The age-herald., 1900-12-03
DoGWooD MINE TROUBLE.
Montevalo Coal 6 Railway Company
 Makes a Statement.

Dogwood, Dec. 2. To the Editor of the Age-Herald.
 Your issue of the first inst, in reporting the doing of the Legislature, alludes to a certain sensation concerning this camp, based upon information furnished by Dr. Blake, convict inspector. As the matter now rests, it is inclined to do us great in jury coming up as it does right at the time of making contracts with the several counties for their conYicts for next year. and we kindly ask that you let this item have the benefit of your columns, as it, in measure, explains our side of the "sen- sation.' It Is not complete, but is capa- ble of being added to in the future, as cir cumstances may warrant.
 To begin with, we must say frankly that there is surely dead rat in the barn." somewhere; else we cannot identify mat ters by their lear marks"
 This company did not work convicts un- til this year, when we went into the open market (exclusive of any combination or agreement) and secured those of Dallas Montgomery, Shelby and Pike Counties, which filled our requirements in numbers then, but now we are in position to require double the number, or say 150 to 200 in all
 We have spent in the neighborhood of $4OO0 in buildings and equipment for these people, and of course have not had them long enough to appreciate any great bene- fit from the investment, or even reason able return upon the outlay.
 The jump from free labor to convict was quite long one, and no doubt we have erred in some of the many minor details incidental to equipping and organizing new business system. Such errors or omis- sions as we may have made though must have been but trivial we have no sick in the hospital, have had no accidents whatever, and no disease has ever existed among the prisoners or about the camp
 When we secured these people we bid on an average B Is per cent more for their tira the several counties had hereto fore been getting, in fact one county had been getting only 8 50 per months for their people until after we made our bid, and the result was that they are now getting $S.5O per month. Last year Montgomery received s60O from the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company This year we paid them $500, and since this sensation" has been sprung they get them for next year, but pay $9. .00 for them, which is just 50 per cent raise over their last contract. Dallas County had been getting $500, we paid $9.00 this year and got them, and 1t is now open for some one to overbid us on Monday next, when they make their next annual con- tract It is a fact that no derogatory re- port has been made upon this camp until about one month ago, at the very time when contracts were to be closed for next year. and "our loss has been the other ,ef- lows gain"
 Copies of these report were sent out ny the convict department to the probate
 
 victs we had, and upon the strength of these "sensational' reports Dallas sent its hard labor agent, MT. s. M. Erik patriot of Selma, up to make an examine tion and report, and he has stated that he saw no occasion for any complaint, except in some minor detail Pike County also sent the Hon. A. c. Worthey of Troy up, and he, in substance makes the same re- port Shelby and Montgomery have not made any investigation and really need not, as the officials of this county are all humane and business men and know that a aberer when half clothed, improperly fed or denied necessary medical attention Is no sonuce of revenue to his employer. but upon the other hand is quite an ex- pense.
 The reasonableness of this as business proposition is no more apparent than the humanity of it.
 Much other detail could be gone into up- on this score but suffice 1t to say for the time being that this company has laid it's position before the Legislature in more concise terms than these, and has asked then to send an Investigating committee up to inspect and learn whether the much abused in this instance is the prisoner or the corporation.
 MONTEvALLO COAL & RAILWAY co.