Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1906-01-06

under its management abo 10000
acres OF land belonging 40 ! state.
, On the Parchman place, in uflower
county, there We're about ID acres
open or cleared, with 5000 as to be
cleared. This cleared land ginally,
IKE the uncleared land, wtneaVily
tlmbered with the finest oallsh and
gum timber the greater Ttion Of
which was deadened and peItted to
rot on the land, The timber ne was
worth as much as the land ginally
cost the STATS. IT it had beetut and
marketed by the con viCts, lead Of
working then on the land Of rate in
diViduals. There were 1,20Ocres OF
cleared Land on the Belmont ce 600
or 500 acres cleared the
Rankin farm, with 700 or acres
more Of splendid land on thaarm to
be cleared, and 500 acres cleared
land on the oakley place, thyreater
portion of the latter being sed to
the people around in the neiEOrhood
Tor one ana two dollars per a.
With ali of this land cleartand to
be cleared, improvements to made,
bitches to be dug and hous to be
built, we find the Board of Cool con-
tracing with a State Senator work
ms delta plantation on sharesN find
the Board of Control contraCg with
. "a lilNllhNI VI lHt 14tElSldluIf) WOfh
/ ms plantation on shares. NGud the
Board Of Control con tracing tth the
nephew of the then prcsidcrof the
Board Of Control for a.planton he
longing 10 this nephew, lar Web The
Board OF Control paid So d acre,
twelve months IN advance. e find
the Board of Control, at the sue time,
contracting with two otncIdistIn-
Bulshed gentlemen, prominent poll
lcS, Tor their delta plantatiO to be
worked on shares. The Boarf Con-
troll made money after givinaalf of
the products of the COuviCs' toi) these
private individuals thus cqracted
| WIN, but it was money CoinCOut of
the blood ana tears of the unltunate
| conVlcts. II was money made a way
which every sense of humanittevolts
at. 1t involved the viOlatioIpf the
law and the betrayal of saCr trust.
But, IL mOncy-maklug We're sole
ann and end of the penitentW the
/ leasing of the lands of priVatcIdivid-
uals was mistake. Ii the Ste can
make money working a priy,I indi-
| NlduaIs land and giving thatlrivate
individual half Of the pTOduCtpf the
/ ConViCts' toll, | cannot uuder5tu why
| 1t cannot make more money prking
ITS own land and keeping th.entire
| products of the Conyicts tOilIf all
| the ConTiCts had been COuCcntrbd and
worked upon the states land 1903,
aud capable officer had been rrcd in
! cQarge OF the penitentiury, CVy acre
OF the States land susccptiblo lcultt-
! walton would now be cleared aICapa-
| bic OF yielding annually six delight
| thousand bales Of cotton autnmplc
| corn and food products to majuin the
convicts and live stock
I'm December, 1904. the prcsouRoard
| OF Control made some very COmend-
ape reforms, as far as it wen All
| sons were discarded save 6nIv 10 nne
| belonging to State Senator ii Nc
! Laurin, whose fertile land" Ionotic
power, political null and jonp,niov-
ment of a robust share of the Tknues
arising from convict labor esg IN
have clothed him with the bdern
brand of divine right 70 tne p1atua-
tiOn of that special privilege abnod
! however that that was the IaTcffort
the Board Of Control would Il,@ to
lease the land of Driygte indivi,aie ar
lease the convlcts TO private divid-
uals, but in that | was digan,jntnd
At the December meeting iG the
board undertook TO enter into 5othor
contract with STATE senator nj Ma
Laurln, which was so aagrantia vi0-
lation Of the law that felt if t'he NV
duty to appeal to the Courts ! prc-
vent the execution OF tLp citTaci.
The Chancellor held the contra. voii
and the case was apDpalpd ia n Su.
preme Court. where il is now limo
If the convict be a low-bred, tIgar
creature, congonitallv cOrrupt' IuTn3
to physical and moral filth. bruI ani
inhuman treatment. SO much paafcr
the necessity that he should be,iven
kindly treatment, a decent bed tolceo
on, ana sanitary surroundinTs INK
penitentiary lie is there 10 b i'm
proved and not degraded. Let thaight
l.. . -
ened; let this piece of humanity, hun
dered, profaned and dislnhcrftef be
made to feel that the State il his
friend and IS willing 10 correct. 4 FAR
as.it can, the "periidious wronrsan1
immcdlCable woes" which brougnthiIu
to the miserable thing he is. NH is
the creature of hercditv and eu,Enn-
ment, ana the Influence Of the Iattr is
more potential in the formatiol cf
character than the former, Therfore
the environment of the convict inthp
peuitcntiary should be so orderodan1
COlored that the unfortunate iudiviuai
would be better for having sufferadim-
prisOnmcnt there. Punishment llder
our system Is not inflicted in the girit
of revenge but rather for correctin--
in love rather than hate. | believethe
penitentiary management should bdan.
thorized and empowered by the I els
laturc with large discretion, to NJ Il
portion of the products of the conV,ts'
toll over and above the cost of con IT,.
tion, keeping and maintaining him.for
the use Of his family. if they be ntdy
and deserving, or if he has no family,
or some one depondent upon him Ia II
be reserved in the state Treasury 10
be given to him when he shall live
served out his term of sentence If
there is any doubt about the worth
ness of the convict or his ability to
piTItl lN l., 10