The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-12-02

necessarily crwoded In the cells, ins
present buildings, with the exception Vi
the building FOR females and a fourth ''er
OF cells for riales. were erected century
| ago, and were intended 10 meet the
duirements Of the State when whites ohiy
were liable to imprisonment In the pen
itentlary. and the whole white population
did not exceed half million while now
the population. white and colored. reaches
| nearly two million. Prior 10 the late WAT
the number OF convicts confined In the
| prison never exceeded ! am iniormen'
| three hundred. while now about thirteen
hundred are crowded into II. In many IN
! stances almost as thick as cattle IN
railroad car. where In all seasons. paru-
| cularly In the winter. they breathe the
| fetid and poisonous air. and in summer
pant for breath when locked NJ Tor the
night. This wretched state OF affairs can
not be avoided by the superintendent.
| for the prisoners must be conilnd ana
well secured. and he has only the space
| the State gives him.
II Is unpleaNnt for me 70 give these
| facts or Law them where the public eye
| can see them, but IL is my duty 10 present
| them In ms message TO you, and ohall
] requires II.
! not shrink from iie performance: human
/ ity demands 1t: the credit Of the State
II the penitentary was not self-sustain-
| ing. In view OF the necessities OF the state,
| there might be some excuse for permit
ting its present condition TO continue.
but when II IS remembered that for the
| last ten years the Commonwealth has been
receiving annually from the prison net
revenue Of $4,000 10 nearly 10000 the
obligation 10 provide humane and healthy
quarters for the convcts cannot he mag
nihed nor can the States failure be too
severely condemned
The net revenue during the last fiscal
year was SIS 63i.15. or about s6j per capita
OF the convicts male and female. employ
ed in the shoe factory, which is a much
larger revenue than any State. with
whose affairs / am familiar. receives from
her penitentiary. yet ! know OF no State
prison which is not superior TO ours.
No time should be lost in the erection
OF a new and modern prison. sufficiently
commodious not only for existing, bot
future. demands. In this work much of
the labor can be performed. and the stone
procured and the brick made at the State
farm or nearer If desired so that in the
course OF four years, at the farthest, the
structure can be completed at compare
lively little cost 10 the Commonwealth.
and without any appropriation beyond
the net earnings Of the prison. II would
be bad policy and false economy TO add to
the present buildings or attempt 70 i'm
prove their condition; It would h :. waste
OF money.
THE STATE FARM.
No recent Gction Of the General As
sembly hag been followed by more bene-
ficial Iesults financially than the acquire
ment Of farm for the employment OF
short term convicts. Under an act ap-
proved January %. 1891 a farm contain
| ing nine hundred and hfty-two acres.
| lying on James river and on the James
River Division Of the Chesapeake and
Ohio railroad. and twcnty-seven miles
from the capital. was purchased In Au-
| gust lS9i for the sum Of $4,000 cash.
| Since its purchase the property has been
vastly improved in every way, an i'm
mense amount OF under Draining with
tiles has been done and the land has
been brought 10 n high state Of cpitiva-
| ton: n comfortable stewards house, a
tile factory and a large and most excel
! lent barn, besides ample barracks and
stockades have been built. All OF this
work has been done by the convicts UNI
der the direction Of the manager. with the
assistance of a practical builder. and an
experienced foreman in the tile factory.
The land has yielded well. and during
the past year the following products were
raised: Corn. 5000 bushels. wheat, llij
bushels: rye. 1l2i bushels. oats, 800
bushels. peas. $40 bushels: tobacco. 1900
pounds: sugar beets. q II tons and
vegetables and truck in large quantities.
Besides supporting on an average 80
sick and disabled and about 80 working
convicts. the farm. with some additional
ground. which was rented. has furnished
the pententlary with products worth $40
00p az the regular market prices leaving
p farm deficit OF only $3.50 at the END Of
the last fiscal year. II these three hum
dred prisoners had been kept within the
walls OF the pcnitentiary unemployed. as
they would have been but for the pur-
chase OF the farm the State would not
have had the benefit of the products men
toned and the cost of maintaining them
would have been several times the amount
Of the deficit ust stated. In addition TO
the pecuniary advantage the State has
derived from the cultivation Of the farm
and the relief that II has afforded the
penitentiary with It's crowded walls and
serving as a sanitarium for its sick and
incurables. the State finds that its in
vestment has enhanced in value perhaps
200 per cent. and the farm can now
probably be sold for the sum of $4,000
SUGAR BEET CULTURE.
From indications the production Of SUI
gar from beets will soon become an i'm
portant industry i'm Virginia. and IL has
been suggested that II would be wise FOR
the State to dispose Of her farm and pur-
chase a much larger body Of land adapt
ed to the culture OF the sugar beet. and
condne her farming operations practl-
cally to the growth OF this plant The
quantity Of land now owned is not SUI
ncent 10 keep the convicts who are sent
to the farm constantly at work. and now
that it is so highly improved. there will
be still less work for them. Indeed.
during the last year it was rendered nee
essary 20 rent 292 acres. at a rental OF
one third OF the crop. TO furnish en-
ployment TO the number who were in the
barracks and able 10 work.
| have no doubt suitable property could
be bought at price much less than the
amount which can be realized from the
sale OF the farm. and I believe beet cul-
ture could be made 10 yield a handsome
revenue. providing OF course beet sugar
factories are established creating q de-
mand for the beet product
1 respectfully commend this subject to
your careful consideration.
Before concluding what | have 10 say
IN reference TO the penitontiary and State
farm. l wish TO refer 10 those who have
so successfully conducted both institutions
The gentlemen composing the board
have been assiduous in the discharge Of
their trust and have displayed superior
judgment and business capacity; the SUI
perintendent has been faithful in the
performance Of his duties. ever watch
full OF the interests Of the Commonwealth.
and while enforcing rioid diecfniine AZ