Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-02
THE CONVICT PROBLEM.
Governor Blease Writes Significant
Letter to Penitentiary Board.

Governor BIease Writes Significant
Letter to Penitentiary Board.
Governor Blease has written the
following letter to the board Of peniten-
tiary directors, concerning the dispo-
sition Of convicts: !.
"Messrs. A. K. Sanders, John G..
Mobley, w. H. Glenn, ]. D. Deas and
Jasper M. Smith, members Of the
Board Of Directors Of the State Peni-
tentiary-Gentlemen / did not at
tend the meeting Of your board on
Wednesday, at the penitentiary, but
through your chairman and your Mr..
Mobley. invited you to call at the
executive office. If you had called
there I would have given you my
reasons for not attending your board
meeting at the penitentiary building,
which reasons I am sure any Of you
would have said were absolutely suf-
ficient, and you would have endorsed
me in not going. However, I do not
care to make a personal matter pub
lie through the telephone system,
which in recent years has come to be
a publicity bureau instead Of a source
Of private communication. I have re-
ceived no official communication as to
your action, but am basing this let
ter to you upon the reports Of your
meeting as contained in the newspa-
pers.
II want to implore you, to beg you
and to advise you not to make any
contract leasing one or any number Of
the convicts under your control, to
any individual, private firm or cor
poration, for any purpose whatsoever,
whether II be to engage In wood work,
hrtn yUnrk
or any other kind Of work.
"The people Of South Carolina have
been appealed to in no uncertain
terms in reference to this system Of
leasing convicts, and after a most Bit
ter and stubborn fight a large ma
jority Of the white people Of this state
have reelected governor who fought
this system, and they elected legis-
lature which abolished this system.
Joining with the people. the legisla-
ture disapproved Of this class Of work
by abolishing your present hosiery
mill system, which means that they
disapprove Of the leasing system, and
II you now make a contract leasing
one or any number Of these convicts
to any individual, private firm or cor
poration, for any purpose, you will do
SO directly contrary to the expressed
will Of the white people Of South Car
olina and Of your legislature.
why, gentlemen, what is the diff
ference? If you are going to march
these poor, unfortunate human beings
out Of their cells in the early morning,
and right on into another building,
there to be confined all day, and de-
prived Of fresh air, and deprived Of
sunshine, what makes the difference
whether they are working in a hosi-
cry mill or harness factory, or
where? 1t Is not so much the class
of work, but 1t is the character Of the
Imprisonment. and the necessary
fresh air and pure sunshine to give
them the health and strength which
God intended they should have, and
which you, because Of your tempora-
oy. oy power have no right to rob them
II hope that there has been no
agreement reached between your
board and Mr.. Graham, to the effect
that If he would surrender his con-
tract for the hosiery mill your board
would give him a new lease on these
prisoners to run some other class Of
business, because I assure you that
such contract will not be allowed to
stand, and that by Mr.. Graham's sub
mission he has shown no favor to the
people of this state, for the courts
will uphold the abolition Of this
nuisance, whether your board or Mr..
Graham should see fit to carry on a
controversy in regard thereto, or to
retire gracefully.
II am in favor Of letting each coun-
ty keep it's own convicts and working
them upon its own highways, and
hope the judges of this state will
adopt that system in passing SEN
tence.
"Those prisoners who must come
to the penitentiary because of the
Nervousness of their crimes should be
worked in a reasonable way, at some
business within the walls of the peni-
tentiary. absolutely under your con-
troll and direction, and most positively
not under the control or direction of
any individual, private firm or corpo-
ration; and you should provide such
proper restrictions and regulations as
to give these people that rest which
the human body requires and that
fresh air and sunshine which God in
tended that they should have. Beca Use
they are prisoners does not take from
them their humanity, nor does 1t Ge-
prive them of the soul that Is in the
body Of each of them, and when you
oppress one Of them you violate one
given by God to man.
Now, gentlemen, I will not be in
the state when you meet on the 10th
Of September, under my present ar
rangements. and, therefore, I will not
be present, but once again I warn you
not to lease these people to any pri-
vate parties. am not going to make
any threat, but I advise you to read
the constitution Of this state as to
your powers and duties, and particu-
larly to read Section 8. OF Article IL.
and take into consideration, along
with this, my well-known position in
reference to inhuman treatment of
these people. And, last, but by no
means least, carefully consider that I
have the power to relieve them from
any cruel or unjust punishment which
you or anybody else may try to put on
them.
IT hope. gentlemen, that I have
made myself plain, and I hope that
nothing unpleasant will take place,
but a word to the wise--to use an old
saying-should surely be sufficient in
this case Very respectfully,
"Cole L. Blease, Governor"