The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-12-24

against every social instinct and every
demand of humanity, and deserves no
consideration whatever.
We hold no brief for Governor
Blease in this matter, though he is
right. He is able to speak for himself
We do plead, however, in the interest
of common honesty and of justice and
humanity.
The case of a free citizen laboring
in cotton mill or hosiery mill bears
no analogy. The free citizen is not at
all times enclosed within four given
walls, shut out from Gods free world,
with it's sunshine and its life and its
beauty, and the free citizen does not
sleep every night in a lonely cell.
There is another distinction A free
citizen may choose for himself work
On a leper island, or in any other
dangerous occupation; is that any rea-
son why the State should expose its
convicts to the same dangers?
The world is progressing, and is
leaving behind the days of barba1ism
Mn are beginning to realize that the
purpose of punishment is the good OF
society. A man is not put to death by
the law because the law takes pleasure
in ending the life of criminal, how
ever vile, but because in an extreme
case it is held the part of wisdom to
get such a one finally out of society
and in the belief that such punishment
will also act as a deterrent to others.
But society Isl never bettered by in
humanity to man in any form. The
better social instinct is crystalliZing
more and more into methods which
look to the reform of the prisoner,
rather than to hardening him and con-
frming him in his evil ways. In many
of the States systems; of parole in
proper cases have been found great
improvement upon the old systems,
and in South Carolina the parole sys-
tenn of Governor Blease in most cases,
we believe, has resulted in good. OF
course, the cases should be proper
cases.
But the State has no right to force
one of her prisoners to exposure to
the danger of a dread disease such as
tuberculosis 1t is criminal so to do
a crime against the prisoner many
times worse than most of the prison
ers have committed. 1t is not only
cri?ne against the prisoner, but it is a
crime against society, for every pr's-
oner who leaves the penitentiary with
the germs of tuberculosis helps spread
the disease. 1t is not only a crime
against the prisoner and against so
cieCy-it is a cruel, heartless, terrible
crime-and the worst part OF 1t is
that it is a crime which has been com
mitted and is being continued pTlncl-
pally, we believe, as a result Of op-
position to Governor Blease and meas
ures which he has proposed. Gentle
men may convince themselves there is
no petty spite in themselves in dealing
with large issues of this kind; but It
behooves all of US frequently to ex-
anime closely into our hearts
Let the hosiery mill go. Abolish it
and abolish it speedily.
The issue will be brought before the
LEGISLATURE at the coming session. A
bill will be introduced in the early
days of the session, we are informed
to wipe out the hosiery mill. 1t should
mass. without a moments considera-
ton of any contract or any number OF
contracts booming prisoners to sucn
horror, and without a moments coll
sideration of any financial loss to any
Lo5,- r. ic , ,,,attar of right. 1t IS