The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-01-23
Convict Leasing
System Given
a Hard Jolt
Continued tuom raEc one y

az as lN' i''N''h '' ,.... 1910.
....A 81 taNc advantage '' ''"''
me new VroN'cW d" the negro S'''''
ihcr .u she face, 'G"''Ao'''
t.ar. Aatvcj N She whites 'N' "'''
sut5cj notion N has new N'S''''" nav
ms started the Cr>tNhI' S"N' ""
>t7.c> ot ,uW'> aud w'>d'"'""'''
Threatened another great war one !"
ON.,h she Vcut "p passions '' r"'' "'
tu.i WonN tud 'uO SWAY tive '''"''
Vs> bankrupt and crime was never ''
.orc >o rampant - Wh'n inc S"A~'
t,r ot NEW >'tN''nd' l'r ''' '
nal rcEr' WAS Nr'>'"'''' '"'
So ci uVou t amt i'' ''"N
>,>tcm Was established.
The condition thus 'Nl''>'' "i''" ''''
-c-v2 WAS. 81" "'oN ''>I'''''
.hsu slavery HIS master was Us '"'''
q Gle t,rc who represented inc ""'''
SO thc FORMER save 'Nn''N' '''
o. Gle business emf o '"' '''"S'' '',"'
Is MAS cheap labor ne secure" '"' Wv
plantations ana 'utP'u''"' '"''l
PAID thN state irom S''" 10 '''
Vcav ior eAth PRISONER N"" Wv
.orcd little what became vi h''''
prisoner WAS taken Tar INTO '"' WI
3crnCss. was rhAlned To MS '''''"
made ~ WORK from iH"r'''" 10 '"'"''
hours day and then prepare MS V" "
supper az night. DOCTORS were 'N
SiNe ana converts were '"''t'
was cheaper 10 let th' SICK '""' ''' "''
than TO secure medl'AI "SN'N''"'' anu
save him. 1t was cheaper TO "'"N'
him sleep IN ms 'haihS III S'''''
room without windows imam L" NM
guard To keep MN from running """'
at night. II was cheaper 10 "''N' "''''
fry his own scant piece "l bacon o'''
smouIdering log III the yum '-"'
wind than to PROVIDE COOK 'h" "
comfortable shelter
rs time went on ana the system WIS
perfected, sheriifs, lnStlces an" IuIl'S
became part and parcel OF H. Nhc"
the five year contract was maze III
Georgia in 1904, by the terms OF which
hundreds of prisoners were turned over
to contractors the newspapers ilared
before the public eye the lntelli gehce
that the state would be the rchcr by
"A net profit of S221,ooo. YAM nope
\ review of the history OF the system
shows that in later years the state re
ceived very little of the amount paid
by the contractor. The county got no
money until the sheriff. deputy sher
if. county solicitor. baillff. court clerk,
Justice. constable and other Officers
had each received his share. All the
political machinery stood in with the
contractors. who were. in some cases,
members of the legislature. And this
with the knowledge that the money
was nothing less than blood money cX-
tortcd at the expense Of the helpless
convict. Sorry fate Out of those
leased TO contractors for five wears
many never came back. In some of
the camps one ont of every four per
ished killed bv the heavy toll. by the
fever of the swamp or hv the cruelty
of hcartlcss masters. The death rate
in private camps was double that in the
county GANGS. And in the face of
these facts the pcrnctrators were
shielded and saved from Indictment bv
a machinery that knew nothing of ius
tee but to pcrvcrt It,
In some of the counties of the South
ern states iusticcs could sentence men
convicted Of n misdcmcanor TO hard
labor for a period not exceeding twelve
months In many of those courts the
cbarre was never proven Poor il
litcrotc. witbut knowlcdrc of tbc work
mos Of thc courts witbout tbc means
to cmrlov counsel tbo unfortunate NO
ara v,s At tbe marcy Of tho svs+om
He went out to , fate worse Than
deotb. for in all probability there
would bc no end to his sentence Such
was tbc o,trooo of iust;co comm;ttod
in these courts that thc offcndcr miobt
well imooinc tho sion ohovc tbo door.
osA1l bonc ,b,ndon va who ontor
here, Ic left tbc court hound for
, ,l,co hos;do ,biob n.n,o,, rnso
was narodisc When his t;mo of nm.
;sbmor+ v,s nm HE on,n,o,,a. ,.a,.a',
= f;obt botwoo, him and . hro,ho, oan
v;ct and hotb ,voro ;,,o1;..o,,. .,.,s,
hcforc the iust;co and motod ~. a,..
twelve. month sentence Tine tho low