The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1908-current, 1913-05-29
DONAGHEY URGES
NEW PEN" BOARD
DECLARES GOVERNOR SHOULD
NAME THREE MEN TO CON-
troll PRISONS
RELIEVE STATE OFFICIALS
present Body Has Not Time to Prop
er'y Supervise Institutions, Re-
firing Chief Executive Says.

Little Roek-As one important
remedy for conditions such as those
which brought about the recent par
donlng of $50 convicts at one time. re.
tlrlng Governor Donaghey, in his
special message to the General Assem-
bly, on this subject, recommends the
creation OF a penitentiary board to be
composed OF three members appointed
by the governor, the latter then to be
held responsible for the management
OF the penitentiary.
Governor Donagney shows how i'm
possible 1t is for the state officials
who now compose the penitentiary
BOARD to devote the necessary time to
the supervision of the penitentiary at
fairs. Besides. he says, these officials
are not elected for their knowledge OF
penology or their fitness to care for
criminals.
On this subject, Governor Donaghey
says:
The penitentiary can never be sue
cesfully managed until those who are
charged with that duty have time
enough to do it and are held RESPONSE
Die for that work and nothing moro.
1t is as ridiculous to exact the enor-
nous amount of detail work as is now
required of the state officials com
posing the penitentiary board, In the
management of the penitentiary, as 1t
Va n mt h.
the same institution under the faculty
of the State University and require
that body to do it. A state officer is
not now elected by the people because
of his knowledge of penology or fitness
to care for criminals. Nor if he pos
sessed such knowledge would he have
time to attend to his regular official
duties and look after the details of the
penitentiary too.
During my four years in Office, the
penitentiary board as a whole has not
had time to visit single railroad
camp in the state. The board as a
whole has not had time on but one oc-
casion as l remember it, to visit the
state farm. AS a body, all together,
it has not had time to even visit the
walls of the penitentiary, near the city
of Little Rock. There is not a single
member of the penitentiary board now
who has the necessary time to do all
the work that is expected OF him, and
ought TO be done, in the office to
which he was elected
he ~ 80 y
should be put in charge of board of
three competent men, appointed by
the governor and the governor should
then be held responsible for the con
duct of its affairs. This board should
become acquainted personally with all
conditions connected with the peniten-
tiary, and with all prisoners, their rec
ords and penal history. 1t should rec
ommend to the governor all pardons
necessary to be granted, and the gov
ernor should appoint such men as
would inspire sufficient confidence to
cause him to issue pardons on their
recommendation only, without having
to be worried to death while in his Of
flee listening to the appeals for par
don, which require at least three
fourths of his time No convict should
be imprisoned on a county convict
farm under a contractor. II a convict
cannot be worked on the public roads,
he should be sent to the penitentiary.
All convicts imprisoned for ten years
or less should be sentenced directly by
the courts to work on the public roads.
If there are no public roads under con.
struction in the judicial districts
where the convictions are had, they
should be sent to some other district
where road work is being done and
where the equipment is sufficient to
care for the convicts."
Mrs F r Fnpel of little Rock ar