, 1870-04-03

Common Council, on Monday last, to the
new Bridewell, in the following message:
"GKSIIKxKN: Anticipating the early completion
Of the BrtdeWell and tic necessity OF making pro-
stslon soon for whatcrst may be required ioF ita
your honorable body thai measures be taken a. An
carry day to ascertain what is necessary 10 be done
IN NJ M ~! ot better naSan e sas
fos the probable employment Of the prtsonerh"
The-e appears to be purpose in the
Common Council to do nothing on this
subject except, when the time comes, to
appropriate largo snms of money for fur
niahing the new building. Aldermen can
not thus escape responsibility. There arc
two facts which cannot be ignored:
!. That the present system Of the Chi
cago Dsidowel1 is infamous in every sense,
and 30 brutalizing in detail, TINT it is dis
graceful to the city.
Q. That the present Bridewel1 is big
job, earnestly sought after, indastriously
fought for, and which will not be Eur
rendered without struggle.
The value Of the Bridewell, as matter Of
party spoila, may be estimated when it is
Known that the choice vas offered tho
Democratic members of tho Common Coun-
eli, OF selecting the Bridewe11-keepcr, or tho
corporation newspaper, and they. by three
fourths vote, refused the latter and selected
tho former
Ths city has built, at cost of S1a4 900,
o new Bridewcn building In
short time the prison will be trans-
fered to that building, and the Common
Council cannot disregard the pledges Of re-
form by permitting the present nbominable
system to be perposuated d day. It is true
that tho nnfortunates who arc sent to tho
Dridewe1l7 are, many OF them, degraded per-
sons, but it is not the less true that they are
human beings, entitled to bo treated with
ordinary humanity. There are mono Of
them who are not worthy OF kindness, Of
justice, and Of care. They are sent to that
prison IN default Of payment of fines. The
pickpocket and the confidence '.vagrants
can pay their fines aud wnlk forth to ren~~
their crimes, bat the unfortn--~ 'neo,'as'' ~
o. the robbed and rl"~zefed "oman OF Tue
4e,-- --4 go to the prison to work out,
at tho rate OF fifty cents per day, tho
amount Of the hns. They are treated.
from tho moment Of their arregt until
their discharge, so much like brutes,
that it is no wonder that they think they
arc no better. They know 1o care, save
TINT which prevents their eseape; they
know no encouragement. They have no
inducement for reform, but are huddled
togother, men and women, panpers and
drunkarda, as if they were pupils in som
public senlinary of vice. 1t is time to
break up this school of crime it is time to
interfere in the name Of humanity in be-
half Of what little il left of these men and
women. At present, they arc recognized as
no moro than 80 many hogs, for which the
keeper gets 30 many centa per day per head
for feeding.
This kind Of prison Gun be kept differ
emily. Similar prisons elsewhere are kept
in such order, under such discipline, and
under such humane regulations, that the
prisoners do not feol they are beyond the
pale Of human sympathy, nor beyond the
common treatment of humanity. II this
can be done elsewhere, it can be done in
Chicago, and the fact that it has been done,
and can be done, leaves no apology for the
non-action OF the Common Council The
necessity for reform is indiaputablc; md
the opportunity offered by tho change to
the new building renders any further neg
lsct by the Aldermen criminal
But there is another reason why this re-
form should now take place. Tho policy
of establishing public prison for the pur-