The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-23

| to be condemned and prohibited. II the de.
sian Of punishment is simply to torture end
| main the physical man, rather than to sub
due his unruly and mutinous spirit, these
| punishments are admirable; but as they
| generally result either in disabling the victim
| physically or making him more stubborn and
| sullen In disposition and vindiotive in nature
we cannot perceive the great advantages of
| their employment. .f
The true and proper punishment for mu-
tinous prisoners is TO be found in the increase
| of their labors and the extension of their time
| OF service. Let rogue on entering prison
| understand that his release and the amount
and nature of his labor while confined are
to depend on his good behavior, cheer
full disposition and obedience to prison
laws and prison officials, and he will require
very little physical punishment. When he is
refractory, make him do overwork; IL per-
sistently vicious, extend the term of his CON
fnement; but II, on the contrary, he is per-
fectly dooile, shorten his term Of sentence.
| 1t is sm ply the application of the old system
of rewards and punishments which influence
all men. They are the regulations which
have been found most useful in prison man.
agement in Europe. The English "ticket-of-
leave" and its French prototype are recognized
as powerful influences in prison management
and as long as the prisoners remain in con-
fnement their influences are beneficial not
only in producing good discipline, but in cor
recting the habits and forming the character
of the prisoner. 1t is the fault not ofthe regu-
lation itself, but of detective police system,
that "ticket- t-of-leave" renders the possessor
after his discharge from prison subject to a
| strict surveillance, when, on the contrary, it
should 20 far to exempt him from quick sus-
picion and prompt arrest on light evidence.
We sadly need the "ticket-of-leave" system
| in the prisons of this country, combined with
the power to infict overwork as punish
ment, and to extend the term Of service of
criminals who are unfit to be free. There are
numbers of criminals now detained in our
prisons, and becoming daily more corrupt
from association with more vicious men than
themselves, who might with propriety be re-
leased, conditional on their good conduct.
Occasionally our judges apply this principle
in the cases OF convicted criminals of whose
reformation they have reason to be hopeful,
by suspending sentence indefinitely. and
there are several men in this city now living
with the sentence of the law for past crimes
hanging over them. There are also in our
| prisons many convicts who at the expiration
of their terms of sentence will be as totally
unfit to be free as when they went In, and who
| ought not to be turned loose in society to
| plunder it, For the first class we need
''ticket-of-leave" system, which will not
have the disadvantage with the police of
being brand rather than reward of merit
to the criminal, it is hard enough that the
| possession of such certificate of good con-
duct should drive the former convict from
all good society and honest employment
For the second class we need commission,
with power to extend the term Of service
from time to time for the protection of So
oisty. While our legislators are abolishing
punishments which break the bones rather
than the spirits of unruly men, let them also
devise means to encourage the reformation OF
criminals, and protect society from the incor-
rigible ones.
MANHOOD SUFFRAGE IN ILLINOIS.
From the NJ Y. Tribune.
Sundry white men-some of them calling
themselves democrats" and others claiming
with about as little reason to be "Rspubli
cans''-have lately held meeting in Marine,
ILL.,, "to protest against the action of the Hi.
nois Legislature and of Congress in seeking to
force negro suffrage on this State, and on our
country, contrary to the known wishes of the
great body of the American people," The in
dignation OF these protestants was SO great
that it couldn't be adequately expressed in
less than twenty-five resolutions. 1t must bs
admitted that the fine gold of this exceed
ingly impressive Pub. Doc. is spread rather
thin for every one Of the twenty-five resolu-
tions is devoted mainly to abuse of colored
people, and Of the friends and defenders of
oOlOred people. Resolution one asserts that
our Governments Estate and nationaD are
"founded on the basis OF exclusive white race
supremacy" which isn't true, some of the
Oldest and best governed States in the Union
having for many years allowed oolored men to
vote upon the same terms as white men
Massachusetts, for instance. No State has
a right to demand exclusive white race
supremacy" because it would be inconsistent
with art. 4, sec. 4 Of the Constitution, which
provides that Congress "shall guarantee to
every state in this Union Republican form
OF government" The ''exclusive supremacy
OF any race is irreconcilable with what we un-
derstand, in this age and country at least, tC
, be "a republican form of government" by
, which We mean strictly a democracy. Now
we must confess, il Virginia, or South Caro-
lima, or Georgia can stand negro suffrage
, that Illinois has no right to growl about it
|, Yet during the late Presidential canvass ther,
J was a constant bidding in some of those States
for the negro vote. Young Mr.. Adams wen
, down TO the South and talked to "the low
negro' with unlimited affection, after which
he came back to the North, and at Albany
made speeches which We're not complimentary
, to those he had been asking to vote the Demo
. cratic ticket. Indeed, without wishing to d,
:, any injustice to the Democrats, we fancy tha
a the difficulty with them is that the cOloret
people show an inclination to vote the Repub
a lican ticket-a perfectly natural inclination
a we think under the circumstances.
They can hardly hope to win these voters Il
y their cause while they keep up such an abus
y OF them as we find in these Illineis resolu
II tions. Some half a. dozen times they hav
a. something to say of slow negroes" Equalit
!. OF races is pronounced "a beastly doctrine.
r. 1.-THE only safety for our republic" conclude
a one resolution, sis in exclusive white rae
"a supremacy, universally enforced in every par