Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-02-21
! "A For the Ohio statssmnn.
A Kew reiaitentiary.

Col MANYPEnNY:--Wi Without intending to re-
ply directly to the communication of "TAx
PAYEa," published in your paper of yesterday,
| design to give onelor two suggestions on the
same subject. : "a "A Af Ft&F4tA Y
II the State can postpone the building Of a
second penitentiary, without serious ills, Il
should be done. II, however, the facts indicate
that, before new penitentiary can be compile
ted, the State will be paying board bills (be-
sides losing the labor) Of conyicts in different
county jails, for want Of room In the old peni.
tentiary. then IL is false economy to delay.
have heard grave legislators propose the
same remedy Of Tax Payer" viz: that
one hundred or one hundred and fifty of the
cOnvicts should be pardoned out. There is no
doubt but If the rule were adopted, to discharge
convict for each one received, that another
prison would be useless; and suggest, by way
OF improvement, to save the expense OF prose-
cution and transportation, by discharging them
before trial, until the expiration of terms Of
part Of convicts nov in confinement. It seems
to me that this is Just as reasonable as the pro.
posed remedy; for assume the Governor has
done his duty, and that there is quite as much
danger in the iDdiscriminate exercise Of the
pardoning power as in its disuse
Again, 1t is said that judges err in the SEN
tence Of criminals for too long periods dc
not believe that such is the fact; for the simple
reason thatit ia unnatural. IL may be in coun
ties where, from the frequency Of second con-
victions or the laxity of prosecutions, that judg
es are sometimes driven to the opinion that thu
law is no longer terror to evil doers. If, there
fore, the fact is es claimed it is rather an ar
gument that there are more persons deserving
this kind OF protection from the State than Sd,
can reasonably be expected to provide for, thai
reason for non-aclion.
The idea Of sending men of 20 years Of ege
who are making money for the State, and per
hsps themselves, to the Reform School farm /
simply absurd,
If the Reform School ia humbug, wha
would "Tax Payers" policy make III | regsr
the Reform Schoo, as q success, aud beiev
important results will aow from il. There me
be come convicts now in confinement VIII
might be proftably taken thither. II so,
should be done; and somebody must be at faul
/ for not having done il.
do not say there are no reasons for post
ponenens of initiative steps far new prison
but do say thet the reasons urged by 'TaxiPay
err and others have heard discuss the sub
,, ject, do not meet the question.
Whilst on this subject, should like to en-
quire why it Is that more than one-third of tn
convicts are without employment Whether tb
= convcts do not perform each day as much labo
as other men engaged in the same kind Of Ia.
bort Aud If so, why can the State only resliz
the average price OF 40 cents per day for thei
labor? t.a
If the PeDitentiary, instead of being tax I'd
on the State, is source Of profit to the amour
: OF sSl0,O0O per ennum, why is there 90 mucl
trepidation upon question which school-bo,
may spsweri Nobody denies that either Grim,
must be diminished, different punishment pro
, vided, or new prison furnished. II the con
dition OF tho finances will not Justify the latte
remedy, the others should be considered prompt
ly; ami | know OF no period when the real de-
msnd fer legislatieR would ALLOW more leisure
for such a duty than the present. II neither
Of these remedies is practicable, let the State
select locality, set apart the labor and the re-
venue to be derived therefrom to the building oi
q new psnitentisry; and 10 few years the worh
will have been done and paid for. We are OIL
opinion that these convic.s who not only pay
their way, but actually pay profit or bonus or
crime. to the State, have rights as well as our
selves, and that society has no right to crowd
them into damp, filthy and unhealthy prisons
which sudden epidemic converts into charnel
houses. Indeed, | am not certain that justice
does not require that the proits of last years
labor should not at once be expended In eecur-
ing the future health and comfort OF the con-
viots nov in confinement. VERiTAs