The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1913-01-17
GILcHRIST TALKS OF
CONVICT LEASE SYSTEM.
Former Governor of Florida Gives
His Views of Present System
of Handling Criminals.


airy, 1909, he continuously endeav-
ored to avail himself of evey oppor-
tunity to advertise and boost the re-
sources and superiority of Florida in
the magazines and newspaper press
of this state, of other states and of
other countries. Governor Gilchrist
has contributed a large part of such
communications to various publica'
tons during his term of office.
In the Tampa Morning Tribune re-
Gently appeared the following article
written by Governor Gilchrist under
the head Governor Gilchrist on Con-
victs, by Hon Albert w. Gllchrist,
Governor of Florida"
Il highly appreciate the invitation
to write an article on a subject Of
state interest for your valuable daily.
"The disposition of the convicts is
a subject of interest to all the people
of the state. They are now leased
for $2S1.60 each per year. Upon the
old and infirm and women being TAX
en- out of the lease fifteen per cent.
extra is to be paid for those remain.
Ing. The legislature having failed to
make suitable appropriation for build.
ing the necessary houses and stock.
AIDES, these are now taken care Of by
the lessees for this fifteen per cent.
The lessees clothe, feed, provide med.
icine and medical attention for the
convicts. The bill of fare is prescrib-
ed in the lease. They have separate
iron beds, sheets, pillows, pillow cases
and blankets. Bathing facilities are
prescribed; hours of work are pre-
scribed. Most Of the conVicts, how
ever, are given tasks, many of them
finishing the same by midday Fri.
day-some by Friday night, and prac.
tically all by midday Saturday. Many
of the convicts prefer to work over
time during the week, in order to Sc
cure all day Saturday to themselves.
Many of them have money which
they make from overtime or from lit
tie trinkets they make in the camp
on Saturdays.
This administration was the first
administration to take out of the lease
the old, the infirm and the women.
Upon the recommendation of the Gov
ernor, and the concurrence of the cab
met, the legislature appropriated
money with which to purchase fully
10000 acres of land for prison
farm. In my opinion, the next legis'
lature should take the necessary
steps towards having good, sub
stantial hospital placed on this farm.
These improvements should be made
from money derived from the hire
and lease of the prisoners. The prls'
oners are now leased for about $780,
600 to $4,000 net a year. All OF
this money is paid to the counties
in proportion to the assessed valua'
ton. The state does not receive as
much as one cent from the same. The
state pays, however, about $15O,OOO
per year towards the conviction of
criminals. 1t would be nothing but
fair for these necessary buildings on
the farm to be paid for from the
money derived from this lease.
Many of our citizens favor the
bill passed by the last legislature
which | had the honor to veto. This
bill contemplated placing the con-
yicts on the roads without making
provision for any penitentiary. In
Georgia there are at least two pris'
on farms. Twenty odd counties re-
fused to work the prisoners on the
road. These prisoners together with
the old and infirm and the women
and certain desperadoes were neces-
sarily placed on the prison farms.
You can see the absolute absurdity
of the bill as passed by the last leg.
islature.
81 do not think longterm convicts
should be housed as they are housed
in Georgia. They are placed in iron
cages often holding as many as II
to the cage, sleeping in little hunks.
like the Colorado system better.
They place certain classes of con-
victs on the roads, giving them an
extra gain time for good behavior on
the ROAD. MS hahSS II q opCSioA
incentive to them to do good work
and to behave properly. Under such
circumstances the convicts are work
ed without guard-in many places
tents being provided for them. Some
people enormously state that they
are placed upon honor. 1t is called
placing upon honor. They are actual
ly, however, placed upon the moving
cause which controls many men -
self-interest. If they should escape,
they will lose the gain time already
secured. BY behaving themselves they
get a greater gain time than they
do while working in the penitentiary.
Self-interest requires them to make
good prison citizens.
1T has taken years to develop the
present efficiency of the convict sys-
TEN. The bill passed by the last leg
islature without making any prepa'
ration for the convicts, changed the
system entirely. The bill attempted
to change it with great injustice to
the convicts as well as to the inter-
ests of the people of the state"