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FOR THE PENAL ISLAND PLAN
Convincing Arguments For Solv
ing Georgia's Great troblem.
LEADING OFFICIALS FAVORABLE TO THIS
Competition With Free Labor Re
moved—Workingmen Endorse It.
Description of Ossabaw Island.
The settling of the convict problem is
the question of the hour.
In less than two w*eks—Sept. 21-the
penitentiary committees of the Georgia
legislature will meet and d'scuss the
matter and draw up a bill which they
will present to the legislature. How will
they dispose of the convicts ?
The penal island plan is regarded as
the best solution of the convict problem.
Among the sea islands off the Georgia
Hon. HEWLETTE A, HALL, Chairman of the Penitentiary
Committee of the House, (letter and interviews): “I am
favorably impressed with the plan of establishing a
penal colony on one of the islands off our coast.”
Hon. PHILIP COOK, Chairman of the Committee of the
Georgia Senate, (letter and interview): “I am neither
for nor against the island idea. lam now investiga
ting the adaptability of the idea.”
Col. PHIL G, BYRD, Inspector of Misdemeanor Camps: “I
am most favorably impressed with the penal island
plan. I believe it is the best’yet suggested. I hear
it most favorably discussed all over the State.”
Gov, ATKINSON and Principal Keeper of the Penitentiary
JOSEPH S. TURNER have both written that they are
interested in the penal island .plan, but, of course,
from their official positions could not now come out
and endorse it.
coast roost frequently mentioned for pe
nal colonies are Sapelo and Ossabaw
islands.
The Tribune presents an able and com
prehensive review and arguments of the
subject below:
In Favor of The Penal Island.
The best, the cheapest, the safest, the
wisest and most practical plan for dis
posing of the convicts of Georgia at
the expiration o, * the present lease
system, is to place them on a sea
island off oar coast.
Weigh carefully the reasons given
in favor of the penal island plan, and
let thoughtful legislators, tax payers
and citizens of Georgia consider the
following:
(1) Desirability of location. Judge
Turner’s excellent and carefully studied
plan contemplates the purchase of a
tract of land of 5,000 to 7,000 acres for
the penitentiary farm. Where will he
find it? None of our large cities, or
small ones desire the penal colony with
its freed criminals and vicious atmos
phere located near them. If put on an
island off the Georgia coast the criminal
would be entirely separated from law
abiding people. The indeterminate
sentence could be instituted and the
prisoner never liberated until entirely
reformed.
(3) No competition with free labor.
Every state in the Union has had
trouble in keeping convict labor from
coining in competition with other labor.
Georgia can avoid this by adopting the
penal island plan. Sea island cotton c<n
be most profitably cultivated. Market
gardening for State charitable instttu
tions, or northern cities can be carried
on in an equally profitable manner, and,
also, general farming. Prolific crops
can be grown. There would be little
competition with Georgia farmers.
Statistics show that the convict farms
in Mississippi and North Carolina have
been more than self supporting.
* (3) Other penal islands. Massachusetts
which is regarded as having the model
penitentiary system of the United
States works its convicts on Deer island
in one of the finest market gardens in
the world. Maine sends its convicts to
Fox Island. New York sends its mis
demeanor prisoners to the world-famous
Blackwell’s island. All the convicts of
Canada are worked on penal islands.
England with, perhaps, the best gov
ernment in the world adopted" the penal
island plan years ago as the best, and
many nations have followed its ex
ample.
(4) Cost at a minimum. The expense
to the state in purchasing one of these
islands would be comparatively small,
and the guard duty would be done at
thevery lowest cost. The saving in re-
wards for escaped prisoners would
amount to a good sum itself. Escape
would be impossible with the few boats
at the wharf locked and one guard for
day and one for night. Judge Turner
makes his estimate $1,174,375 for es
tablishing the penitentiary farm and
maintaining the prisoners for five years.
It can be demonstrated that it can be
dope for half this amount on a sen
island. To be more to the point the sea
island plan will cost half the amount of
any other plan. The cost of buildings
would not be as great as in interior
portions of Georgia owing to the warmer
climate. The fish which could be
caught from the ocean and the fertility
of the soil would guarantee food with
out great labor. The press and people of
Georgia are strongly oppressed to leas
ing the convicts again, and Judge
Turner’s inland farm plan fails in that
respect.
In conclusion, since the penal island
plan was first suggested not a single
argument, or objection has been made
against it. It has been taken up and en
dorsed generally as the best plan for
solving the great convict problem of the
Empire State of the south.
Able And Forcible Argument
Darien, Ga., Sept. 10th- 1897—T0
the Editor of The Tribune: Your
valued favor 20 inst 'to hand, 1 am ex
ceedingly oblidged to you for your in
terest in the “Penal Island’’ plan,
and for the able editorial. It seems
to me that the more the matter is aired
the greater the number of advantages
appear. In my mind there is no pos
sible plan that could be suggested that
could offer so many advantages or so
few objection*, as our Island penal
colony. First, it withdraws the crim
inal prisoner and influence beyond
contact with our law abiding citizens.
Our free youthscan receive no lessons
in crime; the criminal class and our
citizens are as separated as though
the one was in China, the other in
America. Secondly: having separated
them, by isolating them, we have se
cured their absolute safe custody,and
that at the miminun expense possi
ble, with'the 5,000 miles of ocean on
the one side, and unswimable rivers
THE HOME a’KIBUNK. SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER IJ. 1887.
and sounds all around, no high stone
walls are required, and only a
small force of guards needed.
Hence, I say the expense would be
small. Now let us see—roughly esti
mated, the 40,000 acres, high lands
and reclaimable Savannahs. i-e.
Sapelo Island, 12 mile-t long, averag
ing 3 miles wide, can I have litt.e
doubt be purchased for $150,000 to
SIOO,OOO. There is timber, oaks and
pines, on the wooded part, which is
now the greater part of the island, to
build all the necessary prison bouses,
stockades etc and furnish fuel for 100
years or more to come. The state with
a small saw mill could saw it out on
the spot. No quarrying or hauling, no
expenses to handle convicts would do
the work—clearings could then be
come farming land, the best in the
state us Georgia, opening old Savan
nah drains would reclaim them—and
if we should open 20,000 acres of these
virgin lands and produced 15,000 tv
20,000 bales of Sea Island cotton, then
would be no competition with the free
labor of the state—because by the in-,
crease production of the Sea Island
Cotton, (which f.ee labor will uever
present crop.) we
open to hundreds of our worthy un
employed free laborers, places to
work and wages, in the new indns
try of Sea Island Cotton spinning and
weavings—Produce the supply suffi
cient and the industry to manufac
ture that supply will assuredly follow
as the day follows the night In ad
dition to cotton, there is scarcely a
food crop that cannot be grown on tbis
soil and iu this climate. Take field peas
and we grow two crops of the ordinary
kinds and the new California pea gives
us three crops per annum. You have
already mentioned fish food supply.
Every sort of vegetable and fruit, and
of semi tropical kind, grow in luxurious
freedom here. I am satisfied that our
Island plan beside being self support
ing, would from its surplusages support
the asylums and other public humane
institutions of the state, and all this
from a source which does not and can -
not complete with free labor industries,
and at a cost less than a tenth of what the
same advantages would cost within stone
wall-'. Nature has given us the finest
walls free of cost, old ooeen and her
arms and inlets. None safer or better
never requiring repairs. Naked men
cannot swim these waters, shackled
ones would not dare to attempt it dis
tance woald forbid it and sharks would
make it impossible. Who should enter
such a prison leaves hope of escape be
hind. It is impossible to enumerate all
of the adantages they come to light, ap
pear at every new consideration of tl e
plan, while objection, that would net
exist and in greater force in any other
plan. Virtually the Island plan is with
out a tangible or valid objection.
I invite the people of the state to the
most exhaustive examination of this
place and all fair criticisms. This plan
is an ideal solution of the convict ques -
tion.
Thanking you again for your esteemed
article and communication, I am, yours
truly, Joseph Mansfield.
You are at liberty to make any use of
Ossabaw Islanckvldeal Location For Penal Colony.
Ossabaw island is located 25 milei sou h of Sivannah —most accessible of
any of the sea islands. It can be most quickly reabhed by going from Savannah to
Montgomery on the city and suburban railway a distance of twelve miles, and
thence by boat twelve miles.
Ossabaw island is Bto 10 xpiles long, 3to 4 miles wide; contains 30,000 acres
of arable land of which a goodly portion has been cleared and cultivated.
The island is healthy. With artesian wells which can be bored at a small cost
as good and large supply of water as is desired can be secured.
The soil is a black loam, very productive and easily cultivated. Grows sea
island cotton (finest grade) upland rice, sugar cane, oats, com, sweet and irish pota
toes (400 to 600 bushels per acre) and all kinds of vegetables. Early planting may
begin in January.
The island is thickly timbered with pine, live oak, cedar, palmetto etc., which
could be easily utilized in building prisons.
In the waters all kinds of fish and oysters abound in inexhaustible quantities;
Many deer and wild hogs may be found in woods; cattle and live stock can be>
raised cheaply.
The Ossabaw island is separated from the mainland by Ossabaw sound two
miles wide and by marshes several miles wider making it as secure as a prison.
this letter you see fit. My postoffice ad
dress is Darien, Mclntosh county, Ga.
Atlanta Constitution is favorably
impressed with penal island idea, and
first presented the plan.
Americus Herald: “It seems to
be the most practical plan yet sug
gested.’’
Augusta Chronicle has re-published
articles favorable to penal Island in its
editorial columns.
Rome Tribune: “The penal island
plan will only oost half as much as ary
other. It Is the safest, obaapeatand best.
The arguments in its favor are almosj;
unanswerable.”
Augusta fierald: "It may yet se
cure official consideration, if not adop
tion.”
Savannah Press: "It is worth con
sidering. ”
Hon. Joe Mansfiel-1: "So little sea
.island cotton is raised that if Geor
gia’s crop were increased ten times it
would not interfere with the price of
•the staple. The convicts could work
in the open air on a sea island, and
would not die of consumption as in
the coal mines. Confinement on one
of the coast islands would be per
fectly healtny.”
Thomasville Times Enterprise:
"The plan is endorsed by a good many
people.”
Brunswick Advertiser: ‘‘lt is the
best snggestion which has been made.”
Atlanta Journal has published
articles favorable to penal island plan,
bat has nottnlorsed it.
Dalton Argus favors giving it due
consideration.
Brunswick Times: “The plan is at
tracting much attention. It has proven
satisfactory for Glynn county’s con
victs.”
Hon. W. J. Houston, of DeKalb
county, introduced in the assembly
of Georgia on Nov. 5, 1894, a house
bill to buy a farm of not less than 4,-
000 or more than 10,000 acres for the
production of sea island cotton.
To Work All, the several thousand
felony and misdemeanor convicts on
the roads would almost bankrupt the
state of Georgia with the enormous
cost.
Acts of 1876, General assembly
of Georgia part 1, title 6, page 42 sec
tion III—"Be it further enacted, that
that the Governor * * * * shall
revuire said company to procure .at
at their own expense, a suitable site
or place, being an island on the coast
of Georgia,” etc.
Everybody Stye So.
Cascarets Candv Cathartic, the most won
lerful meiNcai discovery of the age, pleas
ant and refreshing to the taste, act gently
and positively on kidneys, liver and bowels,
cleansing the entire system, dispel cqlds.
cure headache, fever, habitual constipation
and biliousness. Please buy and try a box
of C. C. C. to-day; 10, 25. 50 cents. Sold and
guaranteed to cure by all druggists.
SALARY IS $4-500 A TEAR.
The Position Promised to General Lorgstreet
Is a Pleasant One. ,
The position of United States rail
road commissiener, which has been
promised by President McKinley to
General Longstreet, carries a salary of
$4,500 a year.
The work is about as easy as any
for;, which the government pays a regu
lar salary. Uncle Sam has large money
interests in certain trans continental
railroads. In addition to that the gov
eminent has from time to time given
many land subsides to new railroads.
One condition attached to these grants
was that the roads should transport
government troops and freight at a rate
ess than charged to the public.
These roads have frequent accounts
against the government for services per-
formed. All these accounts go to the
railroad commissioner for approval. He
has four clerks to examine the accounts
and keep up with the correspondence.
When the bills are correct, tbe railroad
commissioner approves them and tbey
are paid. Occasionally the commissioner
makes a trip over these roads and
examines their books. It is not arduous
work by any means.
General Wade Hampton holds the
position now. His time has expired, but
he was ill in the spring and the presi
dent did not appoint his successor. Gen
eral Hampton will continue to hold the
place, if he lived, until his successor is
named. It has been announced, seem
ingly upon authority, that the president
has promised to appoint General Long
street to the position, but no time has
ever been mentioned when the appoint
meat would be made.
S MUSIC ON THE
M Picturesque Band of Navajo Indians Sell Ponies for $1.50 Each, and
0 One for Only Fifty Cents.
Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sept 6 1897. j
We sat in the Piaz i a while last evening
and watched the circling crowds while
the baud played. We had stopped talk
ing and I think both were impressed by
the music and the scene. As tne familiar
strains of El Capitan greeted my ears I
was drawn clos-: to Home, and visions of
bras’ buttons and camp life came before
me. Tais inspiring creation of bou.a’o
w.«s played eacn aay at dress parade dur ■
lug t.iu state encampment at Griffin, and
as I heard it last night I could shut my
eyes and imagine gallant Will Patton by
my side again. Then the band -a Mexi
can band—played La Paloma. You all
have been reacned by its unique passages
bordering on the wierd—and can under
stand how much more impressive it must
i e with Mexican surroundings. The
music stopped and my companion
dreamily said:
"That is an old gpanish air. Before set
to baud music it was a song with Cuban
words. I believe Americans as a rule dis
approve of the sentiment expressed iu
these words. It is not considered proper.
La Paloma, as you know, means The
Dove. La Golondnna, The Swallow, is
one of the most charming of Mexican
songs,”
Just then the band began playing it,
and indeed it is a beautiful creation.
They have not played Dixie yet, but they
play “Marching through Georgia” with
great gusto.
Speaking of the band reminds me of
the military our. here. There is a local
company of infantry, all Mexica s except
the commissioned officers who are Amer
icans. A troop of cavalry here contains
the best material among the Americans,
and is well equipped. The National
Guard here has not received the attention
it has io the east, so a comparison be
tween our Georgia troops and these
would be hardly fair. They are improv
ing right along, and drill with commend
able regularity.
This is the land of “Puco Tietnpo”—
the land of “after awhile.” Here the
energetic young man is irritated at the
sloth of the inhabitants. He tells of his
intentions and how he is going to do
so-and-so and so-and-so. They listen
courteously with a bored expression, and
their comments is usually: “Yes, we al 1
talked way when we first came. You’ll
get over such foolish feelings ” One
might imagine that this high attitude
would conduce to energetic action, but
it doesn’t. It’s a place where people can
sit on a hard, iron bench and be content
for hours. There are a few exceptions, of
course. One fellow I know works so hard
and so late and gets up so early that
going home at night he meets himself
coming down next morning. (I may
state parenthetically that Walter Ross
introduced me to the foregoing expres
sion. Seeing its force I have thus at the
first opportunity brought it in as origi
nal ) •
One of the interesting sights last week
was a band of Navajo Indians with a lot
of horses and ponie- for sale. They came
from the Navajo reservation in the North
western part of the territory. Besides the
ponies they brought blankets and other
articles of their make for sale. They were
garbed in picturesque style, wore, great
pistols in beaded cases strapped about
them, and were perfect pictures of the
savage in the days of old. These Navajos
were bad fellows, and kept the country
about here terrorized for a long time. Os
course they are peaceable enough now.
There were two squaws in the band.
When riding horse back you couldn't
tell these ladies from their gentlemen at->
tend ants —at least, I couldn’t. When
they dismounted I thought I could, but
there’s no telling how badly I may have
missed it. It is possible that Some of you
may be as ignorant as I, and may be in -
terested in knowing that Navajo is pro-
Many Think!
When it was said to the woman: “In
sorrow shalt thou bring forth chil
dren,” that a perpetual curse was
pronounced, but the thrill of joy felt
by every Mother when she clasps tc
her heart her babe proves the con
trary. True, dangers lurk in the
pathway of the Expectant Mother
and should be avoided.
“Mother’s Friend”
So prepares the system for the change
taking place that the final hour is
robbed of all danger and pain. Its
use insures safety to the life of both
Mother and child, and makes child
birth easy and recovery more rapid.
Ual’, onracsln*. otl>rioe,|iaO PER BOTTLE.
Book, To Ex”*ctant Mother*,” moiled free, con
tain in g valuable information and voluntary testf*
mon.a s.
Th* Bradflold Begalator Co., Itlaata, Sa.
sold av *u. oauaateva.
| non need “Narv-a-bo” by the people out
here. .
I saw these Indians sell many ponies
and the highest price paid was $1.50,
I saw one go as low as 50 cents. And
these were good ponies, some of them
being very pretty and with excellent
gaits. They say near the reservation
you can get one for a plug pf tobacco
any day, and the pick of the flock at
that,
The water supply of Santa Fe comss
from the Rocky Mountain, rain or
melting snow keeping the stream con
stant though variable. It is dammed
up above the town some hundreds of
feet, and by this natural pressure is
distributed in pipes. The continua
tion of the stream is used for irrigation
purposes. It seldom rains here except
in July and August, and ail crops are
made by irrigation. The stream is
called “Santa Fe river.” Customarily
in going from my room to the plaza I
step across this “river.” It is seldom
more than a foot or two feet wide,
though in case of heavy rains or snows
it may swell to the proportions of
Silver Creek near its starting point.
Santa Fe is almost an even 7,000 feet
above the sea. “Baldy,” a peak of
the Rockies towering above the city"
on the east, registers another 7,000,
making an attitude of 14.000 feet
above sea level when the top of that
high mount is reached. Lookout
Mountain is, as I remember the fig
ure, only 2400 feet high, and those of
you who have been there may imag
ine how “Baldy” must loom up.
It is a very dry atmosphere, and the
sun shines nearly every day in the
year. It is so dry that people often
find difficulty in expectorating Long
before one gets to the top of “Baldy’
the air becomes so rarefied that it
takes a week to boil beans, and if one
wants boiled potatoes he had best
begin several weeks ahead of t me.
As to temperature, the day- when I
felt warmest I asked at the weather
bureau and the highest point regis
tered by the thermometer was 80
degrees.
This is a “wide-open” town. On
one’s way to church be can step into
a wide-open saloon get a drink and
try his luck at roulette or faro to see
whether he puts aqything in the con
tribution box or mt. He may join a
tennis game or see a baseball match.
He may do almost anything his fancy
dictates. The law presents jio
‘ Sunday” bounds. Gambling is
licensed, and no hours are presented
‘for saloons.
Alfred S. Harper.
Lemons as Medicine.
They regulate the Liver, Stomach.
Bowels, Kidneys and Blood, as pre
pared by Dr. H. Moxley, in his Lemon
Elixir, a pleasant lemon drink. It cures
biliousness, constipation, indigestion,
headache, malaria, kidney disease,
fevers, chills, impurities of the blood,
pain in the chest oi back, and all other
diseases caused by a torpid or diseased
liver—nine tenths of all the diseases of
the South and West are caused by the
failure of the liver and kidneys to do
their duty. It is an established fact that
lemons when combined properly with
other liver tonics, produce the most
desirable results upon the stomach,
liver, bowels, kidneys and blood. Sold
by druggists, 50c and sl'bottles.
Mozley's Lemon Elixir
Cured me of siok and nervous head
aches. I had been subject to all my life.
Mrs. N. A. McEntire
Spring Place, Ga.
Mozley's Lemon EHx’r
Cured me of indigestion. I got more
relief, and at once, from Lemon Elixir
than all other medicines.
J. C. Speights.
Indian Springs, Ga,
ozley's Lemon Elixir
Cured me of a long-standing case of
chills and fever, by using two bottles,
J. C. Stanly.
Engineer E. T. Va. & Ga. R. R.
Mozley’s Lemon Elixir
Cured me of a case of heart disease
and indigestion of four years’ standing.
I tried a dozen different medicines.
Nonb but Lemon Elixir done me any
good. Titles Diehl,
Cor. Habersham and St. Thomas, Sts.,
Savannah, Ga..
Mozley’s Lemon Elixir
1 fully endorse it for nervous head
ache' indigestion and constipation,
having used it with most satisfactory
results after all other remedies had
failed. 1 J. W. Rollo
West End, Atlanta, Ga.
Your attention is directed to the ad
vertisement of the American Business
College, Omaha, Neb., which appears
in tbis issue. Now is your chance to
secure a practical business education
at borne without charge for tuition.
It is a rare chance. The A. B- C. is
one of the most successful business
colleges in the United States, anu to
take a course with them means success.
Mr. N. E. Adamson baa gone to
Boston to resume his duties with a
great shoe bouse there.