The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-24

quantity and quality of food and cloth
ing, and inf1icts punishment at his own
discretion. AS a result 1T is alleged that
IN some of these camps convicts have
been overworked, poorly fed and mad
equately clothed, and that the pun
lshment inflicted on them has some
times been cruel, and in one instance
that has come to my knowledge even
/ brutal. Many complaints of mistreat-
ment of convicts reach the executive
once, and neariy9aH of them come
from this class of chain-gangs. while
nut little, and l believe. scarcely any.
Just complaint is heard from the state
eonvicts who are finder the direct con-
troll of the State Prison Commission.
nor from the county gangs organized
ana worked by the counties for the
counties under the immediate control
OK the county, authorities Nearly all
the trouble is in these private
unauthorized camps. The compe-
ut1on between them for the
mls1emeanor conVicts is sharp. and the
prices paid for them are conseouentIv
SO high that to make them profitable
tnose who hire them spend as little as
possible IN feeding and clothing them.
and at the same time exact from then,
all the labor possible: The evil nractica
TOO, which has grown up in MANY of
the counties of allowing court officers
TO divide out among themselves in
payment of insolvent costs the money
derived from the hire of this class Of
convicts is largely responsible for MANY
abuses. Indeed it has been alleged that
IN some instances prosecuting officers
ana court officfals' who profit by this
practice of collecting the hire of this
class ofconvicts' and dividing the money
out among themselves in payment of
nsolvent costs have a capital under
standing with some lessees of misde
meanor convicts, and that such court
off1cfals are virtually recruiting officers
Tor private chain-gangs. These COM
plants should be carefully looked into
by the proper committees of the Gene
raj Assembly, and if it is found that
there is any truthfin them, severe pen
alties should be provided to stop prac-
tees so reprehensible.
To remedy these evils three things
are in my opinion necessary:
First. The law should be amended
so as to legalize private chain-gangs,
expressly authorizing the hiring of
misdemeanor convicts to private parties
as well as to counties, towns and
cities.
Second. All eonvicts, misdemeanor
as we'll as felony convicts, except those
worked by counties according to law,
Snould De put under the immediate
and direct control of the State Prison
Commission, who should prescribe and
enforce the same rules and regulations
for the working and management of
all classes, and be allowed to employ
and discharge all guards and physi-
clans. whipping bosses and overseers,
and to employ a sufficient number of
prudent, humane wardens to visit at.
least once a month. and oftener If nee
essary, every camp in the state, and
see that the rules of the commission
are properly observed and the convicts
humanely treated,
Third. The fee system should be
abolished and al money derived from
the hire of misdemeanor convicts
should be paid into the county treas
urv, and all county judges and all
solicitors should be paid salaries out
of the county treasury. None of them
should be dependent upon fees. Thus
the temptation to institute frivolous