The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-01-05

however, made two new contracts for
seventy-iVe men each ana extending
until May 1st, 1908; n with the
Atlantic Improvement Company of
Fayetteville. the other with the Ma
VasSa GuanO Company Of Selma. Since
September, 1906, the contract price for
prison labor has been a dollar and a
half per day for each man. h price
remains unchanged IN the new CON
tracts.
Under special acts of the Legisla-
ture about forty counties in North
Carolina have organized what are
known as ehain-gangs and use them
IN n construction and Improvement
of their public roads and highways.
From the report of the Board of Pub
lie Charities it will be found that
there are more than twelve hundred
prisoners in these chain-gangs serving
sentence for crime. The State has
granted to the counties absolutely
and Internationally the full manage
ment and control of these prisoners,
responsibility for them, not even re-
serving a supervisory or in"spectlonary
authority. Without the least concert
with one another, each county is in
supreme control of its own gang, pre-
ScribeS it's own rules of discipline, of
clothing. OF feeding. Of guarding, of
quartering and of working. Conse-
quently, in addition to what is known
as the States Prison, North Carolina
has forty wholly independent State
Prisons under forty separate and dis
tnct arrangements, with forty differ
ent and distinct sets of rules and
regulations, and over which there Is
absolutely no State supervision and
inspection. The hospital facilities, at
least, of all these many prisons are
inadequate and defective, for in none
of the counties is there a place, ex-
cept the jail or the working quarters,
where the sick or the enfeebled or the
demented can be cared for and cured.
The present cha1n-gang policy of
our State-it is in no sense a system
cannot be successfully defended and
ought to be at once discontinued The
civilization of our age demands it. |
believe it to be in every respect as
defective and as full of possibilities for
wrong doing, cruelty and inhumanity
as was the Old Convict Lease System,
now long since abolished. l do not
mean to charge that acts of cruelty
and brutality have been actually COM
mitted in any county nor that the pris-
oners of any ounty have suffered
from over work and neglect, but do
mean hat the possibility for such
things has existed and does exist, and,
if the present policy is continued, /
feel it will be only a matter of time
when it will bring upon our State de-
served criticism and u~nenviaO.e noIo-
riety. The State cannot surrender
nor responsibility for those
whom it has fettered for crime.
Every person in North Carolina
under conviction and serving a term
of imprisonment for crime should be
under the direct, immediate and eX-
elusive care, management and control,
of the State.
They should. all be subject to the
same identical prison rules and dis
cipline.
They should all be comfortably
clothed, and all of the same degree of
crimes should wear the regulation uni
form.
They should all be given the same
quality, and a sufficient quantity, of
| wholesome food properly prepared.
Prompt medical and AIDE
quate hospital facilities should be pro-
vided for the sick and those who dur
ing their term have become worn and
debilitated Or demented.
The necessity for building and inn
proving public highways and of OBJ
tanning labor for this purpose at a
minimum cost was ~responslbl Tor the
original formation Of the county chain
gangs. Much progress has been made
in road building since then, and good
roads are now recognized as perhaps
the best agency for local and State de-
velopment. I believe the State can
use its onvict labor TO no better ad-
vantage than in constructing perma-
IlStlt pUDlfS III III
scientific and thorough manner, but
always uder the management and con-
troll of the State and not of the county.
1, therefore. respectfully submit for
| you consideration the following rec
concentrations. with the request that
if they meet with your approval YOU
will transmit them to h Governor
and ask his endorsement of them to
the General Assembly.
That all chain-gangs in North
| Carolina be totally abolished.
THAT all persons convicted OF
felony, less than capital, be committed
direct to the States Prison.
THAI all persons convicted of mis-
~demeanors and sentenced to terms OF
imprisonment be committed either to
the State farm or to the nearest mis-
demeanor camp.
That all persons committed to Jail
to await trial, except those charged
with capital felony. be given the priv
ilege with the consent of the state
authorities, to join tte nearest mis-
demeanor camp as a member
and subject to the rules and
discipline thereof until the
time of trial; and, if convicted.
the sentence given to be shortened
by the length of service before con-
viction: and, if acquitted, to be paid
bv the State authorities the same
wages per day for the service rem
dered before trial that is being re-
ceived for misdemeanor prisoners,
less the cost of transportation.
THAT all persons serving senten-
ceS for crime, whether felony or mis-
demeanor, shall be under the man
direction and control Of the
Board of State Prison Directors as
fully and completely and exclusively |
the State Prison now is.
THAT the said Board of Directors
have full authority to transfer
misdemeanor prisoners from one
point in the State to the State farm
or to any other point, in their DIS
cretion. either for work or for hos
pital attention.; but shall not be aIi-
thorized to mingle together persons
of felony and those CON i
of misdemeanOrs either at the
farm, in camps or upon any KIND Oh
work.
That all miSdemeanOr prisoners
required to wear an adopted uni
form, but not the regulation convict
That a competent clNll engineer
be emDloyet1 by the State and paid an
annual salary, whose duty it shall be
to lay out in q proper and scIentlflc
any public Q o" highway
in the State which is proposed to be
constructed or improved With convict
labor.