The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-09

After a debate of nearly two hours, the
 senate this morning passed the Lee bill
 
 the governor declares the army could
 feed It's soldiers at 10 cents per day. The Governors Message The message dealing with the subject | of feeding prisoners follows:
 l ITO the Senate and House of Representa- | tives:
 l Through acts passed by your bodies,
 which have come to my desk, increasing l largely the appropriations for feeding prisoners confined within the jails of the state, my attention has been directed to l the failure of your bodies to investigate | causes necessitatiing such large increase l in the appropriations.
 ''The Increased appropriations referred | to are necessary to meet the obligations l of the state which have already been in- | cured because of the insufficiency cf the appropriations made by your pre- decessors to liQudate the claims which have accrued against the state for tho feeding of prisoners confined in the Jails. The price paid by the state for feed ing these prisoners Is on the following schedule:
 When the number of prisoners does not exceed 10, for each prisoner 60 cents per day; when the number of prisoners exceeds 10 and does not exceed 20 fer each prisoner. 50 cents per day: when rhe number of prisoners exceeds 20 and does ho, exceed 40, for each prisoner, 40 cents per day and when the number of pris- oners exceeds 40, for each prisoner D cents per day.
 The Governments Expenses
 Doubtless, you all have observed from time to time the food that is given to
 in, fta ality of cases, Is furnished only twice a day; the prisoners do not take any ex- ercise; therefore, the quantity consumed by them is not in the same proporticn as a working man. The government feeds its soldiers at a cost of % cents per day with which the food furnished the aai! prisoners is not to be compared. No ooubt, the same class of food, with which our prisoners are nourished both as to quantity and quality, could be furnished by the government to its soldiers, under tEeir system, at cost of 10 cents rnr day
 Tt was never intended that the sher- ifs should make any money from the feeding of the prisoners in his charge. His perquisites were to come from other sources In substantiaton of this I have on my desk at this time an act fixing the salary of a sheriff of the most densely populated county of the state. The charge for feeding the pris- oners, however, will go to the county and the state will not be relieved of the enor- 1 nous cost of feeding those prisoners, un- less by virtue of divorcpg the interest of the sheriff of the county from any l interest in these fees, it will have a ten dency to decrease the number of prison- | CTS confined in the jail
 $200,000 Per Year
 T understand that it is the purpose of l your body to increase the appropriations l for the feeding of prisoners to the amount | of s2oO,oO0 year. This is an increase | of about $70,000 per annum, and under | the present schedule of prices allowed for this purpose, it is likely to con sume this amount
 Tt is easy to pass resolutions or an l act increasing the amount of appropria- ! tons for any purpose, but whent it ! comes to obtaining money whereby these | claims shall be satisfied, an entirely diff l ferent proposition is presented
 The total number of prisoners con fined in the jails during the last fis- cal year were 23.613; of these, only 9l6 | were turned over to the state as con- vcts. and the balance, 22697, were either released, sentenced in the counties or still confined in the jails The amount which the state was called upon to pay for feeding these prisoners was $175,- 926.90. or an average of $745 for each prisoner.
 Recess Committee Scored
 The recess committees should have given some attention, not only to the great cost that is placed upon the state for feeding these derelicts. but also some attention to the mill that is an- nually producing and grinding out tn, convicts of which we have heard so much said and for whose welfare so much anxiety has been expressed dur ing the present session of your bodies. If the price proposed to be paid by the state for feeding its prisoners is reduced only 10 cents per day. accord ing to the number of prisoners that were confined in the jails during the past fiscal year, there would be saved to the state $45.05710 annually and there Is not one of your bodies, I am sure. that would take the position that there would not be a margin left to the officer who would undertake the contract of feeding the prisoners or the state and giving them the same fare they receive at present You should either make this reduction or the state should undergo the feeding of its pris- oners under a well ordered system es- pecially in the larger counties.
 Speculation on Food
 "The position Is taken that the state should not receive profit from the labor or It's conVtctS put how much | worse it is for the state to permit this speculation upon the food that is fur r nished the enormous number of pris- oners that are annually confined with | in its jails
 Tn approaching these important questions we should commence at the beginnineSand ascertain from the start | how the prisoner before he becomes d | convict, is cared for. and whether the l state Is doing it's duty to all concerned |
 You have but few more days, but II there is no one question that is pre- II scented to you thDt should receive more serious attention than this. You yet II havc time to regulate 1t and to let il II 20 as il is. means an annually in-I casing amount for the purpose of II feeding prisoners that largely goes II into the pockets of those whom it was II never contemplated should receive II benefits from the performance of this part of their public duties. Il N "CIfARLES HENDERSON.