The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-06-03
Writes on Convict system.

'fIn view of the fact that 90 per cent, and possible more, of the convicts in Alabama are negroes, with no other or further skill than that of common labor CTS, 1t is the oplnon of the present man agement that they should be employed either in mining, under the care of the state, or agricultural operations and saw milling under the care of the state, and perhaps 1t would be better that they should be employed upon farms"
 This is the conclusion of a letter writ ten today to Hon. Robert M Durham of the department of labor at Washington, by the president of the state convict board. J. M. Carmichael. It was in an- swer to some inquiries made by MT. Dur ham. concerning the conditions of the convicts in Alabama. The full text of the letter follows:
 President Carmichaels Letter. Montgomery. Ala, June 2, 1904 Robert M. Durham, Esq, Washington D. c..
 Dear sir: A discussion of the merits and demerits of the different. system in vogue in working convicts in Alabama would require more time and greater l space than 1 am able to devote to the
 subject
 Prior to 1860 the number of convicts | in the care of the state was very small
 and the study of the penology was a
 thing to which little attention was given.
 The convcts were kept within the walls,
 as we phrase it, and devoted to such
 labor as would tend to aid, to some ex | tent. in bearing the expenses of peniten- tiary Imprisonment The emancipation of | the negro turned loose upon the commons weath q larger number of ignorant and 1 thoughtless person, a considerable per
 centage of whom soon developed criminal
 incllnations. The state was down trodden | and poverty stricken with not sufficient
 means at hand 10 administer the law l with reference to those inclined to dis
 regard if. Our penitentiary, as then ex- | istlng was inadequate fin size. as well as ] equipment to the accommodation of the
 convicts. No system of productive labor l for the sta In sight, at which to | employ convicts.
 "fhe reconstruction government was or
 ganized and put in operation in 1868, and
 so remained until 1874. Millions of state
 bonds were put upon the market and sold, for the purpose, ostenslbly, of construct ing railroads. and the lease system of employing convcts was then inaugurated
 in the construction of such railroads. Abuses of the system were notorious dur ing that period, and fatal to the interests and lives of large number of the con victs Having heen put in force for the
 want of something better. perhaps 1t has continued from that day until the present, the main object being all the while to improve 1t and to cause it to fall less heavily upon the convicts. That 1t has been, from it's establishment up to the present, the subject of abuse, there can
 be no doubt, and under the most careful administration it will continue to be so, is equally without doubt, and hence the purpose of the present administration is to abolish completely the lease system and take the convicts under the care and pro-
 tection of the state
 'To this end the state, within the last sixteen months. has adopted what may
 be called the piece system in mining coal at Pratt mines and Flat Top, where we have about 700 people employed. the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad com pany and the Sloss- Sheffield Steel and Iron company furnishing the mines, pris-
 ons. stockades and hospitals and the state feeding clothing and caring for the con
 victs in all respects. and for the work
 done for the said companies receiving fixed prices In addition to this the state
 has one saw milling business which is car ried on in the same manner.
 State Has Three Farms. "rhe state has three farms, one at the old pententiary site. at Wetumpka; one | at Speigner and one at what is called No f. at which are employed something ! like 200 convicts. The farms are carried | on uniformly at loss to the state. in | consequence of the number of employees