Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1898-03-18
ELKO, NEVADA, FRIDAY, MARCH Is, 1898
Earnings of American PRISON.

= AngHslEtea upp'"AiHiaa'clS Oo'uVu
conv;cts in the prisons OF the forty
five States OF the Union. in seven Of
which the lease system still prevails
-Alabama, Florida, Georgia Louisi.
ana, Nebraska, South Carolina and
Tennessee. In New York State there
were on March the following num-
bcr OF convicts in the prisons named:
Sung S'ug; l,325; Auburn. 1.050; Clin-
ton, $50; Woman's Prison. Auburn.
10. Total,3,3S0. exclusive OF peniten-
tiaries, county jails and local prisons
which brought up the total number
TO 1851 on that date,
Tho proportion which the ~criminal
population" SO called (the incarcerat.
ed criminal population,) bears to the
total number of inhabitants of each
country varies considerably. In the
United States it is about 50 per lUO,.
900, in England it is 90; in France,
$50; i'll Russia, 100; III Belgium, 100;
i'll Italy, go. and in Ireland. GG. The
proportion of incarceratcd crcminals
to the whole population is largest in
Italy. where the number of crimes
against life or person Is. relatively.
larger than the number Of crimes
against property, and is least. among
European countries from which there
are authentic figures, i'll Austria.
During the ten years between 1887
and 1897 the number Of incarcc-atrl
criminals i'll the United States in
creased from $4,000 To G0,00U; but
during that period the operations Uf
American prisons were altered in
many important particulars, especial
~ rs regards the adoption of meth.
obs for preventing competition be-
tween prison made goods and factory
products male outside Of prison
walls. In many OF tire States, New
York among them, the Constitution
prcscri bcs methods for avoiding snch
competition and as result the pro-
cccds al the contract systcm-in
American prisons, which ten years
ago amounted collectively To $4,000.
600 i'll the States ndhcrImg tO it tNcw
YORK, Missouri aud Illinois were the
chief of theScl, fell off last year TO
less than SS,OOO,O00. or less than unr-
half In those States which have as Il
substitute what IL known us "the
picce.systcm," particularly New York
and massachusetts,, tie earnings of
the prisons increased from Sl,5O0,OOO
in 1887 to SI.000000 in 1897. The lease
system. whereby conviIts are farmed
ont to manufacturers or contractors
at the highest rate offered and which
is found only in such of the Southern
States as have Il considerable number
"f colored criminals, has gone out OF
favor very much and where ten years
ago the income to the Stntes from the
lease system was sj,S00 900 it is now
less than S2.00O,O00. In some Of the
States, particularly in the new States
"f the Northwest. and in Illinois and
in Texas, there is what is called the
"puhlic account system. whereby the
convicts III prison are employed in
the manufacture Of articles which, il
not required for the public service or
for public wards, can, at least, be uti
lied III TINT way. THIS system has
been accepted 10y many .as fair solu.
ton Of the dispute between those
who. on the ono hlud. dcairc to SEQ
the prisons self supporting and those
vino. on ilc other. desire to have their
competition with ordinary labor pre-
vented. The earnings Of tho prisons
in winch this systcm prevails wore
S2.OHh,0nO in 1887; they were SGuO0,-
IN 1897. Tho number Of idle convicts
was last ycnr greater than il has ever
before been in the history Of Ameri.
can prisons. amounting, in fact. to
more than 10 per cent. Of the total
uumbnr inpnrprrtInl " y C,p