The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-10-30
WOULD HURT THE COUNTY.
CONTROL or MGSDEnEANOR con-
VICTs ~ PRISON COMMISSION.

In Salaries Paid 60 County Employees.
Connected with the ChRin-EanGs.
aud In the Purchase OF supplies Of
various Kinds S50.OOO L. Turned
Loose Every Year Ia savannah
Under the Change 10 would GO
Somewhere EIsc-Inst Year the
CoBvIcts built Three Miles Of
Road. surfaced five with Augusta
Gravel. and bid "A vast Amount o.
Drainage.
The adoption by the General Assembly
Of GOV. Gamblers recommendation 10 that
body. that all misdemeauor conyicts be-
placed under the control Of the Prison
Commission Of she state. Will work a two
fo.d injury 70 Chatham county and the
city Of Savannah
Indeed the evils that win result here
from the enactment OF Jaw embodying
the recommendation and the execution ~
the law by the Prison Commission would
be- in The opinion Of the county Commis-
sioners and others well Informed on the
subject. very many and very various. but
there are Two Injuries 20 che county's we'll
all others. These are the loss 60 the city
Of the money paid out by reason Of che
employment Of the convicts on the public
works and the discontinuance or dim.nu-
lion in amount Of valuable works of pub
.ic Improvement that The contemplated
change would entail
From various sources connected with
The convict gangs there s. turned loose
IN Chatham county every year an amount
Of money closely approxlmauug $1,000.
OF this amount sls. - "a spent for salaries.
s. M Tor the clothing Of the oonvicts. 3 90
for provisions 1870 for other supplies
20 Tor implements 10000 FOR material
Tor the cousuuc ~ roads and bridges
s. 81" j. PAID 90 mechanics specially er-
pioyed ard about $40 for inca ientals OF
the money spent for clothing large pro-
portion n paid TO the Louisa Potter
Home. which makes. employing me labor
% poor women who need tho money, the
ttripef rnrb that the convicts wear. Tire
salary allowance s. distributed between
more than forty employees. who ar rel
dents and citizens % the county
All OF this would be- changed hy the
proposed law. The guards even suppos-
ing that the able bodied convicts were
worked In this county. would come from
some other section. the clothing would he
supplied by general contractor ard pro
visions ana other supplies would be- pur-
chased elsewhere than On Savannah.
This Is one aspect Of the situation. there
is another. Last year the mi-demean T
convicts. under the direction 81 the coun-
" authorities. cleaned ana slushed So O.
linear feet Of canals and bitches
ana cut 25.363 linear feet Of
new canals and bitches. be ons
ing 20 the drainage system Of the county.
They built I4aRoche and Davidson ave
nues. public roads. aggregating three miles
In length. ami surfaced with Augussa
gravel nearly Ave miles Of The reads al
ready built. over the canals and bitches
and along the roadls bridges AMI culveris
were erected whenever they were found
necessary or convenient for the puoiic
use Besides this the county farm. work
- by the innrm men. women and boys.
Welded produce for the convicts' consump-
tion. agEreEating IN value about 5000.
These figures are from the official rec
ords on file IA che once of the County
Commissioners. and tell their own story
or course IL IL possible that under the
new or suggested plan the convicta might
sim be employed on public works ga the
county which has borne the expense %
their trial and conviction. but this would
be q matter within the exclusive control
Of the Prison Commission. and that body
could do about q as = pleased.
Extensive works OF public Improvement.
Ia both drainage and road building have
been outlined for next wear and will be
pushed e. a conclusion as rapidly as cir
cumStances permit. II the circumstance
reduce Themselves 20 a law which takes
the control OF the couvicts from the com
missioners. who understand what the
people want and places it In the hands 81
the Prison Comm sion OF the state the
members Of which DO not. ~ can be under
steed readily enough that these plans have
little chance Of reaching any consumma-
ton other than failure
This goes on the assumption that the
conyicts will be employed IN this county.
and n is violent one. Il Is much more
probable and more easy 10 believe that
the great ma iori'y Of them will be- distrib-
uted over she state and. as one OF tho
comm ssioners has said. "onlv the lame.
the halt and the blind viii be left for the
use Of Chatham"
A. vet there has been no indication that
the legislature will consider sero DUSTY the
recommendation OF the governor but q
a bill TO the proposed effect is introduced
tho representative from this county will
probably be beeought 90 oppose Il with
al the viEor Of which they are capable.
TRIED TO WRECK 4 TRAIN.
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