The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1911-06-02
GOVERNOR VETOES
AMTI.LEASE BILL
Declares State is not Prepared
to House its Convicts.
House Fails to Override Executive
Prerogative.

the second time the House failed in an
attempt TO pass the measure over the
Governors veto. :
That law similar TO the Angle bill
will eventually become the rule of the
state in the disposition of its convicts,
seems to be generally conceded. The
convict lease system is barbaric way ol
treating convicts. But to change to
another plan without preparation would
leave the state not only in financial
hole, but would render il almost impos
Sible for the present administration to
provide for the keep of its convicts.
In vetoing the measure Gov. GilchrisI
gave the following clear reasons for his
action:
81 have the honor to return herewith,
without my approval, the following bill
which originated in your honorable
body:
can act to abolish the present con-
vict lease system, to provide for the
maintenance of the State and counties,
and providing for the working of the
said State and county convicts upon the
public roads,"
"The title is defective and misleading.
The title calls for provision for the
maintenance of the State and county
convicts. No such provisions for the
maintenance appears in the body of the
bill.
State Has No Penitentiary.
"The state has no prison or peniten-
tiary. This bill does not provide that
the prisoners it requires shall be en-
ployed in the maintenance and construc-
ton of state highways, shall be conSid-
cred in law TO be in the state prison, as
does the present law Should this bill
become law, this defect may lead to
the discharge ON habeaS corpus of all
the prisoners sentenced by the courts.
The dangers of this omission in this
bill are too serious TO the welfare OF the
state to be overlooked.
under the present administration,
and under my recommendation to the
Legislature of 1909, 5000 was appro-
prated under the chapter 5941, acts of
1909, 'an act authorizing the Board of
Commissioners of State Institutions TO
purchase lands for prison farm, to
erect buildings and equipment for said
farm, and directing that certain prison
ers be not leased for pay and providing
the means to defray the expense neces-
Sary to carry out the provisions of this
act
"The said board was authorized to
purchase tract or body OF land suitable
for agricultural purposes and was au-
thorized to erect on said property Suita-
BILE buildings for properly conducting
and maintaining State Prison Farm, etc.
"The board has purchased S,154.5O
acres at five dollars per acre, situated in
Bradford county near Ellerbees Rai-
ford. The Board took an option on
7,445.5O acres of ajacent land at the
same price, subject 10 the action of the
Legislature in appropriating money for
purchase of same. This land is conve-
niently located with reference to rail
way facilities. The Atlantic Coast Line
Railroad runs along one side of it, a
station, Ellerbee is on the land. The
Seaboard Air Line Railroad is three to
four miles from the tract.
"This administration has shown in its
recommendations and in its action that
il favors the ultimate repeal of the lease
system of working the state convictS.
From a humanitarian standpoint, am
opposed 10 the employment OF long
term convictS on public roads. When
convicts are used on public roads they
are usually housed in iron cages on
wheels similar TO cages in which animals
are carried around in the menagerieS S
which often exhibit in our state. |
have seen such cage, under the present
convict system of Georgia, twelve con-
victs provided with berthS, the cage be-
ing about seven by fifteen feet. The
cages are moved as the eXigencies of the
work require. There can be but little
convenience for bathing, for provisions,
for fresh vegetables from adjacent farms
or for any convenience for toilet ar
rangements at night. A foreman is
placed over the convictS. These con-
victs are chained 10 big log chain at
night, and are chained TO such log chain
on Sundays.
Shows Up Georgia System.
at is true that in some of the large r
towns the long term conyictS are housed
in permanent quarters. For instance, at
Bainbridge, Ga, being in the county
of Decatur, there are no such permanent
quarters. Nor are there any such in
said county. In the City of WaycrosS
there are such permanent quarters.
Whenever there are such permanent
quarters my impression is that the con-
victs fare as well as they fare under the
present lease system in Florida.
"From humanitarian point of view,
consider the present lease system OF
Florida as being far in advance of the
present Georgia system. Under the
present lease system in Florida, every
convict has a comfortable iron bed,
comfortable springs and mattresses and
other comforts Bathing facilities are
provided. Their diet is provided by
the contract. The hours of work are
fixed, they can at least be comfortable
at night and on Sunday. | submit that
such condition cannot exist in the
movable cage menagerie' system.
at is true that the following condi.
tions do not exist in every State convict
camp. In one convict camp establish
ed under the present lease system there
is arteSian water, water system, sew
erage system, all the facilities for bath
ing, vegetable farm, etc. The sleeping
accommodations are TO be found equall-
ed in few hotels in Florida. Last year,
with two or three members of the cabi-
net, visited another camp, one Satur-
day, the same being sixteen miles from
a railroad station. Fifty convicts were
employed at this camp learned that
none of the convicts were at work that
Saturday, all having completed their
weekly task. Fully half of them were
lounging around the camp the other
half with some of the guards had gone
off fishing in one of the nearby lakes.
81 am heartily in favor oJ the discon
tinuance of the lease system for hand
ling convicts. am opposed, however
to the operations of the present bill.
Under the laws, already enacted, the
cripple, infirm and the women will be
placed on a farm. Provision for the
maintenance of the same was made il
the present lease executed under the