The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1907-05-17
LETTER FROM COMMISSIONER

To the Editor OF the Ocala Banner:
I beg pardon of you and the PHI
lie for once more referring 10 -
controversy over the leasing Of
county coayicts. | assura both -
ami the public that j. ! not DI-a4I
70 ne 70 take any par IL lie d.
tatiOns going on over this mar-ar
The Iact thar wrote 2 s:o~- ar..cr.
merely stating thar ! opposed ~-s--v.
M any coayicts. and thar ihe c0-r-y
had been ami was losing money h.
the reserve clause has in M a7rr.
ion. given uftense 20 at least .sDrra
member Of the board. This o,ir.
ion is pr9dicaced on The coo,1eSs
shown and remarks made N our lae-
meeting. | am always willing - &,
lanythins honorable 10 relieve an Or
rOneOus OPINION that one NAV have ~
me. That these gentlemen NAV m.
be drawing or their Imagination any
further | will state why | wrote he
little squib to your paper. and my NJ
Slttbii III tLF }At-Satlit-S. 10 VIII De-
membered that Colonel Rogers in one
of his articles said, IF 81 be il that
the board intended The Edwards Va
val Stores Company To keep these
fourteen reserve cOnvictS I think
| had right TO express my views on
the leasing. on the keeping. or any
thing else pertaining 10 them. or in
the least affecting the interest of Ma
riOn county
Now, as TO what | believe of the
leasing OF the convicts. the "reser-
walton clause" AMI what has been
said OF it:
| I believe YOU. Mr. Edwards. being 4
member of the board. made a mis-
take in bidding for the cOnyicts. and
you were warned Of this before thav
were let | believe the board made
a mistake in rpserving any convict,
for any purpose. but ought to have
leased all OF them This was nv DO
sitiOn from the beginning. I beIiAy.
That Commissioner Mathews now ba-
lieyeS as | do on this line. for ne v0-
ted at our January meeting 10 reserve
as many as fourteen men for road
purposes He said at our Nav meet
ing the board having under co2sif-
GRAFTON the ACCESSIBILITY of working
the cOnyicts on the road that he Op-
posed working them on the road.
thar it would cost the county forty
dollars per head TO work them each
| month believe the rrSpryariO-
clause in the add for bids to lease
the convicts has been the means Of
The county losing money that should
have been saved This is clearly
shown by Mr.. S. y Rawls' bid with
out reservation of about thirty DO,
lars per head for all the convic.s.
! Colonel Roger, now offers THIRTY
,hree and one-third dollars per head
To- "a reserve. Tac county - ga--
ting twenty-eisht dollars and sixty.
i've cents for all men and fifteen do
lars for all women AMI boys under
tit Az 81 UllctU years.
believe it To- be the duty OF the
board 10 either work their reserve
convicts on the roads or lease them
10 the man Offering the most for
them | believe the contract will sus-
tain us in SO doing. So sure am I Of
this that | make two propositions:
l. That We submit it TO the county
attorney to pass on. or that We sub
NIT IL 10 the court | agreeing to pay
one-tifth the expense you gentlemen
paying the other fOur-ffths.
Captain PyIes at our last meeting
handed me resolution and asked ne
TO sign it. | did not do so. but will
lproduce il and make comment:
Whereas. Hon. R F. Rogers. thro'
the columns of the Ocala Banner. has
severely criticized the majority Of our
board in regard 10 the advertising
for bids and the leasing of the couu.
~ convicts: (cOmmnnt not nec---
sary); and, whereas. Mr.. Rogers used
my explanation for a basis OF his
charges. comment Nr. Rogers l.
} the ona and only one that can say ne
! &saG NY explanation as a basis %
his charges However. 7 viii sar that
} II was nor my intention 20 reflect cl
IL" honor of any one nor am Z CON
sc.ouS ri having done Su. The Trso.u.
ton further says thar IL is -lmpl: g