The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-28

,
( brutal
| such close confinement in contracted and
/ uncomfortable cages would be bad, but il
( IS not the only objection. The want OF
! proper sanitary cOndiilns and arrange
mcntS for privacy and cleanliness must
/ receive due consideration. The crude and
inadequate quarters Will make it worse
I upon the c0nvicts, the increase IN the
( number OF escapes will make it worse for
1 society. The fact that these escapes viii
! occur in the rural districts makes The dan
( ger "a society doubly great. Work upon
the public roads cannot be even so much
concentrated as it is in railroad building.
aud the chances for escape will therefore
be greater.
The reason for Il may not be clear, but
il is unqGestiouably and lamentably true
that large per cent Of our criminals are
more daring and desperate characters than
ever before We now have In the peniten-
tiary more Of that class than ever which.
4 by reason of persistence in crime, may be
denominated professional criminals To
distribute these convicts upon the public
roads throughout the state would make
the life and property of farmers less Sc
cure. endanger their homes and terrorize
their wives and daughters.
The conclusion reached by other states
adverse TO the propos. ton 10 employ fell
ony convicts upon public roads. is "a wise
one, whether viewed from the standpoint
Of humanity. or from that which demands
protection for society
In dealing with the question now under
consideration. We must keep clearly in
mind that the inmates Of the pcniteutiary
and Of the county chain-gangs cannot be
DEATH with IN the same way. The one
is convicted Of a felony, a crlme-the other
a misdemeanOr a misbehavior; the one is
under sentence for terms varying from one
year 10 life, the other under sentence vary
ing from one day to one year. The induce
ment to escape is greater to the convicted
felon, and as "A rule he is a more desperate
character, and more dangerous when at
large. II is therefore easier and less ex-
pensive 70 manage the county convicts
and it is practicable to utilize them upon
works where penitentiary convicts cannot
De properly used. If the parties convict
ed OF misdemeanors are not sufficiently
numerous to answer the demands of coun-
ties desiring to use them upon the public
highways, it may be we'll 10 allow any
county on certain conditions. 10 supple
ment its force with such convicts which
IL mas sent to the penitentiary for a term
OF less than two years. To prevent coun-
~ chain-gangs securing from this source
the custody Of desperate characters, the
requisiton should always be made by the
county authorities, who will, before an
plying, make themselves acquainted with
the character Of the convicts. Then. be-
fore being honored, their application
should be approved by the judge who tried
the case and the prison commission By
the adoption of this plan the forces at work
upon the roads of the state can be mate
rally strengthened without detriment 10
the public interest. This provision should
not go into effect until experience has DEM
onstrated that, when all misdemeanor con-
Victs are worked by county authorities, in
compliance with law. there Is not enough
OF them to do the road work required by
the counties working convict labor
When this provision is made effective II
should be accompanied by a requirement
that sufficient compensation shall be Maid
the state for the hire Of the felony con-
NictS 70 prevent counties having INSIDE
meanor convicts to dispose of being forced
70 hire them to other counties for less than
a fair price. If a county using convict
labor can secure penitentiary convicts
without cost, II will refuse to pay to Sc
cure misdemeanor convicts. Such refusal
would seriously embarrass those coun-
ties not working their own convicts.
which desired TO dispose of them to other
counties. In truth, no felony convicts
even of the two-years class, should be per-
mitted to work upon county chain-gang
unless there are too few misdemea nor
convicts to meet the demands of the coun-
ties for public road work.
THE SYSTEM PROPOSED.
Every person sentenced by the courts to
penal servitude should remain in the Gus
tody and control Of the state, and owe
obedience to none but officers of the
state. If private individuals receive the
output of his work they should pay the
state a stipulated sum therefor without
having control of the convict.
The entire power, subject to legislative
restriction and direction, to locate and
prepare penitentiary, build and equip
the necessary prisons, hospitals and other
houses control, care for, work, make con-
tracts for, the employment Of convicts,
and appoint all needed officers and en-
ployes, should be vested in three citizens
! TO be known as the prison commission
This commission should be appointed i'm
mediately upon the passage of the act
| and at once proceed to select and purchase
| the land necessary to conduct the work
! of the penitenuary. Whether the land
| purchased is in one or more tracts, said
| commission should be directed to arrange
separate quarters for boys, men and wo.
| men.
The equipment of the penitentiary, under
the appropriation to be made by this gen.
eral assembly, should only be sufficient tc
| accommodate the boys, women, men not
| classed as able-boded, and such able.
bodied men as may be needed to success.
! fully carry on the work in which they
/
! The labor of the other able-bodied conVicts
| should be hired out for q term of five
! years as hereafter stated.
1t would not be just 10 the taxpayers OF
| the state to undertake now to make sc
large an outlay as would be necessary tc
care for. house, and keep employed 2,22i
| conViets
The plan which 1 advocate contemplates
and is capable of growing into system
in which the state maintains upon it's owr
! premises all convicts. Yet this vast power
should not now be vested in the prison
commission. The appropriation TO be
made and the directions given the com.
mission by you limit its power and au-
| thority.
All income from the penitentiary con
! victs not needed for susteuance should &c
| into the state treasury, from whence il
! could not be taken without legislative au-
| thority.
! II would, therefore, be for the people oil
! the state, speaking through their repre-.
sentatives in subsequent general assem-.
! blies, to decide whether to complete this
plan, or to permit the able-boded men, tc
continue, under the control and direction
of state officials, TO work for others, the
state receiving quarterly stipulated hire
] Tah