Raleigh, June 8—Newspaper men calling on Governor McLean this afternoon found him committed months ago on the chain gang treatment issue thrown into state notice recently and his excellency did not care to go anew into it.
The governor believes thoroughly in the humane treatment of prisoners, but thinks they should be made to serve their time and to work while in the State’s hand. “It is an awful thing to mistreat these prisoners, though,” Governor McLean said.
His excellency thinks a great deal can be done to correct conditions by citizens who have knowledge of any injustices done the prisoners. The State has considerable machinery for going into these cases, although the county forces are separated from State control. He thinks it is natural that there is more complaint against the county camps than the State because the counties are less well equipped for dealing with the prisoners. “Then they are closer to local conditions and the question of expense may affect them more than it does with the state,” he said.
But the governor has visited numbers of the State’s camps and without hesitation he declares that the prisoners receive better food, 99 per cent of them, than they did at home. He is convinced that the State’s treatment of them is humane and generous.
From the front page of The Concord Daily Tribune, June 9, 1925
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1925-06-09/ed-1/seq-1/
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