, 1869-02-23

BucknAstcr Is Co., with the must per-
seTering inpuuence, are still hard at
work eudeavorlng 10 get hold Of the
Joliet Penl.entiary, with the new ms
clinery, materials and Improvements
which the State has bought and put into
il. We earnestly hope that the Lcgisla-
,ure will remsin firm. and maintain the
States ccnl1ol over the institution. Il
is true principle Of economy, in the
long run, to adopt such system Of Pen
itent1ary management and discipline as
Will te1d to improve and reform the cou-
ricts. hy ntoc.ne them under the human-
iZlng influences OF educational, moral
and religious training, teaching them
hsbits Of industry and scl!-respect, and
thus fitting them to be restored to the
liberty and society from which they have
been excluded IS penalty of violated
law The old system, based upon the
theory that the sole aim Of Imprisonment
Is punishment, without any reference to
tie improvement or 1cfurma-
tlcD, Of The convict, Is unworthy
OF Cur age and county; and
since cur Safe has repudiated it and
AAAP PA%A a S3oA(AA A4O4L Ill a.(lAoAANG
with the Humanitarian idess Of the age,
VIC have been encouraged to hope that
1lllro would not return to the lease Eys.
tsm until che had made q fair trial OF the
other Plan at lcas,. Crime and It's punish
mint ate necessarily expensive to tho
public, and whatever tends to reform
criminals, 10 amtltorate and elevate the
ctI1it1on ol the ignorant and dcpravcJ,
or d m1uish law-brcaklng, 'sa measure OF
ccrEon,y.
The r6ccIt reports al the officers in
charge OF Tic PcnitcntiarY arc extremely
encouraging. l:appcars, however, that
the provision ot the new Law which wna
1cEitd on 10 help the Commissioners te
get the new system we'll going, viz, tht
authority 10 hire to contractors-a: rca
eorablc rates, The labor Of q portion ol
the convic1s-prorcd their most seriou:
birdrnncr, the term oi such labor con
t1ac,s hc,ug limited TO two ycare. NJ
Capitalists or manufacturers were fount
wiling 10 Invest their money In tools mt
machinery Tor - short q torn, with tn
risks aud delays necessarily attending
tbe instruction VI tho convlota In thei
wuzk, and the organization q
their business The law requires
the Commissioners to advertise tw
mon.fs ,or bids for the hire oi the COZ
v1cl labor, but they received no bids
and then, complying with a further pro
visicn ot The law, proceeded TO purchas
tto's, machinery Ano stock to emplo
tic conylcn (she tGrms Of whose scr
tcnccs required them to be kcp. ii har
laLor" on State account. Thus were q
least three months virtually wasted-ae
by The tau1t Of the Commissioners, bu
OF the law which they tollowcd-th
consicis, over eleven hundred In uumbe
earning hardly anything during ths
timr, and yct being undcr heavy cxpcn:
fur iced1rg, guarding, &c, amounting,
the aggregate, ~ f455 per day, to St
nothing Of The further time and lab
wasted IN scoreao'z;ng and stocking tt
Various labor departments OF the iusut,
tlon for employing such multitude
wtrkmen and keeping tllc.n ut wor
Therefore, when reviewing the opcr
tiors OF tic new system during its beyc
teen months trial, it would be un1a
both 10 the Commissioners and the 3,
ten under which they arc operating,
overlook then th1ee or four months
dead loss. Fifty thousand dollars wos
not cover the expense thus incur,
before the institution fairly began
earn it's own support. We Fl
on examination of the financial sta
ueut Of the Commissioners, that,
Though the Genersl Assembly furnish
them with capital OF only 100000
sta,ung business, On the 1st of July, Is
yet the inventory Of the value otthc (
nanentimprovements made and the pr
erty accumulated in the institution
tie date OF the repor:-December
1SG9-durlrg an actual working
1iod OF only about thirt
months, amounted to s42G 1o7, and t.
during shat time fss3,a7a had been
ceireJ in sexual cash earnings. On.
tie S426.197 mus. be deduc1ed the s
OF s13o.000, Que to creditors Of the in
tuition ard deducsing from this s52,
nf ACCOUNTS. dne and payable to the IN
bY which fher trutn teld in snhfn]