Jackson, Miss, July 29th. ls45.
{"newspaper_name": "Holly Springs gazette.", "edition": "01", "page": "p2", "byline": "JAMES ELDER, See'y."}
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Gentlemen The last mail brought me
your letter of the 2d inst, and as you are
entitled TO my opinions on the subject to
which it refers | give them without heslta
tion. Iuerrogatories ofa similar charac>
ter hav been propounded 10 me fore, and
| expect to be questioned sill farther on
the same subject. To avoid the necessity
Of making repeated answers, have thought
proper to publish your letter In the Missis
sippan, and to reply to 1t through the same
medium. In the summe OF 1913 pub
lished en- address to .rhe people of Missis.
sippi" from which | make the following
extract


at is worthy ofthe deepest consideration
by the people Of the State. whether there
might not be a salutary reform in the peni-
tentiary system. At present the labor OF
the convict is SO employed as TO come IN d.
rect compeu,ion with a large and meritori-
Gus class Of oar ctizens certainly ought
not to be the policy OF the Stale SD to
cheaper the price ofthe mechanics labor as
virtually 10 drive them from their trades
Besides it cannot be otherwise than revolt
ing to the senshility of honest mechanics
to have from ten 10 fifty convicis discharged
from the penitenliary annually, with the
same trade as themselves, 10 become their
rivals for employment. Ii is calculated too
10 bring discredit on that entire class of our
population, since no oLe will be able TO tell,
after few years. whether a mechanic pre-
senting himself where he is unknown, has
learned his trade in the penitentiary. or as
an apprentice TO some honorable member
of the trade. | presume that no one thinks
that The penitentiary. IS proper place TO
educate lawyers and doctnrs2


| | think tbs State ought at least to make
an experiment in the manufacturing of


rope and cotton bagging from coarse cot.
ton, with the view of converting the entire
| la bor of the convicts to The fabrication oil
those articles. If the experiment succeeds,
(and there can be no doubt of it,) il will open
a new market for our refuse cotton, and
save to the State annually many thousand
dollars. now paid away for bagging and
rope, aud at the same time be the means oil


protecting a class of ou- citizens from
wrong and injustice, than whom there is


none more deserving of public considera-
| ton.


NV inaugural address contained This par
agraph:


/ Industry should be encouraged. Labor,


when properly employed, may always be
relied on as a substantial source of national
wealth. Whatever tends to divert The la
5oring man from bis pursuit, or to degrade


his occupation, should never be persisted