The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-01-10
THE PENITENTIARY- WILL
NEED AN APPROPRIATION
OF S150,00O.

Il Il
NEED AN APPROPRIATION
OF $150000.
The pcnitentiary is now in debt about
100000 and it will it will require an
appropriation of $4,000 to conduct It's
operations until the crops are gathered
next fall. 1t may be even worse off than
we suppose, but the desperate fix it IS
in is the real reason why Mr. Newborn
was willing to resign. He knew mat tn2
Legislature would not vote him a big
appropriation, and he knew that without
it he could not make another crop.
According to Mr.. Mewborne's state
ment printed few days ago, he gives
the indebtedness of the renitentiaTs
thus:
Bills unpaid ....S 62,G7030
Borrowed from Treasury. 15.S2715
Total observation-disclosures SIS, 1854
Add to the above the following items
which must be paid, but which have
not vet been paid:
Rent for farms ............ IS 1U.DWl
Bills for December ......,.. 5000
Total 2G,9O
Add these to the $4,000 above and We
have 100000 due by the penitentiary
according to Mr.. NEWBORN, not to speak
of other claims not audited. The de-
cember bills are always Very large. fer
they include purchases OF guano. The
rents amounted to S11 900 when the
Democrats were in charge and the Re
publicans have rented two additional
farms In addition to the above items,
the expenses of January must be paid.
To meet the above claims, and support
the prisoners until another crop is gath
cred, Mr.. Mewborne estimates that the
penitentiary has about $4,000 worth Of
resources to go upon. If this should
realize $50, 900 it will be as much. If it
could be converted into cash, the lebt
of the penitentiary would still be very
great, and where would the money come
from to run the institution until the
fall when the crops can be marketed?
Managed with close economy, the peni-
Tertiary will cost an average of $4,000
a month. Where is this money to come
from?
The last year the penitentiary was
managed>by the Democrats it paid every
expense and was self-supporting The
Republicans have been in control less
than two years and yet they have sue
ceeded in running into debt, and when
the returns are all in it will require
not less than 100000 to put the peni-
Tertiary back in the same condition that
it was in when Mr.. Leazer turned it
over to his successor in 1897.
The gravest duty that confronts this
General Assembly is what TO do with
this elephant 1t is idle to think of
Sinking the responsibility. The Demo
Gratis will, beginning with April, have
to bear the responsibility, whether it
leaves Governor Russell's appointee in
office or reorganizes the institution by
new legislation. As This is so, it be-
hooyes the Democratic party to lose no
time in making a thorough investigation
of its affairs and selecting through Dem
ocratic channels the supervisor, superin-
tendent, or overseer of the penitentiary.
AS matters now stand, Capt. Day is the
appointee of Governor Russell AS the
responsibility is upon the Democrats, il
their own way, and if the Democratic
caucus shall select Capt Day, the Dem
ocfatic party will support his admins
tration. The party will line up solidly
behind the man the Democrats choose
to renovate the penitentiary, but the
party would not be true to itself if it
did not demand that it should name the
superintendent and control the admins
tration. 1t is no fight for Capt Day OF
against Capt Day. 1t is to determine
whether the Democrats shall fully as
sumo the responsibility which rests
upon them. They cannot do otherwise
than to exhaust all legal means to Sc
cure full control.
TO KEEP APPROPRIATION
DOWN-TAX REDUCTION.
THAT was a wise move ON the part of