The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-09-08
MR.. LEAZAR'S LETTER.
He Shows up the Radical-Popullst Man
agement of the Penitentlary.

Raleigh News and Observer.
RALEIGH, n. e., Aug. oath, 1898.
To THE EDITOR Il saw yesterday in
your paper of recent date, certain let
tiers by Chairman Dockery and ex-Su-
perlntendent Smith, in regard to penl-
Tertiary affairs. containing many gross
mlsstatements and many petty qulb-
bles, and doubtless designed by them
as some sort of palliation to an out
ragged public sentiment for their NAL
administration OF Important State busl-
ness. When thsir management OF the
penitentlary has been condemned Tor
incompetency and verse by every man
fairly we'll acquainted with public at
fairs, of all parties, from lshe chief ex,
ecutive down to the townships, ana
when driven into corner and refusing
information that every citizen Is emil
tied to, they have been smoked out by |
the fire of general indignation, they
have now in the eighth month OF 1898
offered these feeble diatribes as 1nfor-
nation to the people as to the business
of the pententiary for the year 1881. II
the business has been conducted &C
cording to law, why do they not make
report as required by the statute, and
give the information desired? Mr..
Dockery says: Theoretically, the law
requires the report of the snperintend-
ent of the States prison shall be made
on the first day of January" affirm
that it can be done, and practically
always has been done heretofore. And
if a few days delay were necessary, how
does he account for a delay of eight
months, and then respond only upon
the demand of the chief executive
forced by the public clamor?
Both of these officials affirm IN this
so-called report that superintendent
Smith took charge of the penitentiary
April /, 1897. The records show that
be qualified on the 9Th OF March, 1897,
and he notified me the same day,
whereupon ! at once turned over the
whole business, and after that never
contracted for cent, never collected
a cent, never paid out a cent. The
statement therefore that was respon-
sible for any business of the peniten-
tiary, outgoing or incoming, after the
9Th day of March Is without founda-
ton.
It. is stated in Mr.. Dockery's letter
Tor report) that ''Mr. Smith found all
the farms In very backward state OF
preparation and indeed upon some OF
them very little at all had been done
toward making the new crop" Mr..
Dockery does not seem to recOllect that
ia the first month of the fusion admin
istration, between the Goth and 9th OF
J March, a committee of his board, Mess.
Clark, Perkins and Cotton, together
with the superintendent, visited all the
penltentiary farms, Tor the purpose OF
inspecting and receiving the property
I heard all the members of the COM
: mittee, especially Mr.. CLARK, as also the
superintendent, express astonlshment
and delight at the advanced and care
full preparation of the lands, Mr.. Clark
asserting that he believed that there
< was no farm in the State IN such good
: condition as that before him. This
misstatement is so palpable that it viii
ates ali other statements made. The
truth is there were not less than 7,OOt
acres of these lands beautifully anc
thoroughly prepared by the goth O
: March. II nothing had heen done
which I say again is absolutely false
why did the incoming administrator
employ my supervisors to remain ant
e make the crop? And ii nothing hat
1 been done till the LIST of April, how wa
such large crop made that year?
As to supplies on hand, the fusion
= lists seem to have expected that th'
r Democrats should haye provided a
}, least years ration of flour, meat, etc.
!. for their benefit. We usually bough
such things OF this kind as were needed
every month, and we expected them t.
do likewise or as they deemed best. |
e is admitted that there was no corn t.
If reach corn again, because as every on
knows the July floods of 1896 destroy
ed the whole corn crop except abou
= 10000 barrels.
i; Much ado is made by these official
). because they found amongst nearly Az
mules and horses a very few sick, dir
= abled or worn out animals. We foun
y it necessary every year to dispose of in
- efficient stock and to replace them wit
~ others fit for the service. We foun'
- the penitentiary in 1898 with 81
. mules and horses. We added jus
- about that number OF young and Wig
:, orous animals during our term, and th
~ - average of the whole was very high t.
-, - any one capable of judging and who
not determined to mlsrepresent.
# Mr.. Smith sold 831 bales of cotto
II for $2O,O6l.27, as he reports, then b
;. received only about 5 cents per poun
- for it. Hundreds of bales were sold
" February at an average of g cents i
Norfolk, equivalent to So at HON
70 markets, and the price was i to J Ger
u higher in April than In February.
is not to be forgotten by these guard
Of ans of the States interests, that larg
part Of the fertilizer, several hundre
tons, were bought from parties VII
bought much of the cotton; and *
er these several dollars more per ton wei
Or. paid than the stuff was offered at t
=