New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-10-14

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. he said related to the general w9as Of
the Board. The institutions Of the System verc deyel-
on, and dsnssedsic rs the aim how ler Pho
vcntiOu may be effected by REFORM for
Tment classification. edueatonIn snS with
~, NJ tat the ideal OF true prison system Is 'no
Christ ideal ouCoNn nav
......,,. ~, ERWIN HILL, THE RIGHT HON. SIR
WATER CROFTON, AND n. d. HILL
C,,-c,xS.r1. OCT. 13-The following papers
,ore rcad before the Congress to-day;
CRIMINAL CAPITALISTS.
,,,,~,r J,ll esq., of London communicated paper on
criminal Capitalists" The pith and marrow OF MI
U essay was that with regard TO the continued exist
once in our large towns of numerous class, living by
under and keeping their ground in spite OF the law inc
srate and the police, make 1t clear that the means
Of repression hitherto employed have failed TO reach the
roots OF :he evil but have only succeeded IN chipping s
looser branches they have come within easy reach
hence thorough reconsideration of these means Is I'M
pcrotiyely called for Mr.. Hill argues that Habitual
t'riminality is "a craft requiring the united action or
Captal and Labor Just as other crafts DO. 1hus the
Operative" criminals must have place OF residence ana
places Tor meeting each other CHE faShhOse' they also
require the of cashng their booty whether by sen
ing il or by putting IL IN pledge Now u ~ obvious u
the possession of capital alone enable persons ehr
,, IeUd money unon the goods obtained by the
plundcrers dealers in stolen goods are now punish
able severely as criminals Il deteced; ana il INC lho
punishment were awarded TO those WHO, ether owning
or having the control of house property, should Know
inCy suffer il TO be employed in the harborage of Grim
nals-whether as inmates frequenters-recelVing
rents and profits necessarily derived from the plumber of
their neighbOIs, and If the law OF evidence were 80
modified the obstacles 1t now opposes TO
the detection of capitalists who thus employ their
aUrdng that aid and support Ia the PREDATORY
wed. if does seem that Iabitua criminay would re-
ceve blow that must go hard TO drive IT out OF exist
enoe with exceeding great gain to the community; ISL
in the increased security of person and 3D. IN the econ
Omy OF property The losses inflicted by the criminal
classes consisting Of what they plumber as OF anu waste
in the process, added to the cost incurred in defending
ourselves and III bringing the plunderers to justice
forming total of many millions per ailnun. ,
M. Hill recommends the formation IN every consider
able police establishment, of department CHARGED ex
Clusiyey with the duty of suppesSng the hdfOOles VI
criminals and the tralickers III their booty
IRISH PRISON DISCIPLINE.
The Right Hon. Sir Walter CroftOn OF Winchester En-
gland, contributed paper on the Irish System OF
Prison Discipline" Of which he is himself the author
Sir Walter commenced with explanation that, al
though termed the Irishsystem of prison discipline, 1t
is not in force excepting in the convict as of Ireland
l. e. in those as in which prisoners sentencedTo penal
scryitude confined that the county and borough
tails Of that country still for the greater part urgently
need reform sir walter stated tlat inc Iilon ~ sem
commenced in 1854 that 1t consists OF classlhcalOn
which renders the Improvement OF prisoner po.loh
i'm iaiI and his Liberation license within the period OF
his sentence, dependent on his own eNell0ns Wc arc
measured by system OF marks tnat, notwthstano-
ing the opposition which was made to this system al inc
| commencement, it gradually but surely, maze
missoneT and committees has been for several years
adopted in the English convict prisons, and IN some OF
the most important of the English county ana borough
hal 5ttei"d its ,ntroducon The progressive advan-
ages attending tins improved classification may be
briefly summed up, as-the removal OF restalnts-th
modification OF irksOme labor-the increase OF gTatuy
the earlier liberation on license (wtin certain limits OF
penal surYude cOnVcts. he explained that IN Ireland,
following on to the teTng and drilling process OF this
description classification, there is stage OF treatment
called the intermediate stage" which approaches 10
STATE OF freedom and which has been witnessed at Lusk,
near Dublin by many visitors from America and other
countries That this stage adopted not only for the
purpose of more NATURALLY preparing the Grim rim,
| nal for free me, ana eNlnClhB 10 Nun
that it felt ho could, after his vari-
the way for his admission to the labor market 1t now
Il years since the adoption OF TINS stage ana II Is hhdem
able tna notwithstanding several uais Causeu ny ,e
changing OF the laws &c. 1t has been very great sue
cess. He held it important TO Governments tha they
cOnyicts this manner. Sir Walter stated that the i'll
termt late stage LOT lemde cOhylcs WasIepresenieu'
both III England and Ireland ny refugees under Yolun
tary management TO which they are Sent on " tickets OF
license previous 10 Ineir cr4lon that the results IN
police supervision over tckctoicense cOnvcts, intro
adopted Euglag9n 1864 with tic best results that in
1859 statute was PASSED, called the HaDltgal
the Gogni1a S OF tc S police, &c. SotTithsiand
mg the Improvements made OF Late years yea IN
consider prison treatment generally speanhg IL a FAY
formty the absence OF Contra Board, suggested
i'm the lst article in The Programme" ior the Confer
uniiying aud yazing the Whole. He said that true
prison system" has been now shown by many years
experience set forth in the 4tu arce oi lhe no
Isl Penal stage. I'd, Reformatory stage, worked
on some "maTk" ~ STEM with progressive advantages III
classification earned Dy the prisoner 3d, probationary
stage to test improvement prior 10 pP.rdupl'
Time and experience will, on such basis. bring 70
light the supplementary measures needed 10 repIess
! cI4me Some persons IN England appear TO wish to
eliminate inc - OF more pcIiaI stage Oh punishment Oc
lieviug tAat II Is calculated 10 degrade the criminal sir
Walter did not after many years experience and watch
funess OF the results OF punishment at al agree with this
OpuiOi He considered the ist, penal stage,
sy, and thai IL ihe criminal Is made to leaAe The whole
scheme Of gO0d system 1t would be impossible TO lave
any feeling vi DEGRADATION. Ii to imagine
tha because jan Is m lI mus arc HdNe a
good prison system. Tie buiks ana other instances
given to show the contrary At the same time it
important To make prison abOras productive as pos
sibe consistently with tine preservation VI fe
Of prison discipline In cOncuon Le reiterated tc o-
article Of the programme OF the Conference, and ap-
pointing Central Board, proposed in the 41st article,
| are the two first and most important steps 10 receive
| consideration on the part Of any Government.
| IMPRISONMENT FOR LIMITED PERIODS
The distinguished phanthropist and criminal jurist
NJ d. Hill of Bristol England, contributed paper Of
great ability, which was read by Dr. Wines on the OBJ
jecOns incident to sentences Of imprisonment for lin
tied periods Mr.. Hill began by saying that all punish
ment is means to end not the end itself Bug what
endl The dimnution Of crime, which must be sought in
the reformation of the criminal; and hence it is legit
is attaned and not Effected at all then for his natural
life. criminal Is man morally diseased ana, o. in
of bodily disease it is impossible to predict the
date Of cure, IL is equally when the disease is in the
soul. There two risks in such attempt-the risk
OF letting the maeactOr loose before he Is cured and The
risk Of holding him after his Effected What them
is TO measure the duration OF imprisonment In ap-
pOTtiOnhg time sentence 70 given Of
tense, assume some asSignable proportion be
tween tho Ohense and the inhictiOn in other
words, that pOmdweigm should receive pound
weight OF punishment. But, with all our skill and care,
20 but little way toward the eXactness required
for practical purposes; and in attempts TO award
pain according To desert, fated To either
the side OF mercy severity standards of punishment
easier TO imagine than to realize; but If Il
possible to docket every prisoners Onense with its just
award Of punishment, how little would thereby he
Effected Deerrents are not wholly uselcss-they have
some potency; but every page OF history furnishes evil
dCnce that 10 Is an idle expectation Chat they be
made electual. In what principle, then, find
refuge, except that of reformation cureY But as
cure cannot be predicted with certainty In given
caseand II IL could the time required TO effect could
not be measured in adyance-there To be no
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