The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-03-05
THE LIMIT REACHED
CRUEL AND INHUMAN TREAT
MENT OF PRISONERS.
The 4,ood Roads Management a DIS
credit to the Parish
and City.

The purpose OF the la" re'a'lES -
,,,,r,,;,o prisoners on the public roads Il
f1umane-it is to gi i've the prisoners eA
ercise by being worked reasonably ane
arrnanely. Instead OF being sent to th'
penitentiary the convicted in the Dlstrlc
Cont for misdencanors. have been con
signed to work on the public roads. An
persons convicted in the City Court, OF
infractious of city ordinances or ton
so.ne offenses over which the City Court
has jurisdiction. have also been conslgn-
ed to work on the public roads.
It is true that in instances men have
beeu tried. convicted and sentenced, al
most in breath, to thirty. sixty, one
hundred and more days and have found
themselves in the convict camp before
realizing fully their predicament. but in
these cases the convicted, with few ex-
ceptions, have been negroes, or white
men of no means, and therefore friend
less, as they were powerless to secure
legal defense However, the Caucas-
ian's present aim is to emphasize the
fact that the cruel and inhunan treat
ment is not warranted by any construc-
ton of law, nor can be cruel treatment
OF any prisoner, white or black, be jus
tilted OIL any plea whatsoever. 1t is adj
rnitted that in some instances the discip-
line of the camp must be maintained,
but never at the risk of life, nor in the
treatment such as has been experienced
by a negro whose eye was part
ly destroyed by the outrageous cruelty
Of the guard and the chastisement. he
received. At best. this mans offense
would have been fully expiated by a
nominal or moderate fine or limited
working days ON the road, but he laugh
ed in the face of the Court, which was
construed as contempt, and he was
awarded altogether $4,000, or as many
days.
The case OF c. w. Smith, a white
man, is one of reproach and of dis
credit. He was taken to the hospital,
and SO serious has been his condition
tiat his recovery has been in doubt. His
o5fense consisted in his use Of vile Ian
Euage at the depot. He is railroad
man, had been on spree. He reached
the train as it was going off. He be-
came abusive when he was arrested.
He was fined 5000 and costs or as
many days.
We have heard ofthe Russians cru
city, of the Russians Siberia, and have
raised our hands in horror, but right |
here in our very midst, in the sound of
church bells. almost in the reach Of the
sanctuary Of justice, men, convicted for
some trivial offense have been Russian
ired. and, yet, seemingly, the manage
saesst Of the Good Roads have been ig-
1orant of these cruelties, but if they have
been eognizaiH of these mistreatment,
they have failed to suggest or to apply
the censure which ii, such cases should
have been dictated in the spirit Of hui
mainly.
In these cases. as in others to which
the Caucasian has directed attention,
there is no opportunity for the den1a
gogual plea of politics or for the
Inos,thing of the niaudlin sentimentality,
which IS the shelter and the shield of
some men, in their attempt at justihca-
tion of any act which decent law-abid-
ing. moral citizens would condemn
u,lhesitatingly. but unfortunately, qui-
city. conservatively, u1lconpromisingly.
The limit in this Good Roads scandal,
as in others, has been reached The
people can no longer be Indifferent,
nor shirk responsibility. For the sake
Df humanity at least, the convict camps
and all the connections leading to it'll
should be suppressed Better have the
Jail filled with men, who must be kept
IN idleness, for violations of some or i
nances or for some trivial offense. thanl
longer the system OF road
working by cnvicts, which is. a disgrace
o q civilized and Christian community.
Il is not the intent of the law to op-
press or f1mstreat, and while the law
Eoyiding for the trials Of such cases
md their disposition may be good, the
manner and the system Of their opera
ION. and their enforcement ii a travestyi
n justice had better be abolished.
However. the people will have the kind
md the quality Of justice they want or ,
sili approve indirectly by silence or in
ction, if they will not condemn, in
hunier tones. the evil practices of Of .
Gals or those entrusted with authority. ]
To use trite expression, it is up !
9 the Police Jury to. investigate thor
ughiy and inpartially the whole pro-
ees1ings. from the first convictions in
he courts, the trials, the treatment and :
ne whole condition Of the system which q
Teproach on self-respecting COM
1,,iaity. Let no man be awhite-washedn b
{ .ignorcd, but let no guilty man es- e
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