The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-11-12


eli Sunmerell ami the star caamber
white-washing cf a,s leANmalsty:
'~rhere il confusion in the minds of our
neople rs 10 the management OF the
States Prison The nbanagtsulent itself
is somewhat harl to apprchcnd. lt is IN
charge OF Superintendent Day, whose
political atfiiiat,on is rather u question.
Ii is 6n the hands of n Board OF Direc-
tiers, n majority OF whom are Demo
Gratis These latter have officially de-
clared that they are in harmony with
Superintendent Day. 1t may be infer
red. then. that they share his responsibili-
ty; especially now that the patronage of
the institution, the employment Of Off
Gals, is in their hands. So much for
the management.
certain newspapers have been critics.
ing the conduct of the Penitentiary to an
extent that would arouse the last drop
of blood in true mans heart, would
arouse the people of North Carolina 10
the fighting point, if 4ihey Were sure that
the criticisms are just. Candidly. we
have mo better evidence of the genera
and growing distrust of partisan papers
than the paSsivity of the people in the
face of the indispensable cruelty charged
against the management of the Prison
by these papers 1t were shame TO say
that the people believed these charges
and remained Indifferent
But the people are confused. They do
not know what to believe. A few
months ago the papers that have been
been revealing all manner of horrible
cruelties were deriding the management
Of the PenitentiaGy for the easy treat
ment accorded the conyicts. The reader
will recall the hldicrous reports of straw
berry and ice cream srppers, the lax
discipline and the reports of the collyictS
in praise of the institution. lhey can
not reconcile these two reports with the
sudden change TO the opposite extreme.
We do not wolder that they cannot.
No one can. We do not wonder that
they are passive. They have lost faith.
.sOf course we do not know. We can
only accept personal and official informal
tion We rather approve of austere dis
cipline of conyicts. That is what they
need. We rather approve of making
them work; they were sentenced to
shard labor The States Prison is a
punitive institution. We believe in the
whipping-post. Moral suaslon is a farce
with horse-thief or louse-breaker, or
a murderer We are rather inclined
to believe the conYicts when they claim
that the Prison is not what they would
have it. Never thief felt halter draw
with good opinions of the law
"Of course there is mo room or reason
for cruelty, and of course that is to he
condemned But let us not 80 to the
other extreme and plead for a return TO
ice cream.
THE Board of Directors is made UP
of men of standing They have heard
the evidence and the charges. They de-
clare that the Prison is in at least teller
able condition Frankly. we cannot find
a motive for misrepresentation ON their
part They are not men who would tell
falseho0ds and protect Cppressors of the
helpless without reason, at amy rate. And
so we are inclined to believe them RATHER
than the papers that at one season of
the year go wild with lud.crolls accon rs
of the happiness of the prisoners and at
another howl fiegctly against the cluel
treatment Of them"
This was published after Rev. j. ID.
Huffman. d. d., had written a ringing
and vigorous denunciation, based upon
sworn Testimony accurately published,
OF the worse than Russian brutality. In
this weeks Recorder. DIR. Hufham en-
tiers this protest to the position Of that
paper:
THE RECORDER AND THE STATE
PRISON.
To the Editor: The Recorder of lest
week has an editorial Oh the State peison.
Suffer a word of protest.
And mrs., the iilppant characterization
OF the political newspapers as the par
tisan press" and the intimatien that the
statements concerning the niqui,ies
laActiced in the State PRISONS are made
for political effect, and therefore are nn-
worthy of belief, are not III harmony
with the dignity and COURTESY CT g.eat
religious Journal; it is also lacking in the
sense Of justice which should always
characterize the editor of a religious
periodical Two Of these part IN
presses" are sued in the courts For libel,
and heavy damages viii be claimed. Is
1T lair in the Recorder thus 70 discFcdit
q brother journalist so far as it can and
weaken his case while the suit Is pend
ing? Against this | protest. The de-
cency of North Carolina owes Il great
debt of gratitude to two Of the political
dailies Of Raleigh for the courage and
persistency with which they have I'M
earthed and brought TO light the enor-
mites daily practiced in the slave psns
commonly called State farms. We did
not know, we could not have known the
shame which in the name of jusEce has
been heaped ON our beloved Common
wealth; is still beng heaped on her We
took it for granted that all was well;
we were too busy or TOO lazy to look
into the matter The motives Of the
partisan papers may have been large
ly political. bur who Is prepared 10 say
that they were not actuated also by a
burning sense of the wrongs daily in
fiicted on helpless men and women in the
Prisons Of the State! Who shall say
that they did not feel keenly the dis
honor done to North Carolina by the
overseers and supervisors! Who shall
say that there is no truth in the STATE
ments which they have madef say
once more that this hippant and sweep
ing intimafion concerning the political
newspapers Of the State is not worthy
of the organ of a great religious de-
nominations And the Recorder is mis-
4aiyay in tho sta fauopuf that fhn DpODIp