The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-23

earnestly devoted to the great work of revolution ahead. The members met at once in the capitol and organized by tho election of Dawson president of the board and Henley secretary.
 The warden and the penitentiary phy- scan were sent to reside at Pratt Mines President Dawson took up his residence at the penitentiary. The physician was Dr. R. M. Cunningham.
 President Dawson developed energy and sound direction in his office. He removed the small, individual brick cells from the great cell, throwing each of the three floors into single apartment, where beds were hung from the ceiling. He built barns and made additional provision for the hospital, etc.
 The Alabama Medical association en- tered the arena of discussion of the pen itentiary and it's abuses. Dr. John B. Gaston was selected to make personal inspection and prepare report Dr. Jerome Cochrane, state health officer, took a hand in examination and report upon the conditions.
 The board of inspectors could do little but report Their statements of fact con- tinued to arouse the people and the press
 At the August general elections of 1881 Judge Augustus A. Coleman of Greensboro offered for the lower house of the legisla- ture. He was not only man of extraor- dnary ability in council, but he sought this place to see that the penitentiary laws were amended and reformed without further delays. He did not succeed to the limit of his original purpose, but he did accomplish great results. His scheme Is now incorporated in the penitentiary laws of the state in great measure and Is responsible for the good that obtains that far.
 The New Plan.
 The phenomenal revenue returns from the penitentiary of Alabama arise in the main from the present method of contract with coal mining companies for convict labor. The originator of the proposition to remove the conviots from, the status of coal miners on a wage scale came from Col. Reginald H. Dawson, president of the board of inspectors, in his report to Governor O'Neal in 1886. The Coleman reform was just then taking effect, but Colonel Dawson proposed to enlarge upon the humanitarian features of that move ment He invited the state government to obtain the use of some of the large coal area belonging to the university, open mines and produce coal by convict labor on a royalty to the university. His reas- oning led to the present method of miu- ing coal for a corporation mine owner at a price agreed upon per ton, by the pen ten tiary. Practically this Is Dawson's plan, the absolute control of the labor by the penitentiary the objective
 In this same year of 1886 occurred the unprecedented floods in Alabama. While the rain poured in blinding torrents, tho Alabama at Montgomery rose high upon Commerce street. Governor ONeal sent to Colonel Dawson's sick chamber an im- perative call upon him to appear at the executive office at the capitol There were no street cars and no hacks ven- tured out In the storm. Dawson walked feeble as he was to the capitol, drenched when he arrived. The governor informed him that several negro men convicts at No had taken refuge on the roof of house there and they must be taken away" Dawson had served under O'Neal in the war and he well knew that