Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-10-23
LEASE SYSTEM ADVOCATED
BY PRISON COMMISSION

raise this sum of money it would be nee
essary to levy an additional tax OF LSO
dollars on each thousand dollars worth of
property according to the present digest
or an increase of % per cent on the pres
ent tax rate. To this amount. If the pub
lie school fund is kept intact, must be
added SS2.Jy0. the present net annual hire
of convict labor. which by law goes into
this fund. and which would also have to
be raised by taxation.
The foregoing figures do not, of course
include enormous expenditures necessary
for purchase of rights of way, depot and
terminal facilities, cross ties, ralis,
bridges, trestles and depots. to meet which
would be impossible by immediate tax
alton. because excessively burdensome'
and to provide for which, by bonds. or
other Indebtedness would be unconstitu-
tional.
Road Could Be Built.
But. if it is deemed wise by the general
assembly to extend this railroad to tide
water. and that it should be done by con-
Wet labor, rather than by taxation. II
contracts for the labor of the conVicts
can be made at the price suggested Tor
a term OF ten years, and the net hire
amounting for that period to s2,5OO.OOO be
set aside and kept intact for this purpose,
al the end of the period. the road couid
be built from this fund alone.
The other plan, viz, the building OF
public highways. would furnish employ
ment for all the convicts, who should De
engaged I'm such hard labor for an IN
definite period OF time. and Is less ob1ec-
tionable to the competitive sentiment
than any other employment but Is not
wSolly free therefrom: Cor while the bur
dens Of taxation would fall on all alike,
the accruing benefits would not be the
same to ALL and indeed many tax payers
and wage earners would receive no ben
efits whatever, directly or indirectly,
while the landowners, through whose
property the road was built, would re-
ceive benefits Immediately valuable and
substantial.
The convicts would hardly be as well
cared fo- in movable prisons as they are
at present in permanent quarters. The
division of responsibility for their care,
with consequent neglect and i'll treat
ment, would be largely increased because
they could not be worked In as large
squads advantageously, as under the
present system, where as many as four
hundred are worked at one point under
one watch. and the expense Of guarding
would consequently be increased. How
ever, the most serious objection to this
plan Is the cost, which for the first year
would be at least 100000, and at least
$4,000 annually thereafter.
About Public Highways.
It has been suggested in this connection,
that they should be turned over to county
authorities, who desire to utilize them on
public roads, and who would thus sup
plement their insufficient chaingangs. The
act of 1897 provided for this plan to a linn
tied extent by providing, THAT should
the authorities of any county or munich
pal corporation in this state desire to
utilize any number of state or felony con-
victs on the public roads or works in
their respective counties or municipal cor
porations. said authorities may file with
said commission a requisition stating the
number wanted. the kind of work to be
done, and the term for which they will be
wanted. which requisition must be filed
with said board by the 10th day of August,
1898. and said commission is hereby au-
thorized TO furnish said county authori-
ties the number so required. After the
/ year 1898 the said reduisitlons shall be
filed by the commission in the order in
which the same are received, and the
convicts furnished thereon as the COM
mission may be able, respect being had as
TO the amount offered. The convicts fur
nished under this sSction shall be short
term mot over two years., men, physically
able to do the work required OF them In
no event shall any county be furnished
with felony convicts whose authorities
victs on the public roads or public works.
Should such requisition be made. and the
convicts furnished. the county or munic-
ipaI authorities shall provide, without cost
to the state, all transportation, mainte-
nance, guards and other necessaries, and
shall pay to the state not less than thir-
ty-six dollars per annum for each convict,
to be collected and applied as the hire of
cOnvicts, as hereinafter provided. The
said convicts shall be governed and con-
trolled by the rules and regulations pro-
vided by the commission"
Bring Good Prices.
Under this provision, which was framed
alike for the protection of the state. the
county and the convict. no acquisitions
were filed for such eOnvicts, demon
strating that, at that time, at least, there
was no demand by such counties or mu-
inequalities for such labor. At that time,
however, many counties were hiring mis-
demeanor cOnvicts from other counties
at thirty-six dollars per annum, per capt.
ia, and less, and many counties which did
not maintain a changing were unable TO
dispose OF their misdeameanor convicts.
Shortly thereafter, however, the de-
mand for such labor by private individ-
uals became so great that such convicts
are readily disposed of at from ten TO
fifteen dollars per month.
For this reason As per cent of all the
misdemeanor conyicts in round numbers.
$50 are being hired to and worked for pri-
vate individuals, as shown by the table
No 10, heretofore referred TO.
Under this practice, which is but an eva
sion Of the law, many abuses have oc-
CURED and will continue to occur, until
change is made whereby the RESPONSE
bility for the treatment of such convicts
is less divided, and the opportunity to
evade the law less easy. Such abuses do
not exist in those chaingangs which are
worked by county authorities upon the
public roads or other public works but
they are not infrequent where they are
worked for. or more frequently by, pri-
vate individuals.
If. there exists demand in the counties
for more convict labor upon the roads, or
If the legislature deems IL wise to build
public highways with convict labor, would
II not be best to first place these INSIDE
meanOr convicts, who by the law were
clearly so intended to be used, there be-
fore felony convicts are used? They are
less vicious, less liable to escape and
more easily guarded and controlled, and
for these reasons better suited for road
building than the more dangerous, longer
term felon. Such action upon the part OF
| the legislature would not only probably
supply the demand for convict labor on
public roads, but would break up much
humanity and many abuses now prevail