Newport daily independent., 1913-06-09
WANTS CQNNCTs
 PUT IN ROADS
SIT HEN BRUNDlOGE WOULD IN. Sf ALL HONOR SYSTEM AMONG
 WHITE PRISONERS.
IS SUCCESS IN COLORADO
Candidate for Governor Outlines His Views on How the States Corvicts
 Should Be Managed

An honor system for the convicts jn the Arkansas penitentiary.
 Citizens of Arkansas have read with interest of the successful use the honor system has been put to in West ern states, but no one ever dared pub licly to declare such a thing feasible in Arkansas until Col. Stephen Brun. didge advocated the use of the system in a speech made recently.
 Tn dealing with the convict question, Cof, Brundidge spoke of penitentiary affairs, past and present, and outlined his ideas of how convicts should be treated. as follows
 "A great bone of contention in Ark ansas politics has been the proper management Of the Denitentiary. condemn the lease system, but hat is in the past for the legislature abolish ed it forever. I am glad of it, for 1t was a good step, but the legislature did not stop there It appropriated $425,00o for the payment of the ex, penses of the peniteHtiaTy. The posi- ton of superintendent of the peniten- tiary was abolished Three commits sioners to take his place were author ized and the governor empowered to name them. I don't believe the govern or should have a great deal of ap- poir+ive power. I like the old fash toned way of electing people to office better than any other. The governor did appoint. The legislature fixed the salary of the commissioners at S3,000 each per year We have been paying $2, 400 year to the superintendent of the penitentiary. This item of eX- pense was raised from S2,400 to 5000 year at one throw. Your secretary of state draws annually $2,250: your attorney general draws S2.500; your commissioner of mines, manufactures and agriculture draws s1,800 annually, and there are today but few of your state officials who are drawing the salaries of your penitentiary commis- sioners. It may be all right, but, fel- low citizens, I doubt it.
 "Two years ago the legislature ap- propriated to pay the expenses of the penitentary, $364, 900. This year $425,- 900 was appropriated, and you must remember it was done just after 300 convicts had been pardoned, and turn ed loose, so we have in the penitenti- ary just one third less than we did two years ago. It took last year $364,- 900 to care for 900 convicts, and by the new order of things it requires $425 ,OOO to defray the expenses of 600 convicts. The penitentiary needs regulating and I agree with you about that. but I believe one man can do it as we'll as three if you get the proper man.
 "I am decidedly in favor of making radical changes in tho manner or handling convicts. The governor of Colorado recently picked from the penitentiary of the state, mon whom he believed could be trusted, in whose bosoms the penitentiary officials had reason to believe there yet remained the feeling of honesty and honor, if the convicts were only given a chance to demonstrate it.
 "The murderers were not taken nor the real long term men, but roll of honor was prepared, containing the names of many convicts who were thought trustworthy, and to them the governor said:
 "Go out to the camp we will con- struct for you, and there work to build good roads. There will be no guards and you are upon your honor to remain fin the service of the state.
 'In the state of Colorado in the past twelve months these men have built good roads that would ordinarily cost 265O0O, and they have never had guard over them. Less than two per cent of the convicts turned loose made any attempt to escape. The convicts felt they were working for the good interests of the state, they felt they were building something they and their children would get the benefit of when they were restored to citizen ship and liberty.
 "All convicts in Arkansas could not be worked like that. I don't believe YOU could trust the negro convicts, but you could take the 200 white con- victs in the Arkansas prison, and se- lect from them 100 or 125 for the pur- pose of trying this plan. Let these men build good roads and the negroes remain on the farm to pay the ex- penses of those who are working on the roads. I believe the penitentiary can he made self-sustaining, and at the same time have 15O to 200 convicts at work on the roads of the state, under the roll of honor system"
 Our choice for governor in the com ing election has not changed in the least. MT. Bruididge is an able man, he is true to Arkansas, and if he is chos- on for that office he promises not only to fill out his term, but, that he