The Tupelo journal., 1906-01-12
GOV. VARDAMAN'S MESSAGE

under it's management about $1,000
acres OF land belonging to the State.
On the Parchman place, in Sunffower
county, there We're about 5000 acres
open or cleared, with 5000 acres to be
cleared. This cleared land originally,
k the uncleared land, was heavily
timbered with the finest oak, ash and
gum timber, the greater portion OF
rot on the land. The timber alone was
worth as much as the land originally
cost. the State. If 1T had been cut and
working them on the land of private in
dividuals. There were 1900 acres of
cleared land on the Belmont place; 600
RI Rankin So0 far aare With ol soo Or son on ac 1es
more of splendid land on that farm to
be cleared, and $500 acres of cleared
the people around in the neighborhood
for one and two dollars per acre.
With all of this land cleared and to
be cleared, improvements to be made,
bitches to be dug and houses to be
built, we find the Board of Control con-
tracing with a State Senator to work
his delta plantation on shares. We find
the Board of Control contracting with
a membe of the Legislature to work
his plantation on shares. We find the
Board of Control contracting with the
nephew of the then president of the
Board of Control for q plantation be-
longing to this nephew, for which the
Board of Control paid Sc per acre,
twelve months in advance. We find
the Board of Control, at the same time,
contracting with two other distin-
tics. for their delta plantations to be
worked on shares. The Board of Con-
troll made money after giving half of
the products of the ~convics' toll to these
private individuals thus contracted
with, but it was money coined out of
the blood and tears of the unfortunate
convicts. 1t was money made in a way
which every sense of humanity r%evolts
at. 1t involved the violation of the
law and the betrayal of a sacred trust.
But, if money-making were the sole
leasing of the lands of private individ-
uals was a mistake. If the State can
make money working a private indi-
viduaIs land and giving that private
individual half of the products of. the
convicts' toll, 1 cannot understand why
1t cannot make more money working
its own land and keeping the entire
products of the convicts' toll. II all
the convicts had been concentrated and
worked upon the States land in 1908.
and a capable officer had been placed in
charge Of the penitentiary, every acre
of the States land susceptible of Guilt
walton would now be cleared and capa-
bic of yielding annually six or eight
thousand bales of cotton and ample
corn and food products to maintain the
%convicts and live stock.
In December, 1904, the present Board
or Control made some very commend
able reforms, as far as it went. All
plantations belonging to private per-
sons were discarded save only the one
belonging to State Senator HI. j. Nc
Laurin, whose fertile land" hypnotic
power political pull and long enjoy
ment of a robust share of the revenues
have clothed him with the modern
brand of divine right 70 the perpetual
ton of that special privilege. l hoped,
however, that that was the last effort
| the BOARD of Control would make to
lease the land of private individuals, or
lease the convicts to private individ-
At the December meeting, 1905, the
board undertook to enter into another
contract with State Senator II. j. Nc
Laurin, which was so f~agrantly a vio-
lation of the law that l felt it to be my
duty to appeal to the courts to pre-
vent the execution of the contract.
The Chancellor held the contract void
and the case was appealed to the Su-
preme Court, where it is now pending.
If the convict be a low-bred, vulgar
creature, congenitally corrupt, Injured
to physical and moral filth, brutal and
inhuman treatment, so much greater
the necessity that he should be given
kindly treatment, a decent bed to sleep
on, and sanitary surroundings in the
penitentiary. He is there to be i'm
proved and not degraded. Let the light
within his benighted brain be bright
ened; let this piece of humanity, plum
dered, profaned and disinherited," be
madei to feel that the State is his
friend and is willing 70 correct, as far
as it can, the "perfidious wrongs and
immedicable woes" which brought him
to the miserable thing he is. Man is
the creature of heredity and environ
ment, and the influence of the latter is
more potential in the formation of
character than the former. Therefore
the environment of the convict in the
penitentiary should be so ordered and
colored that the unfortunate individual
would be better for having suffered i'm
p~riSonment there. Punishment under
our system is not inflicted in the spirit
of evenge but rather for correction
in love rather than hate. l believe the
penitentiary management should be au-
thorized and empowered by the Legis-
lature, with large discretion, to use a
portion of The products or the conVlctS
toll over and above the cost of conv1c-
ton, keeping and maintaining him, for
the use of his family. if they be needy
and deserving, or if he has no family,
or some one dependent upon him, let it
be reserved in the State Treasury to
be given to him when he shall have
served out his term of sentence. If
there is any doubt about the WORTH
ness of the convict or his ability to
rightly appreciate this special favor, II
the management in its wisdom think
it wise to give it to him at all, let the
money be disbursed under the direction
of the Chancery Court of the county of
the convict's residence.
/ say 1T with profound regret, but
without fear of successful c%ontradic-
ton. that for many years the peniten-
tiary has been the one fostering sore
upon the body politic-poisoned by the
virus of private personal cupidity-the
most corrupt and ~corrupting influence
in State politics. Votes were controlled
in conventions and nominations made
Some political dictator's delta pianta-
ton. If you question that statement,
read the history of the p~enitentiary OF
Mississippi. l make no charge or per
sonal dishonesty. They may have been
the victim of a nefarious system or pol
icy of long standing.
The penitentiary property has greatly
enhanced in value. Including lands.
live stock, farming implements, etc, to-
represents now a capital invested of
nearly two million dollars. To manage
; an enterprise of that magnitude and
at the same time to do justice to the
intelligence. integrity and business ca
pacity. The penitentiary farms should
be the model farms of the State. They
should be used to demonstrate upon a
ers of experiments made at the Agricu1-
tural and Mechanical College on a small
scale. Scientific agriculture, tile drain
ing, fertilization of soil, growth of
upon the states plantations. Intelli-
gent direction, with the absolute oon-
troll of the labor. would make that easy
of accomplishment, and at the same
and also instructive to the convict,
which lessons would be OF use to him In
after life.
Public Education.
Public education is a matter of pro-
found and abiding interest to the peo-
pie of Mississippi and the maintenance
of a system of free public schools, has
become a fundamental tenet in our po-
litical creed. But people have a
about education, as they do about