The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-16

these things, or for the service Of the
States teams in transporting them.
Warden Bush testifies that the president
directed him to let convicts making these
trips wear citizens clothes, but the war
den says that was not permitted. Two
or more horses are kept by Mr.. Trap
at the expense Of the State on No. 4.
Warden Perkins has several items of
chickens and eggs from the hospital de-
partment at the Walls charged against
him as shown by an account verified by
Hospital Stewart Pearce. Perkins denies
the correctness of this account and says
it Is excessive. There Is also charged
against him from the same source a
considerable whiskey account Twelve
and one-half gallons Of this were used by
him in the April primaries last year. Ten
gallons were replaced in kind since this
adjournment of the legislature.
There is evidence that convicts were
used at No. by order Of the President
to raise some corn on rented land for
him, and the State was never compen-
stated, except by secondhand set or
double harness and a buggy pole which
Mr.. Trap says he turned over to War
den Bush in payment for the labor OF
these convicts.
1t has been virtually impossible for your
Committee to ascertain with any degree
of accuracy the results of working con-
victs directly by the State during the last
four years.
The cotton mill has not been run half
of the time, and has not been under the
management of an expert all the wnlie
The account shows SCISSORS to the credit
of the mill, but this does not include the
maintenance of the convicts.
M AS to the farms. 1t is impossible, as be-
Hore stated, to estimate correctly the net
RESULTS for any one place. Aside from
the fact that separate books are not
properly kept at each prison, there Is
charged up against the farms the cost for
maintenance of large number of inf1rm,
sick, and broken-down convicts who
L. hA Gfnt 70 M NJ
no farms. 1t appears to be a custom
also to rate the gross income from hiring
convictS as profits, and to charge all ex-
penses, all salaries included, up to the
farm. 1t Is impossible from the books to
get an accurate estimate of the legitimate
and proper expenses OF the farming
operations by the State for the past four
years. 1t should be borne in mind that
as rule the most efficient OF the convict
labor is not kept on the farms, but Is
sent to the mines.
.. 1t seems that these various enterprises
have been run at a loss for the past -FOUR
years, but your Committee inclines 10 the
belief that this loss Is due to improper
management on the part OF the state.
The loss seems greater than 1t really Is,
because among other things the expense
for maintenance OF the dead heaos Is
charged against these enterprises when
as a matter of fact the abolition OF one
or all these industries would not Acct
this item of expenses. .
AS to the crops grown on the farms IL
appears that nearly everything except the
cotton has been consumed by the conVicts
and the officers of the department.
Some of the cotton produced during the
last four years has been sold and some
of it has been used in the mill at Spelg-
ner. Your committee is of the opinion
that at least enough of the cotton raised
on the State farms should be retained
to supply the mill. 1t is not saIe
poIicy to allow the officials Of the depart
70 SnapIIlpta the market by SELL
ing the States cotton today, and running
the risk of buying other cotton tomorrow
or letting the mill stand idle for lack OF
the staple.
Your Committee is forced to the con-
clusion that due care has not been taken
to guard the interest of the State In all
contracts for the hiring of convicts. At
any rate as great degree of diligence
does not seem to have been used as any
ordinary business man would have en-
pioyed in managing his own affairs. 1t
is remarkable that prior to this admins
tration the prices for convicts ran $500,
S13 so and SIS so in the mines and $llW on
the outside, making a totol of $500; but
for the last four years the prices have
been 500, 5000 and Sl4OO in the mines
and $500 on the outside, making $500
Formerly II was customary to advertise
for bids. Shortly after the accession of
President Trapp this salutary custom
seems to have been wholly abandoned
One contract that was made early in the
tilc duNpA biSih6
method was given up was the Shelley con-
tract, or as 1t is referred to in the evil
dence the Shelley Worthington contract
This contract called for one hundred ana
fifty men at s.. 90, So 90 and $500 In
stead of being drawn by or under the
direction of the Attorney-General as re-
CURED by law 1t seems to have been
written like most other contracts or the
last four years by Chief Clerk Lawson.
At any rate it was properly executed with
hond and approved
The State was ready to carry out the
contract, but the lessee never called for
the men. Notwithstanding the fact that
q better price was to be paid under this
contract than under any other made by
this administration, and notwithstanding
the fact that these same men were SUD
sequently leased at much lower rate
nothing has ever been done toward en-
forcing the contract or securing the
penalty of the bond. No legal steps have
been taken. Indeed the Attorney-Gen-
eraI has not even been consulted. fresi-
dent Trap states that he considered the
bond a straw bond. His casual opinion
in the matter should not have barred at
least a satisfactory inVesugatlon; III
the bond was so weak, the oHiclal VINO
approved 1t was not sufficiently careful.
sometimes contracts were made for
SO 90 and subsequently convicts would be
furnished to the lessee at 5000. Inc $o.Oo
transaction was without any formal CON
tract In like manner $500 conVlcts
were furnished lessees who held 800
Another instance of deal in which the
State at least did not gain anything Is
the Bell contract. r. N. Bell leased fifty
convicts for farm work in Marshall Coun-
IT, This contract did not bear the formal
approyal of the Governor.
After about eighteen months Mr.. Bell
finished the work he had secured the con-
yicts for and made 1t known to some Of
1cials of the department in an informal
manner that he would like to be relieved
of his contract and return his men to the
state, About this time the Horseshoe
Lumber Company became very anxious to
secure a number of convicts and were
willing, 1t seems, to pay $40 per month for
them After considerable dickering Bell
contract was transferred to the Horse
shoe Company with the agreement that
the State should continue to receive 50
and Bell should receive 81 until the time
when the latters contract with the state
would have expired. In the meantime
the Bell contract was annulled and con-
tract made at the rate or 30 between the
State and the Horseshoe Company, but
Bell continues to receive MS monthly
bonus of $50
1t should he borne in mind that in the
first place there were technical grounds
for the annullment of the Bell contract.
In the second place he was through with
his conVicts and anxious to give them up.
Lastly, Bell could not lawfully without
the formal approval of the Board, have
sub-let his men for different employment
in a distant part of the State. 1t appears
that this matter was negotiated by Presi- |
dent Trap. Inc associate inspectors dis |
claim all knowledge of the transaction.
So far as can be ascertained the State |
is none the better off for this transfer |
If the State had cancelled the contract |
when Bell wanted to surrender 1t, the |
convict system might be getting the 81