The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-04-07
Governor and Prison Commission
Are in a Lively Row.
FORM TWO NEW ANANIAS CLUBS

It Is All About That New Prise
Farm, and the Confusion Over tn
Care of White ConViCts. GOvernO
Says Commission Is to Blame, am
That Body Says the Governor Is
The Present Situation Unfortunate
ATLANTA-WhO is to blame TO
the state not having purchased a new
convict farm?
Why is it that after the legisla
ture made provision-betwee the
lines-a year ago for putting white
inmates of the penitentiary on q
farm there is no farm to put them
on though the money appropriated
for that purpose is in hand and ready
for use?
Who should be criticised for the
confusion, not to mention the eX-
pense, that is the result from the
distribution of white men among the
counties for road work?
These are questions that are GER
tain to bob up as a result of the
present unfortunate situation. Gov
ernor Smith says that the blame
should be placed on the prison COM
mission, and the prison commission
says it should be placed on the gov
ernor. And there you are.
Meanwhile, there must be a re-
organization of the new penitentiary
system, at least for a few months,
and then when a farm is purchased
there must be another reorganization.
The distribution of cOnvicts was
made, tentatively, several months
ago, on the basis of only negroes to
distribute. County officials were no.
titled of the number they were to
get, and they have been making
preparations accordingly. Now the
number in each case has had to be
increased, and in some instances pro-
vision has had to be made for car
ing for both whites and blacks. an
important circumstance in view of
the strict color line distinctions re-
CURED by the new law
g. People Bear Cost.
The state or the counties, in truth
the people, must bear the expense
of transporting some 400 or more
prisoners to different parts of the
state, and then on some later date
the expense of transporting them
from different parts of the state to
a farm.
The new prison farm was made
contingent, by the legislature, on the
results obtained from the near beer
tax law, which was to be the source
of the needed revenue The near
beer law was held up in the courts
for several months, but was sus-
tanned last December, over three
months ago.
When it had been passed upon
Governor Smith notified the prison
commission that funds sufficient to
purchase and equip the farm would
be in hand at the proper time Mean
time the commission had made esti-
mates and advertised for bids, and
when they made a selection of a
farm (the Wimberly plantation in
Twiggs county, and reported it 10
the governor he refused to approve
it, giving the following reasons:
Inc Governors Statement.
81 examined two farms that were
being considered by the prison COM
mission, two of the four that they
considered preferable.
THE first farm was the Wimber-
ley farm. | didn't think that this
farm had sufficient agricultural land.
and for many reasons did not think
it suited to the purposes desired
THE second farm, which was one
of the four, was the Grier farm, in
Turner county. While less than half
of the Kimberley farm, in my Opin-
ion, was suited to agriculture, be-
tween eighty and ninety per cent of
the Grier farm was splendid agri-
cultural land, and l was ready to APP
prove the selection of this farm.
This farm had the additional adj
vantage of ample buildings and the
cOnvicts could be moved upon it with
a days preparation.
There are a number of other
farms that have been submitted to
the prison commission which
would approve without hesitation. II
was not my desire to dictate the
farm, but as the law required me tC
approve it l could not consent tC
approve a selection which l did MOI
believe would meet the requirements
of the state.
''My conception is that the farm
selected should be permanently suit
ed to agriculture and that a large
portion of it should be used for thi
purpose. 1t should be healthy anC
be the basis for permanent agricul
tural work. Any such farm would
meet my approval. l regret that tn,