The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-01-26

1 are inadequate aud should he ENLARGED
recommend as large appropriations for fhes
opiec's as The revenue resources OF the Stat
will justly.
The Inspectors have procured plan 70
tne en'a cement ofthe Peniientiary, throug
Inc assistance ola competant architect, whic
embraces all the modern improvements, an
would accommodate some 800 or 400 convict
and ought, in my judgment, to be adopte
and accommodate some 800 or 400 convicts
and ought, in my judgment, to be adopte,
and carried out if the financial condition O
the State will admit of it.
| PARDoSiSG PowER.-Tt is made nv dut,
under the Constitution of this State to com
mun'cate 10 tie General Assembly all case
OF pardon, repiieves or commutafion
granted by me during my term of Office
which have the honor of doing in sepa
'aie paper accompanying this MESSAGE,
which IS shown the name and crime Of eacl
| convict the sentence, its date, and the date
OF The pardon, and the reason therefor.
The whole number Of pardons in two year.
from January 10th, 1853, TO January 9th
1860, for Prn,eotiary offences, was fifteen
or these only three were pardoned before
their imnriSoament- the remninnr twelve
had suffered i'm riSonment greater or less
time,-some ofihem sufficiently long TO sat
isfy the ends ofi,Sii'e, independent of The
other causes which operated upon nv mind
in Their discharse. The number hardened
for offences punished bv fnes and bv i'm
pr'sonment IN the county jail, was six
here was one ca e OF comnutationand none
OF reprievee.
n n,Niia ia, e., l..
Gus -o'fen I''Ormal and loosely made ia
secure an Intelligent consideration of these
anp!ica;'onS, rs well as greater certainv and
uniformity in their presentation, and 10
guard aea'nsi imposition and IN abuse OF am
important trust, when required to be exer-
cised, prepared series of rules, which. TO.
geiher with that provision of the Constiiu-
ton, which relates TO The subject, caused
TO be published and sent 10 all ne counties
for the Information ofthosc whom it might
concern. A copv OF the rules presenting The
made Of apn'v;ng for partlons, is appended
to the repo" alluded TO. which yourattention
is called. It will be pc reived t;,at the con-
s;ituiion clearly contemplates the enactment
OF law regulating the exercise Of the nar-
doning power. This as vel has not been
done. now recommend the .passa-e of
such law, and that it shall in IFS provisions
embrace the substance of the rules which
have established, and which | have found
from experience 10 work well. and aleoua,e-
lv TO guard against an improner use of This
high prero%ai've power, whilst undcr them
the rights of the convict are also duly pro.
tected
SArE R:roeM SCHoor.-Manv STATES of
the Union have established these institutions
they are regarded as tokens ofan advancing
c'v''zai'on, and have proved success. From
20 TO SOper cent. of the juvenile offenders
VINO have entered them have b""n reformed
aud given back TO society useful and honor
able members. They are placed in an ins,i-
tut'on where the requisite means are en-
pioved TO transform their mol;l constitution
,fr, M,se lney are compelled @ 10 listen TO the
of incarceration l., the penitantiarv, where
they are subjected 10 liie n,aiign Influence of
the vicious and dep'nved | learn from the
records d our Peni,enlialy exhibit tue re-
markab'e faci that fiIv juvenile convc;s be-
tween he aGes Of "a and 81. have been i'm
prisoned within it's walls du,in@ the last
three years, and that three-ei :hts of our con-
victs have, from the beginning been of lhis
description. The legitimate place for this
class Of blenders is in reform school In
the civil and domestic relations Of life, the
law, out of tender regard for their ineXper-
ence and supposed want of mature Judgment,
affords tho inmuniiies and privileges not en-
tended 10 the adult citizen. Why should
not this distinction he made in our criminal
Jurisprudence 1t can he demonstrated
that the prosecution anil maintenance in
prison OF these fifty juvenile offenders have
cost the State, nall probability. more than
their moral diSinline woul have done
in an institution Of the description named.
The Rev. Thomas E. Corkhill, of Keokuk,
has addressed me a long communication, fill
ed with valuable statistics and information
on this subject, which I should have been
pleased to have published and laid before you
had possessed the power under the law to
have done so. 1t is, however. at your ser.
vice. In the name of a common humanity,
the necessity and propriety of establishing a
State Reform School is urged upon your con
sideration.
INSANE HosPiTAL-The condition of this
institution win be found in the reports of the
Commissioners and Superintendent, and lit
tie need or can be added to the suggestions
there made. Should it take 100000 NOR,
to complete this structure, 1t will still cos
less than its prototype at Northampton, Mas
sachusetts whilst those acquainted with boti
buildings will he constrained, perhaps, to adj
nit that ours is $75 900 the better of the two
1t is difficult for those not acquainted with
structures of this description. to conceiv,
why their cost should reach so high figure
visit, however, to this institution would re
veal to them this mystery. When compile
ted, it will occupy the first rank of all simi
lar institutions in the world, and be beauti
ful as well as shining illustration Of tn
philanthropy and enterprise of the people O
Iowa. am inclined to think the revenu
resources of the State as estimated for tn
next two years, (although the Auditor in hi
estimate proposes to reduce the taxes) wi
Justify an appropriation sufficient to complet
this building, which is so much needed {
satisfy the appeals of humanity as they com
up from different parts of the State.
DEAF AND DUMB AsYLUM.-rhis institu
ton is located at Iowa City, occupies rem,
ed building sufficiently large and commod
GUS to answer, in the main, its present pun
poses, is in fourshing condition and ur
der the charge Of Prof Iiams, competor
and successful instructor of mutes. who
building up an institution creditable alike I
himself and State. The time is not far di.
tant when the State must locate this institr
ton permanently and erect suitable building
to effectuate its aims Of usefulness. This, !
my opinion, should be done at the Capital ,
the State, where, in the end, it will be MOI
accessible and under the more immediate $,
pcrvision Of the Legislature and State autho
tiles. bespeak careful reading of the az
nual report of the Board of Trustees, whic
| l.,