The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-16


Committee appointed under the authority
of House joint resolution and directed
to investigate and report upon the Con-
Wet system of the State, made in the
House January 81, and in the Senate Feb
ruary /, 1901. They we're instructed to In
vestigate all matters touching the ad-
ministration thereof and its result since
December l, 1896. which in their judg-
ment, should be known to the General AS
sembly Of Alabama in dealing Herewith"
The Committee report:
Your Special Committee raised under
this resolution, meS~in Room ., Clan
cy's Hotel, Montgomery, at l. m. Janu-
airy !, 1901. pursuant to the call of the
Chairman, Hon. Leslie E. Brooks Work
was Immediately begnn and as thorough
an investigate of the convict system as
was possible under the circumstances has
been made. Reluctant witnesses and an
utter lack of proper method in the sys-
tenn of be okkeeping have not been the
least of lie difficulties encountered by
the Committee.
A large number of witnesses have been
formally examined and the three State
prisons. well as several of the more i'm
portant convict camps have been visited
either by the Committee as a whole or
by duly appointed subcommittee.
Owing to the extent of the investiga-
ton asked for by your resolution 1t has
been difficult for the committee to conf
plete it's labors in the limited time at its
disposal. However, no trouble has been
spared to secure the desired information.
Your Committee begS leave to submit
the following report:
The management of the convict system
for the last four years has been charac-
terized by great extravaganza. 1t is SAD
commentary upon the State that while
similar enterprises controlled by individ-
uals are paying handsome dividends the
States splendid cotton mill at Speigner
is rusting in idleness or run at a loss,
and the State farms are but yawning
sinks to swallow up the profits derived
from leasing convicts.
After a careful investigation of the diff
ferent State properties belonging to the
convict system your Committee is forced
to the conclusion that this condition of
affairs is due either to incompetency that
is tneXcusable or to gross carelessness
and negligence.
to have been observed in determining the
number of guards and other employees at
the different State prisons. This is nota-
bly, true of Wetumpka and Speigner,
where inefficient and unnecessary men
have been employed nominally as guards
or subordinates of some other character.
These men, whose names appeared on the
Fay rolls Of the State for various salar-
les from SIS to $50 rendered no service
worthy of mention, so far as can be as
certained. 1t appears from the evtd 9nce
that these unnecessary positions were
sometimes created and filled to discharge
secure some political service for the flu
ture. However this may be, it was poor
business policy to keep several incompe-
tent and inefficient men on the pay rolls
of the State.
The law has been repeatedly violated
and ignored. Were this true of some UNI
important directory provision in the
statute merely. comment might well be
spared. But your Committee cannot be-
lieve that they have discharged their
duty unless the attention of the General
Assembly is directed to the subversion
of some of the plainest and most salutary
statutes in reference to the convict sys-
tenn.
Several important contracts do not bear
the formal approval of the Governor as
required by law.
Great license has been allowed convicts
in regard to wearing citizens clothes, and
this has been done In direct violation of
the Governors positive orderS~ Frequent
ly convicts have been permitted to go oil
the State property without guards, and
in some instances they have been sent on
lorg trips alone In citizens clothes.
One man, Wash Chisholm, convicted of
n urder, was employed for a number of
months. as a domestic servant in the
home of President Trap in Montgomery
There is evidence that convicts were also
employed as domestic servants In the
homes Of the other inspectors who live
adjacent to the pris )ns, but these were
usually paid for. This IS certainly not
the character of the punishment contem-
plated by law for criminals
Section 4476 of the Code. requiring that
not less than fifty convicts be leased to
any one contractor or kept in any one
prison has been repeatedly violated.
Mcnthlv reports have not been filed by
the inspectors and the President as rev
CURED in Section 4442 of the Code.
Quarterly reports to the Governor have
not been made by the President of the
Board as required by Section 4i39 of the
Code.
Meetings of the Board have not been
held as required in Section 4i35 of the
Code. Only one mecting-and that was a
called meeting-has been held since last
May.
The evidence shows that the President
of the Board. acting in most instances
under the orders or advice of the Cover
nor, has transacted practically all the
business of the Department since the
early part of his term OF Office Inspector
Booker states that he complained infor-
mally to the Governor that he was not
consulted in reference to important con-
tracts and matters pertaining to the sys-
tenn. He says the Governor heard him
courteously but nothing was done toward
establishing or recognizing the inspectors
authority.
to inspect the prisons and mines, and
classify the convicts, and the duties of
the physician. inspectors Booker and
Blake have been mere figure heads on
the Board. and have had no voice in its
proceedings.
President Trap and Governor Johnston,
it seems, attended to the business man
aeement of the Department. President
Trapp states that the Associate Inspec-
tors Informally delegated their authority
to him, and that monthly meetings OF
the Board were impracticable because of
the number (sixteen) of camps to be in
spected The Associate Inspectors state
that they did not delegate their authority
to the President The latter also says
that he was in his office at the proper
tines ready to mold these meetings. but
the Associate Inspect rs failed to appear.
Prison No. L. the Tallapoosa River
Farm, was abandoned on October 18th,
1900, by order of President Trap, who
states that he was acting under the adj
vice of the Governor. 1t was reopenad
after q fashion about Christmas week
by order of the President. Inspectors
Booker and Blake were not consulted re-
gardlng either step.
The foundation was laid for the build
ing of a reformatory at Speigner in ac-
during the administration of Governor
Oates. President Trap had the brick
pillars of this foundation torn up, and
carted off. The section referred to has
since been disregarded.
The classification u the physician in
speCtor has been dsregardcd in many
instances, by the State authorities. His
recon menGation5 as regards sanitation
have not always been promptly observed.
The office of the President of the Board
has not been examined as reQuiI ed by
Section 1853 of the Code since the adj
miuistraton of Governor Jones'
The treatment of the convicts at the
different State prisons seems on the whole
to have been humane. The dis cipline has
been altogether too lax. There are too
many TRUSTEES de jure and de facto. The
freedom that is allowed some of the
orfy, fy.aI- of ha