The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-06-03
CONVICTS OF ALABAMA
BRIEF HISTORY WRITTEN FOR THE
GOVERNMENT.
President Carmichael of state Board Of
Convict Inspectors Prepares q Pa
per-Lease System Result of
Carpetbag Rule.

| President ]. M, Carmichael of the
State Board of Convict Inspectors. has
| written o concise, brief history of the
management OF the Alabama convicts
with an account Of the present system
for the National government.
Judge Carmichaers letter was ad-
| dressed to Robert M. Durham, who I'M
der the direction OF the Federal gov
eminent, has been investigating peno-
| logical conditions in the various States.
| President Carmichaeis letter to Mr..
Durham is as follows.
Robert NJ Durham, ESQ. Washington.
d. c.:
Dear Sir-A discussion of the merits
and dement's of the different systems
! in vogue in working convicts in the
State of Alabama, would require more
| time and greater space than am able
| to devote to the subject.
prior to 1860 the number of con-
victs in the care Of the State, was very
small. and the study OF penology was a
thing to which little attention was
given. The convicts were kept within
the walls as we phrase 1t, and de-
voted to such labor as would tend to
aid, to some extent. In bearing the ex-
penses of penitentiary Imprisonment.
The emancipation of the negro, turned
loose upon the Commonwealth, a large
number of ignorant and thoughtless
persons, a considerable percentage of
whom soon developed criminal inclina-
tions. The State was downtrodden and
poverty stricken with not SUFFICIENT
means at hand to administer the law
| with reference to those inclined to dis
regard it, Our penitentiary, as then
| existing, was inadequate in size and
| equipments, to the accommodation OF
the convicts. No system of productive
| labor, for the State was in sight, at
which to employ the convicts.
THE reconstruction government was
organised and put in operation IN 1853,
and so remained until 1874. Millions
of State bonds were put upon the mar
ket and sold for the purpose. ostensi-
bly,, of constructing railroads; and the
lease system Of employing convicts
was then inaugurated In the construc-
tenn were notorious during that period
and fatal to the interests and lives OF
large numbers OF convicts. Having
been put in force FOR want OF some
| thing better to do, perhaps, It has con-
tinued in force from that day until the
present, the main object being all the
while to improve It, and to cause 1t 70
fall less hardly upon the couvicts
That 1t has been, from it's establish
ment until the present. the subject OF
abuse, there can be no doubt. and un-
der the most careful administration
that 1t will continue to be so. Is equally
without doubt. and hence the purpose
of the present administration, is Ia
abolish completely the lease system.
and to take the convicts under the care
and protection of the State. To thie
end the State. within the last sixteen
| months. has adopted what may be
called the piece system In the mining
of coal at Pratt Mines. and Flat Top
where we have about 700 people en-
ployed the Tennessee Railroad and
Iron Company. and the Sloss-Shefheld
Steel and Iron Company. furnishing
the mines, prisons, stockades and hos
pitfalls and the State feeding, clothing
and caring for the convicts in all re-
spects, and for the work done for the
said companies receiving hxed prices
In addition to this, the State has one
saw milling business. which Is carried
on in the same manner.
THE State has three farms. one al
the old penitentiary site at wetumpka
one at Speigners. and one at what Il
called Number Four. at which are EN-
ployed something like 200 convicts
The farms being carried on uniformly
at loss to the State in consequence
of the number Of officers and employees
necessary to protect and keep the con-
victs
'It follows. therefore. that more
than half the conviets are now under
the immediate care OF the Convict De-
partment of the state. As a general
proposition the greed for money OF
contractors leasing convicts may be
such they are liable to lose sight OF
the interests of all persons. except
their own. and hence the lease sys.
tenn is regarded by the present man
agement as without merit at all.
ON view of the fact that 30 per cent
and possibly more, OF the convicts In
Alabama are negroes. with no other
or farther skill than that of common
| laborers, II is the opinion of the pres
ent management that they should b
employed either In mining under the
care of the State or agricultural oper.
ations and saw milling. under the care
of the State, and perhaps II would be
{ better that they should all be employ
ed upon farms
Respectfully submitted,
~. NJ. Carmichael.
president Of the Board OF Convict In.
spectors."
The letter of President Carmichael
will probably be published as a bulle-
| tin by the government.