The Lubbock avalanche. (Lubbock, Tex.) 1909-1922, 1912-11-07


would have had under the old
law. These items include con-
Wet per diem Of ten cents a day,
overtime, excess transportation,
funeral expenses, etc. IL be-
came necessary to purchase SlO1, :
1913. So worth Of live stock to re-
place the worn out found on the
farms. The freezinAof the cane
crop last year entailed a loss of
possibly $500 600. The fire at
Huntsville, stopping the output
Of the industries there, made an
other heavy loss. The cane
crop this year will be short from
the severe drouth. as was also
the cotton crop. Many changes
had to be made in officials, in
guards, in everything pertain
ing to the system and all these
changes prove expensive, For a
long time. the prisoners, think
ing that those over them no
longer had authority to punish
them, failed to do as much work
as they had formerly done.
IL has taken time to get az good
results as under the old system
Of driving the men.
The old system was able to
show met gains" from the fol-
lowing sources: The state farms,
the snare farms and the contract
forces. Taxing a period of nine
years from 1900 to 1909. the
state farms made net gains of
S597, 1872. 90, according to the re-
port Of the auditors appointed by
the investigating committee, or
about S65, 600 a year, and judg-
ing from the appearance of the
farms, this gain was made at a
far greater loss in the physical
deterioration Of the property.
The share farms for the same
period Of nine years showed
gains Of 1893, 954. IL, while the
contract forces showed gains in
that time OF $l.52i. 243. So, the
penitentiaries at Huntsville and
Rusk showing a combined aver
age yearly loss Of approximately
5000, 900. Under the old system
the auditors showed. there was a
net gain Of 1868. 800. 40 in nine
years, for the entire system, or
an average of about $50, 600 a
year, without taking into con.
sideration the deterioration in
buildings and machinery that
were rapidly going 10 waste.
Even this slight gain was made
almost wholly by the contract
forces. and at the expense of all
the suffering, the hardship, the
cruelty, the inhumanity, the
brutality and the wrong that the
iniquitous system of selling pris-
oners, like 80 many slaves 10 the
highest bidder, carried with it.
When all the conditions under
which the prison commissioners
have labored are considered, sur
prising things have beeG accom-
plished in a remarkably short
time. The system has by no
means reached tie highest point
Of efficiency in anv respect, but
enough has already been done "a
demonstrate the wisdom OF the
Legislative investigating COM
mittee in its recommendations.
and of the last Legislature in its
action. Whatever deficiencies
there may be in the present law
are of minor consequence. and
can be worked out by future
legislation. but the system itself
should not be disturbed, but
should be given that financial aid
that will enable the commission
ers to work out the gigantic
problems that confront them.
That this ~can be successfully
done is the contention of the
governor. the commissioners. the
members of the legislature who
have given closest study to the
problems involved and of all
others who have familiarized
themselves with the conditions.
The next and final article in
this series will deal with the
needs of the prison system.
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