The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-07-16
ONE STEP IN ADVANCE

4 The state senate's appropriation of
$4,000 from the convict lease fund -
the purchase of a nrisoL. farm for wo-
men and infirm convicts is a step In
the right direction.
One step is not enough. and it may
be slow going, but we are glad for
that much progress.
1t will be dissolved that this appro-
priation does not come out of the peo-
pie. 1t is convict money. In other
words, the convict must earn his own
betterment. The legislature simply
says he may do so.
Until the thing is finally accom-
plished, If the people will not abandon
the lease system and provide properly
for the states convicts, then at least
every dollar that he earns ought to
go that end.
Even the vilest of convict lease adj
vocates should not object to that
Orlando Reporter-Star.
The True Democrat is not prepared
to endorse all of the above from our
esteemed contemporary, particularly
that portion of the article in which it
is intimated that the prisoners of this
state are not now being properly car
ed for, as we are of the opinion that
the convicts of Florida receive better
treatment and care than the prisoners
of any other southern state. But we
desire to endorse fully the common
dation relative to the provision for the
establishment of state prison farm,
where, as the act of establishing the
farm provides, all women, sick and
disabled, crippled and aged prisoners
shall be placed, and only the able-bod-
led prisoners remain leased. And in
this connection we desire to commend
for this advanced step in prison mat
tiers in this state the one who, for the
past three sessions of the legislature,
has endeavored to have this legisla-
ton enacted-Hon. B. E. McLin, com
missioner of agriculture, who has di-
rect charge and supervision over the
prisoners of the state. He has all
along contended that it was not in &C
cordance with the ideas of advanced
civilization that this class of prison
ers now exempted by law from the
provisions of the lease should be
placed out at hard labor, in the same
places and under the same conditions
as able-bodied male prisoners; that
no other state does it, and with this
idea he framed a bill with this end
in view and submitted it to the board
Of commissioners of state institutions, |
who, after a few slight changes, en-
dorsed the measure and the legisla- |
ture enacted it into law.
Mr.. McLin also prepared a bill rel |
alive to the management of county |
prisoners in this state, which the leg
islature enacted into law. Hereto
fore, when prisoners were discharged |
from a county camp they were not
given a cent. Estate prisoners receive
$40 in cash upon being discharged).
The bill of Mr.. McLin's provides that |
the management of county prisoners
shall also be under the control of the |
commissioner of agriculture, and that |
each county prisoner, upon being dis
charged, shall be paid the sum of 50 |
If his sentence is for a less period |
than four months, and all prisoners
sentenced for four months or over
shall be paid the sum Of IS, and in ad-
dition to the above sums shall be paid |
a sufficient sum of money to purchase
them a ticket to the place from where
they were sentenced, and that they
shall be furnished the same food,
clothing and treatment as furnished |
state prisoners. The law provides |
that upon failure to comply with any
of the requirements enumerated |
above the commissioner of agriculture,
with the approval of the board of COM
missioners of state institutions, have
the right to require the county prison
ers returned to the Jail from where
they were sentenced.
Mr.. McLin, in his observation of the
workings of the county prison system,
saw the necessity of providing for the
payment of some small sum to county
prisoners, so that he should not be
turned loose from a prison camp in
a community without a cent, necessi-
tating his either begging or pilfering
for that with which to sustain life I'M
til he could go somewhere and earn
something. The new county prison
law also provides that the county COM
missioners shall not lease or hire out
any female prisoners or any male
prisoners sick and diseased to such |
an extent as not to be able to perform
manual labor.
Notwithstanding the fact that Mr.
McLin has supervision over the land
interests of the state, the stock feed
and fertilizer and pure food laws and
the entire prison system, both state
and county inyolviDo vast amount