Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1899-05-25
Short OF Convlcts.


tho 2Sth instant is on tho lines have
been revolving in my mind for quite q
whilo. The institution should be shorter
of convicts than it now is. ovon. Think
of 1t, coo acres in cotton-1 200 last year,
and l guess that is tho rnle ct I'll the
penitentiaries South. There should not
a pound of cotton be grown by convict
labor. The crops on tho State farms
should be cora, wheat, peas, oats, rico,
sorghum, ribbon cane, poa hay, pork,
milk cattle, boof and sheep. Mono of
this labor should be hired out to any ono;
just enough should DO sent to tho State
farms to raise the above mentioned crops
and animals go ns to akundantly feed and
clothc the balance and pay officials and
guards ana tho balance should bo on tho
public roads of tho counties they woro
convicted in. Think of tho amount of
the crops mentioned could be made by
ono-fourth of tho convicts of our State.
1t might be woll to buy improved imple-
monts, SO as to make ono man count for
lin many duties OH the farm) five, oven
ton. say it might bo money we'll spent.
Oouu olU CUCll oGdIC
farms rations for mon and beast to all
county chain-gan throughout tho State,
and wo will in few years undor this
plan have roads to DO proud of, and thon
othor States, seeing our roads, will fol-
low suit, and thon, if not decreased, our
cotton crop will not surely increase SO
fast under this system.
Still further, when all roads are q
think wo all can sec tho end of this line)
completed and it takes only fraction to
keep them up, turn tho bulk Of this Ia
hcr into our rivers and creeks (ct each
county keep it's convicts except it's quota
to tho State farn) and let them be
Strengthened out and dlkcd.
At our next election wo should voto
for representatives favoring such law.
G. w. COLEMAN.
This communication, taken from tho
State at recent date, strikes tho keynote
of what should be the policy of the
State in future in regard to the convicts,
and is exactly along the line of what Tho
Advocate has been preaching. with this
difference that we want the State to sell
out her farms and quit tho business of
farming and turn its attention to the
business of road building with her con-
victs. She has no sort of business to DO
raising 200 nor 600 nor 6 acres of cot
ton even, to be sold at 5 cents. There
are about 200 convicts in tho poniton-
tiary, and if one-half of them are able
bodied these, added to tho different
county chain gangs would make n force
of about 900 mon, and if they wero pu,
to work building macadamized roads the
counties and the State at large would
get somo permanent results to show for
her convicts. AS it is wo have had q
pcnitentiary for 30 yo.'rs and what have
we got to show for the labor and money
expended? Nothing, beyond the prison
itself and tho State farms. During the
boon appropriated out of tho public treas
ury to pay tho running expenses of tho
institution, and it is doubtful if tho State
is not loser when the balance is scruck
But lot the counties hire them from tho
State at tho same ratio thoy arc now hired
to work on private farms, and abolish
the system Of hiring them out to private
parties and lot thom be put to work
building roads, and in ton years there
will bo such difference in the public
highways that men will wonder that it
| was not done long before. We hope to
see tho people agitatc this matter
and discuss it among themselves and
make it an issue next year in tho election
and vote for candidates who will pledge
themselves to bring about this reform,
for this will be a genuine reform that
will bring practical benefits to tho pco-
cato.