Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-01-17

officials, as 1t should be placed, and
manage and control 1t. think 1t Is
generally conceded throughout the
whole state that the state ought to
take entire control Of the institution,
and not have 1t conducted independent
ly, as at present, and believe the ac-
ton above suggested. will bring this
about, and I earnestly urge 1t.
| am in favor of the institution; /
think 1t Is a grand and glorious insti-
tuition, and that 1t Is doing a magnifi-
cent and noble work. If this change
would cripple 1t, would not even inti-
mate a suggestion that 1t be made; but
1 believe that by placing 1t directly un-
der the control of the state. instead OF
being crippled, it will be greatly
strengthened
| Hosiery Mill.
| Gentlemen, l desire again to call to
your attention your hosiery mill at
the South Carolina penitentiary-this
hosiery mill more properly named the
| South Carolina tuberculosis incuba-
tor" I shall not burden you with a
message in regard to it, but refer you
to House Journal, 1912, page 119, Sen
ate Journal, 1912, page 80, and would
ask you to read my message of last
year upon this matter, and then go to
|
selves. But remember, gentlemen,
things are in very much better condi-
ton now, than they were at the time
of the message to which ] have refer
red you. The floors have been cleaned;
| the spider webs have been brushed off
| the window sashes; the windows have
been opened; the cuspidors have been
cleaned and many other changes have
been made since I began to raise what
some Of the officials have termed hell.
I am glad I raised 1t, gentlemen, If l
have helped some poor fellows, even
though they are not out; and now l
want to raise little more of 1t, and
abolish this Internal death trap-this
earthly hell. If you do not abolish 1t
I cannot make you. And am not
going to make any threat. I am get
| ting too old for that. 1t Is demand
Of humanity which I am calling to
your attention, and II Is for you and
the demand is upon you.
In the thirty-third annual report OF
the state board of health, submitted
| to me by the chairman, DIR. Robert
Wilson, Jr., Of Charleston, and which
will be transmitted to your bodies,
this eloquent plea Is made:
"Once more we plead for aid to en-
able US to grapple with the tubercu-
losis evil. Year after year this terri
BILE scourge goes on with Its train OF
suffering and death and poverty and
| it's waste of hundreds Of thousands or
dollars. and nothing Is done. Other
states are spending large sums to
check its spread, but South Carolina
spends nothing. Will the legislature
never awake to the economic impor-
tance of this disease and support the
board of health in its fight"
II you desire, in addition to what
has already been given you, any fur
ther information in regard to this
hosiery mill, I will take pleasure In
furnishing you list Of the names OF
witnesses, who will come before your
bodies and give you full and detailed
account Of this institution: OF how
prisoners are treated In the penitenu-
ary the kind of food that Is given
them. the kind of clothes put on them,
and all the inside facts. These are
| men. who, although they were con-
victed of violation Of law and have
suffered punishment. will be recog-
niZed as truthful men, some OF these
unfortunates having been convicted,
not of theft or perjury, or other helm
Gus crime; but Of that class Of crime
which even the best Of us may be ha-
rassed into committing, and they are
known among their neighbors and
| friends at home as honest and upright
| men, although they have suffered mis-
fortune. In other words, gentlemen.
If you want the information, will
furnish It; all you have to do Is to sig
nifty your desire to receive 1t.
Beard Of Pardons.
Heretofore l vetoed the appropria-
ton for q board Of pardons. My rea-
sons therefor were given at the time.
| The legislature forced 1t over my veto,
and I then made up my mind l would
not have any pardon board, any way:
But, after thinking over 1t, l decided
| that had just as we'll give two OF my
friends a position that had some honor
attached to 1t and barely paid their
expenses. So I appointed board. 1t
has done good work. They are good,
honest men, and have been faithful so
| far as they could be, under the circum-
stances. But you, gentlemen. know
| that it Is a shame to offer for this
board Of three men the pitiful sum OF
| four hundred dollars year, which they
receive, when possibly they may have
one case before them, in which 1t may
take a man two or three weeks of good,
hard, honest effort and study and to go
through the testimony, the judges
L
and give them the attention they
ought to have For instance, it may
| take a Judge and jury, with court
stenographer, several days, or possibly
la week, or longer, to take the testi-
mony and conclude the trial of case.
Now, when the stenographer's notes
are written out, the members of the
pardon board are expected to sit down
and read the transcript over carefully,
and then read over the new evidence
by way of affidavits, and the petitions
and letters. Now. this is only one case,
gentlemen, and they have referred to
them since April, 1912 253 cases. OF
course, all the cases do not require as
much work. But If you are going to
have a pardon board, let US have re-
spectacle salary attached to it, so as to
place it upon a dignifled plane, at
least.
have been the recipient Of a great
deal of abuse and the object Of
great deal of harsh language about
pardons. Upwards of seventy-five
thousand white voters Of South Caro-
lima, however, said they endorsed my
course. But, gentlemen, there has been
a great deal of hard work and worry
in it all, and there has been no pleas
ure In It, except In seeing the poor fel-
| lows lTeb-lHSIt ~ a "OlluCb iuA PtNeS
ure in that Many cases have been
brought before me in which had to
refuse clemency, and, with all that has
been said about me-if you will pardon
a personal reference-sometimes
have gone to the window and turned
my back to my office and looked up
the street when the mother and little
children were pleading, and when l
knew my duty, and that had to say
no" 1t Is a serious duty and a grave
responsibility and am satisfied there
will never be a true man governor for
any length of time, who would not well
come relief from some of the response
bility. OF this, however. / treat more
fully in a message to the senate, trans
mitting my reasons for pardons, ana l
shall not enlarge upon it here. But
want to impress upon you that II you
are going to have a pardon board, you
should pay the members sufficient
salary that they may give their time
and attention to it. The members OF
the present board to my own knowl-
edge have made personal sacrifices TO
dn tho work I have placed in their