The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1902-01-29
Executive DEPARTMENT,
JACKSON, Miss, Jan. "a, 1907

Ge0tlemen-Dy JOluI TeSoluIloH vi
the two houses of the Legislature
passed at the session thereof in 1900,
committee was appointed, consisting of
five members from each house, to in
vestigate the management and control
of the State Penitentiary and farms
worked by the State, the books, con
tracts and accounts of the Board of
Control for the past four years, i. e.,
for the years 1896, '97, '9S and '99. Said
resolution required said committee at
as early date as possible to report the
results of their investigations to the
Governor and make reports also to
this session of the Legislature. On
the It'll day of January, 1902, at the
opening of this session of the Legisla
ture, | was furnished with copy of
also that though said resolution linn
tied said committee in its investiga
ton to the four years preceding the
induction into office of the present
Board of Control, made personal re-
quest of said committee, through its
chairman, to extend its investigations
through the period from 1900 to the
present, which it accordingly did, offer
ing to said committee all the co-opera-
ton and assistance in my power toward
the full, free and fair accomplishment
of it's work
| 1t will be seen from said report that
the committees investigation extended
not only to the four years named in
the resolution aforesaid, but covered
period including the years 1893, 1900
and 1901, or the entire management of
the Board of Control under the admin
| istration of Gov A. J. McLaurin and
a portion of that of Gov. John NJ. Stone
and the present one to date. The re-
port contains certain charges and crit
| icisms in the management of the affairs
of the prison and farm operations.
| In view of the fact that the investi-
CATION, as appears from the report, ex
tended into the three administrations,
| it is to me matter of regret that the
committee saw proper to employ in its
charges and criticisms the general
terms of "Board of Control" and War
den" without differentiation or specifi-
cation, though the transactions of
three boards and four wardens were
investigated. Under said charges the
public as we'll as the said officials are
left to conjecture as to whom the
charges apply.
| desire to add that | concur most
heartily in your purpose to continue
the investigations through your joint
committee. The people of Mississippi
and all concerned have the right to the
ascertainment of the truth, the whole
truth and nothing but the truth, and
not half thereof, which is often more
damaging than a lie Let the investi-
cation be full and the reports specific,
shielding no one who is guilty, nor i'm
plicating anyone who is innocent
without concealment of substantial
facts or giving undue magnitude to
trivial things-in order that the blame,
if any exists, may be put where it
properly belongs.
Business methods, strict and strin-
gent, should be applied to the States
business, and if this has not been done
in the management of the Penitentiary
affairs, the evil cannot be too soon cor
rected. | desire, therefore. to call
your attention to the recommendation
made by your committee touching the
future interests of the State in the
premises, and looking to the better
safeguard of the affairs of the Peni-
Tertiary and its prisoners. | submit
said recommendations for such enact
mentS thereon as your wisdom may
devise, admonishing you, however, to
look carefully into the present system
and management of the said affairs
before passing any new or radical
measure to interfere with this enor-
nous and very difficult business enter
prise of the State.
Respectfully,