The Mena weekly star., 1909-08-05
ATTY. GEN. NORWOtD.
 ON STATE AFFAll 5.
Reasons Why Convists Were Con tracteG '-Iiad Legisl; lure Made Appropriation to Pay Caldwell & Drake Would Fave Savld
 Present Litigation Over
 State House.

WopHs NHtiS lCSNiTS dDh NlsltlDg in the city Of his home, favors The Star of tbis issue with very eniig ghtening interview re afdiug certain leading state questions, some of which, at least. to any were more UT less misunderstood.
 In discussing penitepil4ry af- fairs Mr. Ncrwood said that in his opinion the penitentiify was get'i g iu good shape fiuauci ly and that he believed from now on the convicts who are wor <ing un- der tbe ''coniract system' will earl enough to pay all expenses of themselves, as well as those who are on tine farm, aud that the present crop, when sold will be that much net surplus in the penitenuary fund. You under stand" he continued, "the peni- tctsiafy IS not suf orted from the general revenus tunls, sep- arate account is sKept of the pen- entlary fund and only such mon- ey goes to the credit of this fund as is earned by the convicts, of course all ,nonsy earned is paid into the treasury and paid out on warrsnss drawn by the auditor in the same manner as other funds are paid out, but the fuad Is ere ated from the labor of the con victs and not from taxation..
 When asked if the penitentlary WIS not in debt when he became a mber Of the board last Jar- uiry anl if au appropriation as not made from the general reve- nue fund to pay the inde btedness, he replied:
 Yes the peniientiary was in debt aad kept getting deeper in deht until the board commenced 10 work the ccnyicis under the contract system. You see ten wears ago a contract was made with the Arkansas Brick al q Marufacturiog Company. where by that company Was to pay fifty cents per day for the labor of 800 convlcls. From time to tin e other contracts were made for a smaller number of men and for a shorter length of time. The last one of ihes. short contracts ex- pl. q abs u year ago and as ihefe had boeu so much clamor against working the conv cls uu- der the contract system, the board refused to make any more con- tracts. Therefore from that time on the only source of revenue was from the brick company contract and their farm. Supplies Of every description increased in price un' ul the brick com 'anv contract s0t u, l v Il v Sl vselp r ugh the se }-S rose. req d. ai of the ,fol,, asd Il , board, II h rcqucs of the Farm CTS U.lon, Leld what cotton was raise fer union prices and by do ing 70 sold the crop for gres' deal less than could have been r ! aliz,d dt one time. When l be came a member of the board r January the periientiarF was no earning any money from aul scuFce except the brick compan' contract and this did pot nor than maintain the corvicts em pl0yed under that contract, there fore we were forced 10 maintai' about 500 on a credit just as tn
 board had been doing for som
 lime. The Brick Company cor tract had expired by virtue of fl own limitation ou January lst. but the company retained th men and claimed that 1t had tn right to work 300 of them for tv years longer in order 10 mak good the time of the men tna 'he board borrow q from it du' ing the life of its contract. Q The day the State officers wcf sworn in 1 introduced resolt ton instructiug the superintenc 1 ent of he peniteutiary to will \ draw all the men from the wotl
 of the Brick Company. Tn
 resolution received the votes l all lhe members of the boar
 After the adoption of this resoN
 ion the Brick Company ohtsin'
 so injunction against putin
 'bls or ter into effect.
 N01e of the members If u