The Ocala banner., 1921-11-18
SPAR or RAlFoRD

%-..erfcan Prison Association
.eh the early dusk of a warm
afternoon | have just travel
abroad back from the State
Farm at Raiford, Fla, to Jack
81 Against gray background
sky stood silhouetted the end
...ttered southern pines, their
seraped bare. for several feet
IS side, by the turpentine
trers.
S II the fiat uncultivated soil
..,ad numberless stumps. punct-
!, the desolation left by the for
.,.uderers. Yet only today | have
n that even these gnarled
ANTS Of the predatory lumber
s.,.rs may be collected in the re-
which are rendering-ovens,
.,l.r considerable profit from the
.,s il light turpentine oil, heavy
s. and charcoal So ingenious is
,se mind of scheming man, set
.ss acquisition of further wealth.
= train this morning, on the At
i. Coast Line, passed in the forty
4. or more of monotonous stretch
..ssn Jacksonville and Raiford,
i single even Interpretations
III the eye catches, in this plunge
! northern central Florida, only
.lsss miles of semi-denuded fat
ds spotted with gray, isolated,
rpr.painted shacks. However, at
collection of nondescript build
3 the place called Raiford, por-
.lious thing has happened. Here
state of Florida has bought Is
acres Of this same kind of land,
hom SIS to 81 an acre. and today
n dwell and work upon these
pasands of acres some five hundred
1viets, mostly black, but all of them,
lite or black, in stripes, broad and
nspiciOus to the eye.
HgWeTer, the mind of the observer,
IL travelling beyond the repugnant
1t Of the black bars upon the cloth
and beyond the relatively crude
.ming and living equipment, meets
nediately the real wonders of this
see out in the great north reaches
Florida. To this unique penal farm
b sent the conviets of the state
srs long-term men, old men, young
n from sixteen up. all. In short
n IN our northern states would be
nmitted to the state prison or even
s The reformatories for felons. It is
I state prison of Florida.
through the creation Of this farm
i fanch-like proportions, with its
ztar Of wooden dormitories in the
ltsr, Florida did away, a few years
q Eith the incredibly cruel medic.
q easing system that had made the
pc a aagrant and brutal legal traf-
zier N human flesh. State convicts
Hd been sold into practical slavery
aaer the guise of renting out prison,
Il % turpentine camp contractors,
|AA prices had accrued to the state
pm such slavery, but there had been
|Rss neglect by the state of even the
asary supervision of the lives and
saaltions of its convicts. The con
aeiors welded almost the power OF
R and death over these wretched
ags And this explains incidentally,
~ y part, why today there are
aaendos and charges that the Raj
a farm is not sufficiently paving
slosltion, and why the so-called
|al'a humanitarianism' of Warden
Bitch is a target for those who
|'sse that .conviets go to prison to
punished, the same old cry OF
Ae who always rebel against pro
y Y prison management
! vas Governor Gilchrist who year
'41 year attended the annual con
a'lcns Of the American Prison As
AsIon and who fought and beat
! convict lease system Of Florida
Y man ten years ago. And Raiford
ae result. During my day at Raj
~ saw high in the air the black
'a'pfesent buzzards soaring con-
..psaIlvely Unquestionably there
y ncveT over the present penal
Ssn Of Florida some who mourn
nekethook and loss of profits the
'''ag Of penal slavery. and who
11a With eeaseless. sharpened ere
sae possible dissolution of the
.'sfa Prison Farm. Yet the highly
'seHng feature of the situa-
! = the sound and enthusiastic
FAey By representative citizens
kscnvilIe, of the present meth
~ farmerWarden Of those i5,0oe