Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-08-05
The Peonage Question

during the year lJZl CnlS question
of peonage occupied a great deal of
space in newspapers, also before
courts of justice, and brought about
almost every day dispute and discus
sion by the people generally.
1t deserves to be discussed because
the capture Of criminals, the expense
of conviction and the proper method
of treating conVicts is one of the
very important factors in American
civilization. 1t must be discussed
and criticized. Every one of the
forty-eight states in the union has
laws bearing on these subjects but if
I am correctly informed no two of
them have very similar methods.
There is a general system of parole
but as no interstate records are kept
a prisoner who goes into another
state has every chance to keep away
from the courts which paroled them.
In Georgia, also in Texas and per-
haps other southern states with large
| colored population, there are many
evil effects from parole laws. 1t is
| cutomary to parole prisoners to in
dividuals, for whom the parolee
works, subject to good behavior. This
practically makes him chattel of
the employer. Not only does he work
| for much less than normal wages,
not only is he frequently overworked
| but any attempt on his part to
insist upon fair treatment is more
| than likely to be reported and having
his parole revoked. It results in
what is generally termed peonage.
Persons of influence have secured
| these paroles for convicts, before
| under sentences pronounced by the
court. This is done to secure cheap
| labor. It was one Of the methods
used in Georgia after the Civil war,
and the entire number of state con-
victs were delivered at once to con-
vict lessees, who only paid a very
nominal sum for this cheap labor.
For years the politics of this state
conferred in and around this fearful
system of giving these lessees the
convict labor, entirely to private
parties. No matter how many con-
victs were handled, the state had
a very small revenue from that
source.
and the state had more than 5000
convicts on it's books, Tennessee was
getting from it's 1900 convtcts $780,.
900 annually under a different sys-
tenn. The Georgia convict lease sys-
| tenn broke down with it's own weight.
! Public opinion set it aside.
Then the parole and indetermi-
nate sentence system took it's place.
/ 1t has been the bottom sill'' in
the peonage trouble. The state prls-
on is heavily under fire still, and
the stories of poor feeding and few
| blankets, and much suffering are
common. Only today a citizen took
occasion to tell me that he had just
conversed with a paroled prisoner
who detailed many facts to which I,
at this time have said very little.
| Texas had had even more scathing
criticism than Georgia as to it's pa
role system workings.
| There are some fundamentals in
dealing with convicts. The constitu
ton of the United States, gives to
| every human being in its limits, life
| liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Every sentence Of undue harshness
imposed; every extension of a sen
tence beyond the smallest necessary
minimum, is needless deprivation
of the right to liberty. All legisia
ton should give every chance to
those who deserve it. And the state
should never be allowed to shift its
burden and responsibility of hand.
ing over convicts to private parties
who are seeking cheap labor, espe'
cially as to the punishment part OF
the business.
Criminals do forfeit their right
to liberty by certain crimes well
explained in the code. They must
not be permitted to g oat large, as
they are a menace to peace and good
government, but when their liberty
has been taken away, the state
should, through it's agents, be re.
quired to always punish the crimi
nails when they are riotous or dan.