The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-01-06

action OF the Georgia legislature, the
county commissioners OF some OF the
Georgia counties met, with the view
OF determining how many state con-
vets could be used in their respect
I've counties in building good roads
Our state is very responsive to any
action taken by oTT great neighbor-
Ing state. This is due to proximity,
and among other reasons, ID the fact
that so many of our good citizens
come from Georgia. Some think that
IN using the cOnvicts on the .oads the
work will be done for nothing. They
fCrget that in so doing me county
loses its part of the hire of the con-
vIcts and will in addition ply its cost
or maintenance of the cOhVicts. There
Is another reason, humanitaTianiSm,
u hich would operate against the use
OF long term convicts, in the tempo
rary camps afforded by the counties
The convict camps are now fitted up
with iron beds, springs, mattresses,
blankets, pillows and sheets, baths
ana sanitary arrangements and COM
Portable houses. The Hon. p. z. Nc
LIN, commissioner of agriculture, has
kindly furnished me the following il
formation: The number of state prfs-
oners handled during the year 1907
was 1925. The number of women
handled during the year was 43. OF
this number of women prisoners there
are three white women FOR bOtn the
years 1907-190S. They are at the
headquarters hospital, two Oeing at
Quincy and one at Ocala. The report
about white women state cOnvicts be-
Jig sent out indiscTiminataly with ne
gro priSOerS is therefore a mistake.
OF the total number of prisoners ham
III a, 90
OF these, five were killed iii attempt
iGs to escape, one was killed by a fall
ing wall and twenty-three died natu.
raj deaths. 1t thus appears that 1872
per cent, or 1925 in every 1000 died
tIom natural causes. In most cases,
the prisoners died from the effect OF
diseases contracted prior % entering
the state prison" This death rate is
less than what is is in some insurance
companies, in which, Of course they
pick their members. L. 5. Census for
1900, volume 3, page 56, registration
area U. s., being that part in which
the statistics are based upon registra-
ton records" death rate is 17-S per
1000. The registration area embraces
the New England states, New York,
New Jersey, Michigan, and -he District
OF Columbia 'In the registration
area as a whole, the death late of the
native white is about Is per 1000 and
that of the foreign white about 10 per
Thousand less than that of the colored.
Then consider that q large per cent
of the prisoners are colOred and that
the death rate from natural causes is
only 1925 per 1000.
Humanity Would Prevent.
With the inconvenience necessaT-
la Incident tn Tho coa1 I.uyf hn
counties in building roads, there would
be no such small death rate. Human
itY would prevent long tern cOnvicts
from being used permanently in tenn
porary camps. On page 301 OF the ad-
mirable report of the commissioner of
Of agriculture for the years 1905 and
1906, the commissioner invites atten-
ton to the fact tnat I'VE stand sOli-
tary and alone in leasing women,
V hite and black, for a mOnjed consid-
Grafton and that we again stand
aIone among the states in leasing the
aged, the decrepit and the young"
The commissioner recommends that
some provision be made for the de-
tertion of the women and lie infirm
IN some farm, owned by the state. 1t
is to be hoped that his recommends
ton may sooner or later prevail. At
teTtiOn is invited more particularly to
the convict question, because Il is liza
bic to be subject of legislative &C
ton at the coming session. AS be-
fore mentioned our state il very re-
sponsive to the action taken by our
neighbOring great state Of Georgia.
This state having recently acted
Gil this subject. many FlOTidians will
tank that it will necessarily be d sub
ject of legislative enactment by our
s. ate. 1t is to be hoped that the va
riCus newspaper men will read the
able report of the commissioner OF
agriculture for the years 1905-06, or
as much. at least, as concerns the sub
Ject Of conVicts. In discussing the
subject, they ought to make a distinc-
ton between the state system and the
county systems, as regards the man
agement of convicts. There are many
hUmanitdrians and sen.imentalists
who know very little about The mate
rial facts on which their humanitar-
ian sentiment and sentimental hui
manitarianism is based. The conviCts
are prisoners sentenced to hard labor
as a punishment, yet they are wards
of the state, and are human beings.
There is not a members Of the board
" no is not anxious to have them prop
erly treated. 1t is desirable that
every member of the next legislature
and at least some of the newspaper
nIen and other public spirited Citi-
zens visit the convict camps within
their respective counties. Whilst a
member of the legislature, such an ex-
animation was lot made by myself
The natural assumption IS flat many
other legislators will fail to make such
5n examination unless their attention
IS especially invited TO the same. 1t
is my intention to follow NV own ad-
vice by visiting some of the camps