known to modern times. No civillsed ma
ton in all christendOm 80 utterly over
looks the primary principles Of penology
in the management OF its convicts as do
the Southern states.
The entire lack OF reformatory meas
ures in the South, degrades both races.
The method Of leasing out state ~convicts,
dates back to 1869. when Georgia adopted
1t as a means OF raising money for state
purposes. Tho leasing out of prisoners at
the South must be looked at from several
st%andpoints. There Is q desire of the pol
~iticians to disfranchise colored voters and
of Others to secure cheap labor from
which to realize goo profits, through
which they build up tremendous political
Influences. To accomplish such purposes,
all sorts of Ill advised schemes are re-
sorted to. The a code of slavery
still exists in the South and white off,
Gals have little mercy for colored per-
sons, many of whom are frequently ar
rested and condemned to h criminal
class for life on the most frivolous
charges. Many colored voters often be-
come politically obnoxious at election
time. especially when they attempt to vote
the Republican ticket. for which they are
arrested and convicted.
In some Southern states. the larceny of
a chicken by a colored person. is punish
able by twelve months in p~enitentiary.
A colored person may be sent to prison
on any charge which a white person sees
fit to make no matter how trivial.
Thu enormous increase Of colOred pris-
oners Will never be diminished so long as
present conditions obtain at the South.
1t is shocking that the colored race. 1875
per cent of the total population, should
furnish one-third of all the prisoners In
the United States. But 1t is gratifying
to note that according to the population
of the colored race, in states where the
convict lease system does not exist, there
is an abnormally small proportion of
prisoners from It's works. Many. who are
not familiar with the cOnvic lease sys-
TEN. ask are white convicts leased out?
They are, but only vicious ones who cam
not be managed within the walls of the
penitentiaries where the most of the
white convicts are kept to run and man.
age the machines employed therein.
Those who are leased out receive about
the same treatment as The colored con-
victs. No one will deny but that slavery
with all of It's horrors, left many bane-
full effects upon the colored race. in the
United States, as it has always left upon
all people who have been It's victims.
But for a tronger race to continue to
crush and grind the life and the manhood
out OF a weaker race, degrades the for
mer more than II does the latter. How
easy it is to xhibi the faults and weak
nesses of a people, but to offer n remedy
is n different thing
The prison question: in the North is quite
from the prison question in the
South. In the North every phiianthropic
civil n otherwise. is brought
into play for the reformation of fallen
humanity. In the South the administra-
ton of justice operates to keep the prison
ranks full for the benefit of politicians.
Strange fact that every place of vice
and corruption Is opel to the colored peo-
in the South, while the public libra
ries. the white churches. schools. col
and lecture halls are closed against
those of the colored race seeking
to better their condition and assist I'm
the elevation OF their own race. The
South furnishes a splendid field for ali
sorts of missionary work. and it is hoped
enough Christian patriotism and
sympathy car be mustered in this free
country. to cause "A separation of the
men. women n juvenile convicts In
prisons. for the good of human
ity. D. f. TOBIAS.
Providence, r.. /.