Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
WOMENbACK
WAR T0END
BEAT|NCS
Men and Religion Movement Asks
Discharge of Unjust Guards
and Deep Probe.

Indignation against the merciless
fiogging of prisoners in Georsia's CON
vict camps took effective form Sat
urday in a demand for Grand Jury
investigation of the whole system IN
Fulton County.
Philip weltner. secretary of tn.
Georgia Prison Association, signed the
statement, which was to be comrnu-
nicated to the County Commissioners
for their action. Mr. Weltner called
for fearless and thorough probe. He
said that the light should be turned
on every phase of convict camp adj
ministration and that nothing should
escape the investigators.
Calls FIosgins uneivilized.
He charged that the fiogging was
barbarous and uncivilized. He asked
that every person who could have any
valuable knowledge on this point
should be called before the jury. The
sensational arrangement of conditions
was prepared by Mr.. Weltner from
his association with prison and con-
vict problems and sent o,it under tae
sanction of the Men and Religion
Forward Movement
Sanitary conditions. the quality Of
prisoners food. the lack OF humane
privileges in the prison camps,
ters, cruelties of the guards toward
their charges, the unjustified taking
away from prisoners OF their good
time" marks and other depiorable
conditions are recited at length in the
communication.
Asks Discharge Of Guard.
The report then recommends the
discharge of all guards found to have
been unjust to prisoners; the aboli-
ton of male guards at female camps
the establishment of an honor camp"
for colored prisoners; the abolition of
chains and the lash, and the working
out of system whereby prisoners will
be physically, mentally and morally
improved
Chief among the well-known Allan
ia women who denounced logging
and inhumane treatment of convicts
generally was Mrs. Emma Neal Doug,
las, long known throughout the South
for her work in behalf of the poor
and the unfortunate.
The atrocities which have come to
l.kk ES..f&
County Grand Jury's investigation Of
the fiogging and general brutal treat
ment of Georgia prisoners who are
strung together with ball land chain
and driven around like cattle have
astounded Mrs. Douglas, although she
has been close student of prison life
and the treatment of prisoners in
Georgia for years.
Nothing that ! .;ould say would
express the cn-Gemnation l feel for
the brutal. barbarous, antiquated prs
vision of law tina. permits a hunan
being to be bound hand and foot wita
iron and beaten until the blood runs.
she said.
Conditions IneoneeivabIe.
at is almost inconceivable thy;
such condition could exist in .h's
nation that we call civilized; that !.
could exist even under cover, to say
nothing of its being sanctioned by tho
law which is supposed to represent
the result of the combined thought ~
the keenest and most just minds in
the Commonwealth.
Evidently Georgia has not profited
by the lesson Victor Hugo gives u
in the story of Jean Vatican, the
man who was nearly crushed back
into barbarism by the brutality of the
thirteen years he spent in prison for
stealing loaf of bread,
when you put man in prison
and put stripes upon him, shackle
him with iron and STEEL browbeat
and abuse him, feed him bad food
then take him out and cut his flesh