The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-08-03
PRISON FARM DUMPING
GROUND FOR WORKOUT
IN SPECIAL MESSAGE GOVERNOR
HARRIS ASKS APPROPRIATION
TO MEET NECESSITIES.
PRISON CLEAN AND WELL KEPT
The Commission Has Done Well, But
Is Sadly in Need of Funds to Make
the Needed Improvements. Sew
eral New Buildings Needed.


sage from Governor Harris, review
ing his inspection of the state farm,
was sent to both houses of the legis-
lature Wednesday morning:
To the General Assembly; Gentle
men-I felt it my duty to visit the
state prison at Milledgeville during
the latter part of last week. The Wis
it had two objects:
! 1. An examination of the system
which was being followed in order to
ascertain as far as possible whether
it was reasonable, efficient and APP
proved by the custom and experience
of other states.
2. An investigation of the crowded
condition of the prison in order to
ascertain whether the situation was
the result of the management Itself
or of the courts who sentenced tie
prisoners.
The prison commission is asking
large appropriation from the state for
additional buildings, and as | had
never visited the farm it was my ear
nest desire to know more about the
necessity for this appropriation than
could be be gathered from the official
reports or the statements of the leg
islative committees who have inspect
ed the situation.
Code Provisions ON Near Beer.
There was another matter which
felt made my visit one of almost
imperative necessity:
My attention had been called by
the able and efficient senator from
the Twentieth district to the law,
found in Section 1853 of the code,
which appropriates to the prison COM
mission the entire net revenue aris-
ing from the license tax on near beer
and other substitutes for intoxicants,
ITO be used only in the development
and conduct of the penitentiary sys-
tenn of the state etc.
The tax during the present year
amounts to something near 1925, 900,
all of which, if the section aforesaid
is operative, is subject to disburse-
.ment on the warrant of the govern
or" for the purposes set forth in the
section.
1t was believed by the state author
tiles that this section of the code was
not operative as to this fund, and in
stead of being kept separate for the
use aforesaid the fund had gone into
the general funds of the state, so that
no special disbursement had been
made of the same.
If the section applies to the near
beer tax there would be found to the
credit of the prison commissioners
for this year an abundance of money
to enable them to develop and con-
duct the penitentiary on the best
scale possible should the commission
see fit to use the fund.
TWO
Two events had occurred which in
!, tensified my desire to see the prison
equipment, viz:
The episode in which the prisoner
Frank had been attacked by his fell
low prisoner Green in the mems prls-
on. and the attack in the tuberculo-
sis hospital made on the prisoner Mel
Ions by his fellow prisoner Reed, in
which the former was very severely
hurt.
1 found that the prison farm con-
sisted of some 1900 acres, situated
within the neighborhood of Milledge-
Vile. and that about 500 inmates, or
one-tenth of the convicts belonging to
the state, were kept and worked up
on the farm.
There is a sufficiency of land to al
low unlimited expansion in the flu
ture, but the commission is sadly in
want of additional buildings.
Prisoners Crowded in DOrmitOries.
The prisoners are crowded in the
dormitOries, and while these are well
kept, clean and airy, and 1 think
healthy, as far as this can be expect
ed, yet the effort to secure drainage
has brought about many expedien-
cies and necessitates a larger attend
ance in the way of servants and
watchmen and other prison officials.
1 think that the farm is well adapt
ed to the purposes for which it is
used, but the fact that it has become
the dumping ground for WORKOUT
convicts, and the fact that females
and boys must be sent to the farm
and reformatory, near by, will neces-
state continual additions to the out
fit if this system is to be continued.
New Buildings That Are Required.
/ think that there ought to be add
ed several additional buildings in
which separate cells for sleeping the
prisoners might be built. A stockade
with prison facilities for proper use
.L4 - n dvauAa Ooous if tha funds