Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1898-03-16
E~rn,pr. OF American pv:.on.

NFFN~@A4e~SS@NNAS
convicts in the prisons of the forty
five States Of the Uuion, in seven of
which the lease system still prevails
Alabama, Florida, Georgia I.ouisi-
ana, Nebraska, South Carolina aud
Tennessee. 10 New York State there
were on March, l the following num-
Der OF convicts in the prisons named:
Sung Sing; 1925; Auburn, 1.O50; Gin
ton, $50; W"man's Prison, Aaburn,
70. Total,3.GS0. exclusive of peniten-
tiaries, county iails and local prisons
which brought up the total number
to 1884 on that date,
The proportion which the acriuinal
population" so called (the inca. cerat-
ed criminal popu'ation.) bears to the
total number Of Inhabitants Of each
country varies considerably. In the
United States it is about % per 1OO,-
600, in Eogland it is 80; in France,
l5O; in Russia, 40; IN Belgium, 133a::
in Italy, $50, and in Ireland, &c. The
proportion of inca~cerated creminals
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 properly, and is least, among
European countries from which there
ace authentic figures, in A ustria.
During the tea years between 1857
and 1897 the number of incatcerated
| Criminals in the United States in
creased from $4,000 to 6O,O0O; but
during that period the operations of
American prisons were altered in
many Important particulars, especial
ly as regards the adoption of meth.
dds for preventing competition be-
tween prison made goods and factory
products made outside of prison
walls. In many of the States, New
York among them, the Constit ton
prescribes methods for avoiding such
competition and as a result the pro-
ceeds OF the contract system in
American prisons, which ten years
ago amounted collectively to S1S .O0O,-
600 in the States adher;ng to it New
York, Missouri and Illinois we're the
chief of thesel fell off last year to
less than S8,O00,O00, or less than one-
half. In those States which have as a
substitute what is koown as @the
piece-system," particularly New York
and Massachusetts,, the earnings OF
tie prisons increased from S1,50O,OOC
in 1887 to 100000 in 1897. The lease
system, whereby conviLts are farmed
out to man ufacturers or contractors
at the highest rate offered and which
Is found only in such of the Southern
States as have co asiderable number
OF colored criminals, has gone out Of
favor very m0ch and where ten years
ago the income to the States from the
lease system was $1,000, 900 it is now
less than S2,000,000. In some of the
States, particularly in the new States
OF the Northwest. and in Illinois anc
in Texas, there is what is called the
@pdblc account system. whereby the
convicts in prison are employed in
the manufacture OF articles which, il
not required for the public service o.
for public wares, Gao, at least, be uti
lied in that way. This system hat
been accepted by many as a fair solu
ton OF the dispute between tho %
who, on the one band, desire to 30,
the prisons self supporting and thos,
who, on the other, desire to have thei
competition with ordioary labor pre-
vented. The earnings of the prisont
in winch this system prevails wer,
100000 in 1887; they we're $4,000,
in 1897. The number of idle conyictl
was last year greater than it has ever
before been in the history OF Ameri
can prisons, amounting, in fact, Il
more than 10 per cent. Of the tota
number incarcerated.-N. Y. Sun.