The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-09-08
THAT BYRD REPORT.
WAS THE TRUE CONVICT SITUA-
TTON EXAGGERATED!
Growing Impression That Georgia
Has Been Given Name She
Does Not Deserve.

that Inspector Byrd has greatly Overdone
the thing in his report on the states mis-
demeanOr C nvicts. Colonel Byrd seems
to have been inspired with desire to do
something out of the ordinary, and he
has done it, Besides bringing himself
into prominence he has given the stat
of Georgia name that is by no means
deserved.
The Georgia convict system is bad
enOlgh, as everyone knows, but Colonel
Byrd has greatly exaggerated that part
of it which seems to have been turned
oyer to him to expose. We are not will
ing 70 severely CriticiSe the gentleman
fer the mistake he has made. Perhaps
he thought the end justified the means.
or perhaps, he was OVer-zeal0us in his
wort, or perhaps over-am bilious to make
"a re oId 1t is even likely that Colonel
Byr& journalistic training ha1 some
thing to do with it, 1t is just possible
that be padded his story. he fully
appreciated the Importance of the as
Segment, and he went in to get the best
story to be had. As his copy was not
subject to the "blue pencil' it went III
just as it was, and the result is a story
that cannot be entirely cOrIoborated.
|. is not entirely true that the county
convict camps of Georgia are such horr-
bic affairs. 1t is base slander for in
stance, to include the Bibb county camp
in the list, and we can say as much for
other misdemeanOr camps in this state
For the most part they are managed
quite as well as il is possible to manage
a gang of cOnyCtS under the crCum-
stances
There are great many things to be
taken into consideration. In the first
place the gangs in question are made up,
for the most part, of the most worthless
class Of negroes. They are provided
with such comforts as are in keeping
with their character and condition. Nine
tenths of them, no doubt, were accus-
toned to sleeping in dry goods boxes
or horse stalls before their incarceration
and yet Georgia must be slandered be
cause she does not provide brass bed
Steads for such as these. OF the lowest
order, they know and care nothing about
cleanliness, and as a result the convict
camps are not as spotless as the deck of
a steamship. They are not fed ON porter
house steak, but it must be considered
that as rule they were accustomed to
eating only scraps or such a variety of
food as they could procure by hook or
crook.
In fact it can be stated as an inc0ntro-
verJible proposition that nine-tenths of
the misdemeanOr COnvcts are better
provided for in the county camps, (at
least 1t is SO in Bib county, than they
were when they had their freedom. This
is often proven by the positive eagerness
of some Of them to return to the gang.
1t sounds almost impossible to believe,
but it is a fact that there any number Of
negroes who prefer life on the gang and
who, but for the work involved, would
regard thirty OF sixty days sentence as
a sort of pleasant outing. These are not
exaggerated statements, but can be prov
en- by the court records CT this city and
county, and we doubt not that the same
is true Of Other counties.
There is no doubt of the fact that Col
onel Byrd's picture has been overdrawn.
SO apparent is it that many believe that
his report has an Interior motive, OF
this, however, we 90 not know. But
it is a fact that Colonel Byrd used too
big a load. There has been considera4
BILE rebound. 1t is a fact, and we nearly
tenn of leasing cOnvicts is wrong. 1t is
morally wrong, and it is a poor bus ness
arrangement. 1t is not right that Georgia
should delegate TO private individuals
and corporations the punishment of her
criminals. And Georgia is prepared and
determined to chan ge the system at the
expiration of the present lease, which is
soon. But it is altogether outrageous
that Georgia should have been conferred
out as q barbarOus STATE, where cruelties
untold are encouraged, where murders
are committed practically with the con
sent of the state. 1t all looks like the
result Of reckless speech. 1t is due alike
to Colonel Byrds desire to turn in a
good story aud to the worse than reck-
less conduct of other newspaper men in
tanning the spark which had been kim
died. For the sake of little nJUOriety
Colonel Byrd has made bill of charges
that would shame Siberia, and for the
sake of a little extra compensation" the
underpaid southern reporters, who have
to depend upon their outside papers"
for pocket money, have magniied the
story until it is worse than bl odcurd-
ling.
The convict lease system is wrong,
and, no doubt, some abuses have grown
out Of it, But il Colonel Byrd made as
great q mistake in the case Of other
counties as he did in that of Bib then
his official report is largely a fake. -
Macon News
1t is curious tact that the delicacy