The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1915-09-03


what else, in the administration OF thu
third degree" Later this prisoner
was found on the floor of his cell with
his skull crushed in, and it was stated
: that he had climed to the top of his cell
door and jumped to the floor, killing
himself Whether he was murdered or
whether he really committed suicide
do not know; but this l do know, that
the suicide Of any man would hardly
be unnatural under such circumstances
and that the treatment accorded him,
before conviction, would have been a
disgrace to our civilization even had it
occurred after he had been tried and
sentenced.
This third degree method that is
practiced in the North and the East and
the West-less frequently, am glad to
say, in the South-whether man be
killed during its administration, or
whether he be driven to commit sui
eide, or whether he be tortured some
times into confessing crimes of which
he may be innocent, is barbarity in
sneaking form, under the sanction Of
law, and those guilty Of practicing it
evidence spirit as mean and contempt
BILE as the malice which animates the
midnight assassin.
HIS RICHMOND SPEECH.
Three years ago had the pleasure
of addressing this conference in Rich
mond. My remarks were telegraphed
throughout the nation, and was her.
aided to the world as chief executive
who advocated mob violence. do not
propose to go into discussion of that
here; it is entirely beside the question.
Suffice it for me to say that in the South
the lynching of man for the unmen-
tionable crime is protection to our civ
ilization, while the practice of the third
degree violates the letter of our const-
tuition at its most vital point and is
blow to the whole spirit of our institu
tons. In the South an enraged mob is |
an outraged community which carries
out the law, but brushes aside with
mighty force the laws technicalities
and delays. There is no hypocritical,
acrimonious violations OF fundamental
rights under the cloak of law by those
sworn to uphold the law; the deed is
open, and civilization and justice are
indicated. And when mobs are no
longer possible liberty will be dead.
The chief executive of a State has
not more serious duty nor graver re-
sponsibility than the obligation imposed
upon him in dealing with prisoners
and by prisoners mean to include those
in Jail awaiting trial.
A State or nation that allows its
prisoners to suffer cruelties is guilty OF
a greater crime than the prisoners them
selves have committed.
I'VE have prisons and prison meth
DDS in the United States to-day which
are disgrace to any civilization.
PAROLE SYSTEM DEFENDED.
when / assumed the Office Of Gov
ernor of South Carolina l inaugurated
in my State the parole system. l was
as vigorously condemned on the one
hand and as heartily praised on the
other for nearly every decision l
reached upon each individual case as
any man who had ever been in public
life in the history OF this country. l
cared not for the condemnation or the
praise. The parole system which l in
augurated was entirely successful. Out
of the hundreds Of paroles granted very
few failed to lead good lives.
Il believe more firmly to-day than
ever before in the parole system as the
most advanced step that has ever been +
taken in prison reform. 6
Il believe that the whipping of pris-
oners should be forbidden except in I
cases of wilful disobedience of rules or
acts OF INSTRUMENTATION, and that then
the whipping should be administered
only in the presence OF disinterested Z
citizens of good repute who are not
connected in any way, directly or indi- :
rectly with the institution. The peo-
pie of the nation would be Mortified if
they knew of the fearful brutality prac- '
ticed in our prisons-the merciless whip
pings, the electric shocks, and other n
forms of heartless cruelty. a
In the majority of cases the family n
If prisoner suffers more than the pris- F
,ner himself. 1t seems to me that much
II this suffering could be relieved by
paying to the dependent family OF
prisoner small compensation for the .