The Republican journal., 1873-09-04
The State Prison Again.

| the State Prison at little less, If any, than
$500 | have since been informed that
they come nearer to $1,000. The emolu-
ments of his office, therefore, combining
them to the salary and perquisites speci
fed, to wit: Rent and fuel, must amount
to $4,000, nearly OF quite. And showed
how extravagant twas in comparison with
those of the Judges of the Supreme Judi
cial Court and Superintendent Of the In
sane Hospital | could have extended
the comparison with similar results.
| The average number Of convicts in the
| prison for 1871, was 1853 and there We're
ia at the beginning of 1872, and 164 at
its close, as appears by the report of the
Warden for those years, respectively,
The salary of the Warden of the State
Prison of Illinois, in which the number of
convicts in 1872 was 1865, more than sew
en- times as many as We're in our State
Prison was s. 800; and that of the War
den of the State Prison of Massachusetts,
| in which the number was 562, more than
| tnfec-lolu as many us I'LL our own, NtS
$1,000
In Michigan the number of convicts was
$50, and the salary was 81 600. In Wis
| consin there were 1871 convicts and the
| salary was 81 POO But it is needless to
prolong the comparison. 1t exhibits the
grossly excessive salary Of the Warden of
| oil,
And will only add that his salary is arg-
cr than that Of any Warden of any State
prison in the United States
BY what mesmerc, magical OF malig
nant influence We're the Inspectors wrought
up to propose and the Governor and
Council to establish it ? 1t cannot be sus
pected that the unseltish and public-spirt-
ed Warden himself suggested its increase
to the honest, low salaried Inspectors !!
| Nay, indeed, the wonder is that he yield
ed to the temptation to acceptit At any
rate, the Inspectors are entitled to the
praise and honor Of introducing the prop
osition to raise il to its present magnitude
| to the; Governor and Council, who at first
refused to entertain it. They were sur
| priscd and indignant at its audacity. But
| the Inspectors, oblivious, of course, to
mere individual personal benefit and gain,
and intent only upon the economical ex-
penditure of the money Of the people,
| persisted. renewed and urged its adoption'
They declared that if it was rejected, the
Warden would not only resign, but leave
| the State And 10 the Governor and
| Council hesitated-and like :. the woman
who hesitates,7 yielded, at length, and
gave one more proof that man as well as
| woman is weak.
Is it possible to believe they did not
| know that if the office was vacant, there
We're scores, nay, hundreds of men in the
State, who We're well qualified to discharge
its duties and would deem themselves for
p, tunate to obtain it for compensation less
by one half, than the present salary? 1t
is clear that if the Warden had resigned
and left the State, the people would there
| by, have saved $4,000, at least, per annum,
and he would deserve a place among those
patriots, who aforetimes have cleft their
country for their comtry's good"
| In their report of 1871 the mspec, OFFS
say = the net earnings of the prison have
been 2G,5ol ca )" and, in that Of 1872. the
net profits for the past year have been 81
! 81 .93.' And they add ''this is sufficient
proof that it has been efficiently and faith
fully managcd.' am not disposed to de
| ny that it has been 50 managed But do
deny that this result indicates the exercise
of uncommon ability or entities the man
| agement to extraordinary credit
| BY examination of the former report
assuming the average number Of the con-
victs. who labored in the carriage and
shoemaking departments. to be $50, and
the number of DAYS each one labored to be
800, it will appear that the average net
earnings OF each convict, estimating the
cost OF his board and clothing to be 500,
amounts to SIP per annum, and his dali
ly earnings to Il cents and fraction.
Now, in view of the fact that the wages
Of men employed in making carriages
boots and Shoes outside the prison, in the
State, are more than four times this sum,
is there not sufficient reason to doubt. to
say the least, that the prison has been so
managed? Is it not strange that the con-
Wet is made to earn 20 little? What if
his labor is involuntary? He is sentenced
to hard labor, and oVerSeers are costantly
on the alert to enforce the sentence and
prevent every escape from it.
In his report for 1872 the Warden as
serts that - the State owns here buildings
: which it would cost more than Sl50. 900 to
replace, and has on an average $50, 900
, worth OF personal property" making an
six per cent. on this sum is Sl4, 100, per
l annrm. The appropriations for the State
l Prison for 1871 amounted to $40 ,00O and
We're almost entirely for general repairs
+ and construction and purchase, on build
ing Of dwelling houses These items OF
: interest and appropriations foot up S24.
, 600. Now, it is evident that no business
is self-sustaimlng, even, unless it defravS
+ the expense OF carrying it on and pays the
t interest of the capital invested in it, 1t is
/ manifest, therefore, that the State Prison
I in lS7 was not self-sustaining that insteao
5 of its net earnings being 6,59l Ga, it SUI:
; fered !; net loss to the State of Sl7 ,5OS3G
. and that in 1872 itnot only gained nothing
f but lost SIG 253O7
4 The Inspectors in their report for ls7
e | say, this amount, to wit, the net gain o
q Sc, 59l ca, ''has been added, the same a
n last year, to the working capital of the in
I stitution." And so the pretended net profits
net earnings and net gains are year,,
swallowed up by the prison. The State
, does not receive one dollar thereof into it