Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-18
THE COUNTRY HOME
BY MRS. w. II. FELTON,
Surprising arrange

ing quick getaway. Surprising arrange
ment!
The prison commission seems to be only
advisory, and costs pile of money as
advisers. In a matter like the Dupre case
the prison commission advised the governor
not to interfere with the verdict of the
court, and the governor accepted their rec
ommendation, and later on the hystericai
voters went crazy because the governor fol-
lowed their advice. If the commissioners
are good for anything they are expected to
take time to examine into such matters
closely, and l submit if they are valueless
advisers the state of Georgia should have
some to rely upon who stays on his
job and who can be found, on his job all the
time, and who will individually direct the
management of the convcts in and around
the penitentiary. The federal government
employs a warden and he attends to the
business he is hired to perform. 1t Is evil
dent that the STATE needs also warden. IL
heard correctly the management Of what
is called the state farm is amazingly sorry.
and when farm of between three and four
thousand acres does not raise food with con-
vict labor to cultivate the farm, and will not
this year make enough produce to balance
the fertilizer bills half-idiot would have
sense enough to see and to say those con-
victs should be worked somehow, some time
| and some way to feed the prison inmates.
While the convict lessees worked the con-
yices they made money hand over fist 1t
made great fortunes for the lessees Tt could
control the criminals, and the state received
little money and they get rich and -four
ishing.
While 1 understand fully that no state
| should be permitted to deliver its criminals
into private management, the fact remains
that the state (for the sake of the taxpayers
and for the benefit of these unhappy vio-
| lators of law should net only work them
in remunerative directions. but should Sc
cure officials who manage this business
in self-supporting way, in businesslike
manner Why should we maintain bureau
in Atlanta, dressed-up affair, when there
should be men living in Milledgeville prison
all the time who can afford to earn their
salaries by close attention to what is there
going on? When, get the data, showing
exactly what is taxed out of our people to
maintain this penal institution land which
has been promised to me, you will see it
is not a parlor proposition at all, but a
matter of close attention to the actual work
ings of the prison constantly going on. The
farmers cannot afford to dress in Palm
Beach or broddcloth suits to cultivate or
maintain a farm Nor does the state need
three dressed-up commissioners sitting in
the state capitol to keep actual watch on the
most responsible and apparently the most
poorly managed of our state institutions.
I AS l listened, / heard also that the state
allows four travel inspectors of convicts, with
the pay of $3.50 per month and expenses,
perhaps 10 cents per mile--just four and
no more; but the impression was left on my
mind that twelve more were travelling and
going the rounds We might send our ele-
CANT prison commissioners to congress, or
abroad as consulsI but if we must have three
commissioners and dozen or more travel
agents it might be WELT to call a prison
a prison and spade a spade, and get
somebody to travel who can personally make
examinations and reports TO the proper au-
thorities directly and get something for the
money.