The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-10-26

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that they will shoulder the responsibility
of looking after the interest of these I'M
fortunate people.
Improvements.
Considerable improvements have been
made during the two years in the con-
struction of houses, barns shelters, etc.
Nothing has been permitted to go down
except that which could not be prevented.
mere is no question but that the I'M
provements are worth several thousand
dollars but | have not thought proper
to make any estimate of them. Our net
profits without improvements are sufff-
cient, and the improvements may he
thrown in for good measure
We have been engaged for several years
in trying to sink an artesian well at
Speigner, Ala, and have been going for
upwards of three hundred feet through
a solid rock, rock through which the
biologists say we shall never make our
way, but as 1t is no. costing great deal,
and we have gone beyond the depth or
500 feet. we are continuing the work and
aim to continue to do so, as long as we
have anything to do with the manage
ment of the department in the hope that
we may final.y S -rike living stream
of water
Another improvement. not already men
toned Is the construction of a telephone
line, twenty-six miles in length, SO as to
put the office of thu convict department
at the capitol in uirect communication
with prisons Nos. 4, / and 3, that Isl at the
Talapoosa river farm, the Walls at We
tumpka and the prison at Speigner. This
Is a great convenience and in addition
therto has saved much money for the
department.
Financial.
As already hereinbefore suggested, the
administration of the penitentiary and
convict system, for the larger portion OF
the time they have been In existence, have
been a continual expense and burden TO
the taxpayers of state of Alabama.
The present convict inspecte~s may there
fore | trust be pardoled for entertaining
a degree of pride in the fact that their
labors, as inspectors have been crowned
with abundant success in more ways than
one and especially in the matter of IL
nance.
That the success of the present man.
agement may be fully understood, 1t may
not be amiss to state, that for the year
next before the beginning of the term OF
the present management, there was re-
ceived into the state treasury as shown
by the treasurer's report, the sum OF
Sc, 527S2. At the end of the first fiscal
year, after March l, 1901, the net receipts
were Ao4,lOi.OO, LOT lut ntAl year tHSy
were 1928. 40; for the next year, $177,-
99517, and for the year ending August 81
1904, the net receipts were $267, 10; and
for the two years ending August 81, 1904
the amount paid into the treasury was
Sac, $50 92, and to this amount may be
added s23,S2S.52, making the whole sum
earned during the two years ending Au-
| gust 81 1904. S469, 7s9. 40. 1t will therefore
be seen that the whole net sum paid into
the treasury for the four years ending
| August 81, 1904, was $625, 391. 81. To this may
be added s23,S2S.52 earned but not yet paid
in, making the whole net sum earned
| $649, 22049 The net sum paid into the
treasury for the four year next preced-
ing the beginning of the four years now
under consideration was s102, 453, s. The
last four years have been more than six
| times as much in net receipts as the next
four years preceding.
| These figures, II will be seen, do not cor
respond with the figures contained in the
| auditors and treasurer's reports be-
| cause of the fact that the fiscal y5ir In
| this department terminates on the 31st
day of August, and that in the auditor s
and treasurers departments on the 3Oth
day of September The auditors and
| treasurer's reports show a much larger
sum received than this report will show,
1
one month more, and very profitable
month for receipts in this department
| lndetermlnate Sentence.
That which is denominated an indeter.
| inmate sentence is provided for in sew
| eral of the states and is to the effect thai
| in all offense not punished capitally tn,
| defendant may be sentenced for an in
| termediate or indefinite period of time
| and that the defendant may be released
| from imprisonment whenever it shall b,
determined by board, provided for tina
purpose, that his conduct is such tina
| he may be trusted abroad in the world
| without fear of repetition Of the of
Tense for which he was convicted, OF
| any offense whatever. There may be ar
| guments against tsis character of sen
| tence, and probably is, for there is
| scarcely any rule or law absolutely above
criticism, yet 1t seems to me that in 6
| large number of cases the indeterminats
| sentence Is the one which ought to be
pronounced. To catch up boy and sen.
| tence him for some grave felony for a
/ year and a day, making the sentence thus
| light because he is a boy, Is, to my mind
| a decided mistake. boy ought not tc
| be sentenced to Imprisonment in the pen.
| itentiary at all, nor to hard labor in any
| mining establishment. but when he is