Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-02
THE CONTRACT SYSTEM
CRUELTIEs PRACTICED ON CON-
vIcTs IN THE SOUTH.
Some States Make Considerable Money
by the Operation and
Some Lose.

every once in while we read In an
American newspaper or periodical an article
on the cruelties Of the Russian prison sys-
tena,' said Mr.. Arthur Newlands Of Boston
to Star man this morning at an uptown
hotel, and being myself interested in the
study OF criminology 1 am sure fact or
two about the system prevailing In some
portions of the United States will be Of in
terest.
THE inhuman and semi-barbaric treat
ment accorded criminals in some OF the
southern states is disgrace to our civili-
zation and reproach to that fair section
OF our country. The brief press dispatch
which now read you does not come from
st. Petersburg, but from Raleigh, N. c.,
and 1t is as follows:
One hundred and eighty convicts were
marched to Marion yesterday, twenty-eight
miles, over heavy roads. One died on the
way, another died on the train after ar
rival at Marion, where, for some reason,
hours
This reads as though it were taken from
one or George Remnants books descriptive
OF the marches Of the exiled convicts over
the steppes of Russia toward the SHOWS OF
siberia, does 1t not, rather than from
portion OF the United States not over twen-
ty-four hours from the capital? To march
troop of seasoned, well-fed soldiers over
would nave taxed their endurance to the
utmost, and no Commander would have Or
dered such march under such condt-
lions, except to save himself and his troop
from exterminatio by an enemy as TWEEN
ty-e1ght miles in a day, under the most
favorable conditions as to roads and
weather, would have been a severe days
tramp. The dispatch stated further that
the reason for the march was the suspen-
sion Of work by the convicts on railroad
because OF severe weather and that there
had been considerable sickness and some
deaths previously among the conyfcts.
Contract System Explained.
Under the abominable farming con-
tract system of convicts prevailing in some
OF the southern states convicts are let out
to contractors very much like horses are
hired to Transfers in the large cities, and,
like hired horses, since they belong to some
other man, they are poorly fed and miserably
quartered That only two Of the poor
wretches died on that awful march Is
matter of wonder; that any died at all,
driven like cattle though they were, test1f1es
in 81 manner stronger than words of the
horrors of the situation, situation, I am
glad to say, many progressive and liberal
men in the south deplore, and have valiant
ly, but SO far Intellectually, fought to over
come.
'In one Of the recent issues of an Eng
fish magazine was printed a cut from
photograph Of what the editor called
cage for human beings Continuing, the
article stated that the cage is not intended
for wild animals, as might be supposed
from it's appearance, but is used for con-
timing human beings-convicts who work
upon the roads in Florida Almost stimuli
taneously with the publication Of this ar
ticle with its Illustrations of a huge barred
cage, such as one sees at menageries for
lions, about twenty feet long, with CORE
spending height and width, certain Of the
press in New York were publishing full
page articles with illustrations Of similar
iron cages used for the confinement of pris-
oners in the Siberian prisons.
1T is not necessary for any one to go out
side of the United States to seek for in
humanities practiced upon convicts; the
convict pens and camps Of the south afford
more than enough material, and will con-
tinue to do so until the system is done
away with. One occasionally reads of eff
forts the part of humane men in the
south to force their legislatures to wipe
this stain from their states good name, but
that little practical good has come is shown
from the dispatch, which happens not to
be matter of mere opinion and prejudice
this time, which l have quoted.
A Matter of Kaven1a