The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-23
System Is Said to Be Most Humane of Any
 State
PROS ARE FIGHTING
 THE REFERENDUM
Injunction Is Sought to Restrain Call by Secretary of State-Troubles of Factory Inspector Ended and the
 Governor Signs Pay Check


 Jackson, Miss, July 22.-(Special) )-The report of the appraisers just filed with the secretary of the penttentiary board of trustees shows that the state of Mis- sissippi is making money at farming with convict labor The state began farm ing it's own lands nearly 20 years ago, with nothing save the land, some 2OGO acres, of which 15,000 was wild lands in the Yazoo- Mississippi delta, on which the sound of the ax had never been heard. This land cost the state S1O or $12 per acre-it is now appraised as worth $1OO per acre, or S1, ,701, 600 in all The value of three farms in the hills is included in the above total, and these are placed at s25. s35 and $50 per acre-several times what they cost.
 The personal property on the four farms is valued by the appraisers at $S55'26S, making the total valuation $2,O56, 86S. On all the farms there are 6S9 mules 4 horses, 1212 cattle, 2726 hogs, s2 brood mares, f2S mule colts under years of age two jacks and 150 goats.
 The penitentiary trustees have just be- gun to realize on their efforts to raise mules, misfortunes galore having befallen them during the past 10 or F years. One or two barns blew down. killing 40 brood mares on one occasion. and throwing a damper on the industry from which it seemed to take years to recover, and later a fire on the Rankin farm got a number of mares as well as colts, thus A1 6n However, several mules raised on the farms are now making cotton and corn on the convict farms They are in every respect equal to the Missouri and Ken lucky mules the state has been buying every year at an average price or SZUo' and the home-raised animal has cost about $50 to raise to working age, leaving a net profit of $50 on every mule colt.
 The convict system in vogue is claimed to be the most humane in the United States. The prisoners are all well treated, well cared for, well clothed fed and ex- ercised and the death rate is surprisingly small The corn crop is in excess Of 100000 bushels, but most of this is con- stunned on the farms. Great quantities of hay, oats peas, molasses, potatoes and other foodstuffs are raised annually, all of which go to the support of the sys- tenn. Gardens of broad proportions are always in evidence, furnishing fresh veg etables for the convicts, and that no doubt has a great deal to do in maintain ing the excellent health record-t1ne ar tesian water doing the rest.
 Governor Bi1bo has appointed Prof. P. P. Garner as successor to H. B. Blakes- lee in the office of state commissioner of agriculture, and it is generally admit ted that he is the right man for the place, being educated along those lines ho1 tn ha hrOIQht action the conduct of the affairs of such an of fee For once, at least, the governor is believed to have made a selection of an official regardless of his political alliance. It is not known whether MT Garner was a supporter for Governor Bilbo in his race for the nomination last summer or not, but it is strongly suspected that he was not-wherefore the selection is all the more surprising.
 Professor Garner was born in Noxubee county 43 years ago, is a graduate or the Agricultural and Mechanical college at Starkville, of the Peabody Normal at Nashville, Tenn, and of Columbia uni versity, New York. He has been engaged several years as instructor at the Agri- cultural and Mechanical and as teacher in the public schools, and is now serV- ing the United States government in the important capacity of chief demonstration agent in charge of the work in south M1SSlSSlppl- MT. blaheSlee IeIlIeS LIoui the office of commissioner of agriculture the middle of September, having recently been selected as director general of the Mississippi Cntennial at Gulfport at a salary of S6000 three-year contract.
 Last week the prohibtionists of the state filed an injunction before Chancel- Tor Taylor restraining the secretary Of state taking any further action looking to an election under the referendum sec- ton of the constitution on the new whisky and advertising laws-these laws limiting the quantity Mississppian may receive to one quart every two weeks, and pro- = -hibting the newspapers running whisky advertisements-just as the Alabama laws are said to do. The referendum petitions were filed all right, bearing a sufficient number of names to secure the election but the prohibitionists claim now that the referendum amendment was not properly inserted in the constitution, and that there can be no vote until it's validity is settled The whisky men are demanding the election, and the attorney general or the state is placed in the peculiar posi- ton, as the states chief law adviser, of defending the whisky interests by oe- lending the constitution of the state, which he contends is properly and legally amended The question as to the legality of the constitutional amendment arises from the fact that the first returns recev- ed by the secretary of state showed the vote to amend carried, while subsequent and revised returns showed that it had not carried for the reason that majority of the men voting had not voted for the amendment-many not voting at all on