The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-06-24

beings were so many chattels. No
investigation is necessary to bring
one to the conclusion that this ar
rangement Is fundamentally and es-
sentially wrong and that 1t viii in
evitably lead to abuse and mIstreat-
ment
The governor also attempts to JUS
tify hts position by saying that the
convicts worked by the state in coal
mines are under the sole control of
they would be IL employed elsewhere"
Believe Governor Misinformed
We feel sure that in making the
remarks last quoted the governor
was misinformed. If he viii refer
10 Sectlon of tine contract by which
the convicts are leased or hired"
ne Will observe the following pro
visions: ~
The state is to have the entirs
care, expense and maintenance Of
SAID convicts, including feeding and
clotnlng OF same, except that the
sald party Of the second part (the
company is to guard said convicts
when being taken to and from their
places OF work and when they are
actually at work; provided, that the
state may at any time 1t sees proper
exercise supervision and guard while
convicts are being taken to and from
their places of work and when they
are actually at work Said convicts
are to be delivered by the party of
the first part (the state), or their
agents, to the party of the second
part the company at the beginning
or the shift on which the convicts are
TO be worked, at the prison, or at
such other point as may be mutually
agreed upon between the parties of
this contract: and at the end of the
shift said convicts are to be received
by the party of the first part the
state) at the same point"
These provisions speak for them
selves. On their way to and from
their work and while at work In the
mines. the convicts are guarded by
tie company. The mine superinten-
dent, the foreman. the bosses and all
the guards within the mine ar com
pany employees and the retention Of
their positions depends upon their
obtaining a maximum output from
the labor of the convicts.
Under tho contract, the state re-
tains the power of supervision. Ac-
cording to present regulations, this
power Is exercised by having one
deputy warden In each mine every
day. 1t Is, of course. obvious that
one representative of the state In a
mine extending several miles Under
protect from abuse several hundred
convicts scattered throughout the
mines and working individually or In
small groups.
Heretofore, the only reason ad-
vanced for the temporary continual
tion of the lease system has been the
financial interests Of the state. Gov
ernor Brandon refers to this In say
Ing that the leased convicts during
the month OF April earned large
amount net for the state. while the
maintenance of the remaining con-
victs exceeded the revenue derived
from their labor by approximately
$14,500.
Detectives Pointed Out.
In making this comparison, how
ever. the Governor does not point out
that the convicts who are not leased
include several hundred detectives
whose maintenance Is a burden upon
the state and from whom the state
derives no financial return. This
omission has peculiar Significance
when we recall that 80 per cent of
the convicts who become consump-
tive and 90 per cent of those who are
crippled while serving their sentence
acquire the disease or receive their
injuries in the coal mines. In ac-