New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-07-31
I'm OPERATIVE CRIMINALS

An examination or the IasC h0POiO "
"New- York Prison Association" reveals soilo
curious if not surprising facts-facts "nich
show that it does not cost much to be clliii-
nal-in a States Prison though it may DC
and ia vastly extravagant to be crlmlnal at
large. These are some of the facts; In Ihe
South Carolina State Prison, under the efnclent
management of Thomas B. Lee, jr., it costs but
thirty four cents per day per man-less
than in the good old times to keep niger
It is found, too, that these cooperative crlmi-
nails not only support themselves, Dut nave
furnished materials and building nearly equal
"to the entire expenditure in carrying on the
"work of rearing the Penitentiary." 1ms Is
roundabout way of saying that these CRIMINALS
work so effectively as to clothe and iced them
selves and also build large and expensive
structure. ---''''t S.s.: ', ..;;.ss,q.,-
Why may not the rest of Tie wnl.e ana
black folk, then, not criminal cooperate, anu
80 earn living, and luxuries event The Kan
sas people are not doing so WE'LL Tor the Re
port states that they are building prison
which is to cost about $500 cell, the rent
of which, at 10 per cent, will be the round
figure of $50 year. And what is worse
they are not making the cooperative criminal
do the work. Kansas must learn lesson
from South Carolina. Perhaps the most re-
markable case stated is that of Ohio, where
each criminal by this system OF cooperation Is
clothed, fed, bedded, and provided with medl-
cal attendance for less than ffty-two dollars q
year. The laborers are hired out to manutac-
turers at seventy cents day for able bodied
and thirty-fve cents day for the rest ana
this sum not only pays the above expenses OF
living, but pays the salaries of small army
of wardens, and overseers and guards, whose
duty il is to take care of them, to keep them
at work, and to shoot them if they run away.
Now. if the criminal man, thus working CO.
operatveIy, and fed comparatively, can make
money at this rate and at this wage, and can
live at this rate, why cannot the virtuous man
do something in this directionf What might
not dozen or twenty men do in the way OF
economy, if they would but practice the
ways of these criminalsf And might 1t not
be well now and then to hire supenn-
tendent of these criminals to superintend at
least the expenditures of us virtuousf Does 1t
not seem that their plan Of buying everything
at Wholesale, and at the cheapest, OF saving
everything, of cooking it by one fire, and with
one cook, would pay if applied to virtuous
living7 Does it not seem that some ten or
twenty families might hire one of these wicked
overseers to disburse their money and to serve
their dinners advantageously And so they
might have money OUer at the end OF the year
We are said to have the organizing faculty,
and so we have; but so far there has been IN
this luxuriant land little need of economy.
Now the need has come, but as yet we have
not tried the States Prison plan, nor any
thing like it. Let us see if 1t cannot be done.
We learn that few in and about Cambridge,
under the lead Of Mrs. Pierce, are determined
TO cooperate and be economical Men may
thank God and take courage, when they thus
witness the superior sex setting themselves
sternly to work to have good dinners, and
practice the rare, most rare, virtue of economy.
| God grant that their labors may result in frui
| ton; that their dinners may be light and their
! purses heavy! Perfect economy in the kitch-
&c en- such as is had at the Columbus palace
| perfect economy of coal and servants-may
result in beautiful economy in the toilette
and if not in that. may supply the sinews for
carrying on effectively the passion for slaughter
which dress" is said to crafty. All honor,
then, 20 the " Cambridge PhalanI" who have
inaugurated the "woman's right" to be beauu
full and economical!
But men-men if base and weak not criminal
may do something We look to see Farmers
work comparatively, and not only thus secure
better work, but with it "socetyn and the
satisfaction which comes from intercourse with
their felow-men. That once done, one great
reproach and drawback to the business of
farming will be removed; that is, it will cease
to be a solitary and lonely life, distasteful
IN no
to rush to cities to waste their young
strength on fruitless effort, or to spend
it in degrading make-shifts, or ruinous disspa-
| tons. We look to see ten young men, with
their wives and little ones Tor without them),
take up enc or two thousand acres of our rich
and cheap Western or Southern lands, establish
their settlement in the center of it, and 20
to work. They can thus secure society, schools
churches, Libraries, and Wedlh. Co. then, TO
the rural sunshine Of Virginia, or Missouri, or
Iowa. waste not your years waiting in New
York for something to turn up; hire wicked
superintendent to take care of your dining
room, put in your pillow and your sickle, look
after your hOcks and your herds, and let us
see if you males as a Missouri Phalanx," may
not approach if not rival those females-noble
creatures-Of the Cambridge Phalanx." Try
it!
RICH MR.. PACKER