Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-02-02
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1898.
FOR HUMANITY's SAKE.

Scarcely a day passes that some one
docs not advance a scheme Tor employing
the idle convicts, arguing in favor OF it
that IL will remove the necessity of en-
larging the penitentiary dollhouse.
No scheme that human ingenuity could
devise could effect that result---and
leave the present proft-producing con-
tracts with the shoe contractors in force.
Nearly all the idle men have already
been transferred TO the State farm.
Counting sick and well, there are now
s52 prisoners at the farm. Yet there re-
main here enough prisoners to make it
necessary to crowd six men into a cell
on an average; though some large rooms
have as many as thirty in them.
This packing and jamming of men into
such small. close, ill-ventilated quarters
is accompanied with unspeakable horrors.
There the men eat; there they sleep;
there. from sunset 10 sunrise, they per-
form all the Offices of life. 1t is discredi-
table to our age and to our State. and
some sort of remedy for il should be
found.
There are other considerations not to be
mentioned here which demand that we
should cease 10 crowd the prisoners to-
gether as we are now doing-the young
with the old; the novices in crime with
hardened offenders. And it seems but fair
thar the net profits arising from the labor
OF these prisoners should be set aside,
say for four years, in order to provide
them with quarters that do not deny
to them ell the decencies of life. These
buildings could be erected in two years
and paid for in four. at the farthest, and
then the net revenues Of the prison would
be poured into the State Treasury again.
and just in time to help Virginia bear the
increased rate of interest upon her "cen-
tury' bonds.
By making use of convict labor as far
as possible, the sum of $4,000 in money
will suffice to erect modern dollhouse,
with a steel cage containing three hun
dred cells, capable of accommodating two
prisoners in each cell. Really, there ought
to be but one man in each cell: but 10
build six hundred cells would cost almost
twice as much as TO build three hundred;
so not from choice, but for economy's
sake. the plan Of putting two men in each
cell has been adopted.
1t is expected that all of the common
laborers' work will be done by convicts
This has been the plan adopted in
the erection Of all the buildings at the
pehitsptiary. The dirt-digging hod-carry-
ing. etc. has been done by prisoners.
while the labor requiring mechanical skill
has been done by contractors who en-
ployed free labor. The fact is, there are
very few mechanics In the penitentiary
For instance. there is but one skilled
bricklayer there. Nor could any of the
steel work, plumbing, stating. etc.. be
done by convict labor.
At the meeting yesterday of the Finance
Committee Of the Senate, of which Mr..
Fairfax is chairman, this whole subject
was considered; the question being upon
reporting favorably Mr.. Lowry's bill. The
scheme found good friends and advocates
In Messrs. Morris. KeezelI, Wickham
Eggleston, and others. with the result
that Mr.. Lowry's bill was reported. and
will be pressed forward with ardor by
men of ability. who understand every |
phase OF this question.