The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-09-02

| Ony convicts they want, that the
state organize gangs for working the
public roads in counties that are too
poor to work their own convicts or
| to take oOnvicts from the state and
! that the residue be located on state
farms or in mines owned by the
state.
1t is apparent that there are seri-
Gus objections to the governors
plan. The convicts would be widely
scattered and those not in the pos
| session of the counties would have
to be guarded, fed sheltered and
clothed by the state. The cost
would be large, but the governor
! doesn't say how the money to cover
! this cost is to be raised The coun-
ties would take the healthy and able
| bodied cOnvicts and the state would
have to keep and care for those Grip
| pied by disease or age and unable
| to do fair days work. Hospitals
and doctors would be needed and
the expense would be large. If, in
accordance with the governors views,
gangs were organized for work on
! the roads machinery and implements
would be required, and the governor
nowhere in his message points out
! how the money for these things is
| to be obtained. 1t is certain that
| the state has no fund which can be
drawn upon for them. Is it his
view that there should be a bond is
sue, and that the issue should be
large enough to include the cost of
farms or mines with the necessary
tools, stock and machinery?
1t is practically certain that the
plan Of turning felony convicts over
to the counties that want them
wouldn't work well. Felony convicts
! would have bad effect upon INSIDE
meanor convicts, and the result
would be characterization and at
tempts to escape. Only a few of the
counties are equipped for keeping
and caring for desperate class of
convicts The authorities know
nothing about handling such con-
VIcts. Hence, there would soon be
dissatisfaction and scandals. In fact
the scandals would be much greater
than they are under the lease sys-
tenn.
The governor says he has studied
! the farm system that is in operation
in number of the southern states.
and that as far as he is able to de-
eide it is a success. If it is a sue
cess why not adopt it for all of the
state cOnvicts? If the cOnvicts were
placed upon state farms there would
| be no difficulty in guarding them
ana caring for them humanely.
Ihere would be no scandals and the
conVlcts would be self-supporting.
Ihey would be more. Under the
management of an able man the state
farms could be made to yield an in
come about as large as that which
the state now gets under the lease
system.
The convicts would not come in
contact with the public and would he
directly under the control of the
state. The state farm system is the
ideal penitentiary system here in the
south. Neither Mississippi nor Louis
lana, which have the farm system
has convict scandals. AS a rule the
conVlcts leave the penitentiarv in
those states satisfied they have been
well treated, in good physical con-
dltlon and morally improved.
The governors plan of scattering
the cOnvicts all over the state under
dlHerent controls would be a serious
mistake, and would be the source of
trouble and scandal. The farm svs-
TEN, by which all of the convicts
could be concentrated on farms of
the state, would be a success, if right
ly managed. 1t would be free from
scandals, would be profitable and
would insure the convicts humane
treatment.
| The governor is right in wanting
the convict lease system abolished
The entire state wants it>aboIfshed
There is a difference of ODinion
| however, whether it should be aboI-
ished Immediately or a couple of
years hence, when enough money has
been accumulated to inaugurate an
other system If the farm system is
ADOPTED money will be required to
purchase land, implements and to
erect the necessary bui1dinoo