The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1908-09-11
ABOLISH CONVICT
LEASE SYSTEM.


From the Tampa Tribune Of recent
dates we copy the following editorials
on the subject of convict lease and what
TO do with eonvicts:
Experience is a dear school-unless
we are wise enough to learn from the
experience of others.
Georgia is just now paying thousands
of dollars for the knowledge that she
has been making a grievous mistake for
these many years in her manner Of
dealing with her convicts. She is torn
and rent with the painful labor Of bring
ing forth q system entirely foreign to
what has become settled custom, 50
firmly cemented TO the foundation work
Of her State government thatit requires
q giant upheaval to tear the structure
from its base and yet leave the founda-
ton upon which q humane and at the
same time profitable institution may be
reared. Her probing after the hidden
springs which have carried the present
institution through the years without
the attendant jar Of inhuman treatment
and colossal fraud being apparent to the
citizenship has unearthed such an Au-
gean stable Of filthy practice that the
fetid odor rises for the world to sense
and condemn, and even now the legisla-
ture is in mortal combat over the uues-
ton Of demanding the resignation Of
each member Of the State prison COM
mission and in the place of this body or
ganize board Of control, of which the
governor shall be the head, the actual
work Of management to be entrusted to
a man hired for this work alone, his DO
sition depending upon the manner in
which he carries out his work. In other
words, the man who is in actual charge
will be subject to discharge oy the board
of control, just as any manager of any
private enterprise is subject to dis
charge by the company whose proper
ties he manages. He must be compe-
tent.
This is the experience of Georgia.
Why may we Of Florida not profit by
the experience of our sister State and
plan for the rebuilding Of our structure
in like or even better manner? Must
we wait until our system gives forth
such a fetish odor as GeOrgia's, or may
we not set TO work now and be ready
when the next regular session Of the
Legislature Is convened 10 handle the
question in q manner at once able and
efficaciousl
. IL we do not set TO work at once il Is
q matter Of months only until Florida
will be held up to the ridicule Of the
nation, for our system is on the very
verge Of giving forth an Odor even
worse than that we have just been given
from our sister State.
And Florida can III afford il. Georgia
cannot well bear the disgrace which at
tends her condition; but she is doing her
best to remedy il. That is much. But
Florida has Congressman Clark. He
has championed Florida and the South
against the ill-natured attacks Of Bona
parte, the sttorney-general under
Roosevelt, 1.-THE lover of the land of
Dixie. He has made bold to denounce
the stories Of peonage in Florida and
the South in general when the charges
were sustained by the statements Of
these members Of Roosevelt's cabinet
and administration. Now to come for
ward with full publicity of our convict
lease system, with the various phases
Of its ignominious practices, its sub
leasing and the attendant .perverting Of
the aim Of justice, its loophole Of es-
cape for the man with some ready money,
and its many winding pathways to es-
cape or death in the attempt in answer
to temptations offered by unwary or
careless guards in the outlying camps
among the palmetto and the pine, would
give these men, silent for the past sew
eral months, just the opportunity they
desire. Then they might point 10 Us
the finger, doubly accusing, of II told
you So" and from this half convince
the world at large that their former
baseless charges are correct.
There is a time to act, and the time
is now; not to await the conYening Of
the Legislature and begin the agitation,
but to begin at once, that a special ses-
sion will not be necessary, and that the
practice may be remedied while yet
there Is time to avoid the limelight.
Sometime ago we had in Hillsborough
county a case Of perversion of the ends
Of justice. At the time the Tribune
took up the matter and brought il to
The point where justice was given her
demand. It was not 80 long ago that il
has passed from the minds Of Tribune
readers and It is not necessary to repeat
It. But this Is not the worst. Here,
the man was working. True, his work
vas Of the character that was not a
punishment to him, and he was earning
Tar more than the county was receiving
Tor his services. But there are cases
FAR more fragrant and they are on the
verge Of becoming public. When they
10, II will mean an agitation which can
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