The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1874-12-24
About the Proposed Removal o. the
state Prison tie milwaukee.

4 paragraph Is going the rounds Of the
new spap-rS Ia the IF CT that the State
Board of Charities and Reforms, in their
forth coming report, viii recommend the
r mgval Uf the State Prison TO Milwaukee
We DO not knO. what truth there j. in the
rumor, and We 10 not know as II i. of any
peculiar interest to Milwaukee whether the
Prison shall be removed here, or not, 1t
u sand that the chair and be isteat business
carried On there Is not prrtitslle, and the
iaoor OF the prisoners canBut lie let ont By
contract there. II i probable that BE- al
dfiohal expense Of coal created by the cost
Il spurtation-the wood having been
z ncraily cut off in that vIcinity-a3ds to
the cu-t Of manufacture there. Itcan hard
y b., however. that tie cost e materials
tor such manufactures Is CRATER there than
here. II this report IS the Board Of Chari-
ties and Reforms ever sscs tie light, We
shall know whether the cost and expense
oi manufacturing have been made greater
by Illicit means than they ought to have
b-.', ins. nhrthsr sales Of manufactured
al "a. have been IN de n terms which
were advantageous To the State We are
confident ihat the personal integrity Ia THU.
resfect Of Mr.. heller, the late Prison
Commissioner, VIII be yiniioated. Blu.
whether the whole system from the begin
hlng las been night Or wrong, is Just what
the people want to know
! he Aib0ny prison ard the Ohio pen
Tertiary are not only self tanning, bur
they pay generous revenue to the Stat.
The coaylcts at NauI un, however, are few
.iv. 4
their terms Of imprisonment are short.
These facts, while creditab!e to the citizens
OF VI iscons u, showing that they are a law
a1id Dg peUple--cau.e the support of their
Criminals TO be greater expense than they
Wish to ; car, and adds to the difficulty of
introducing the contract system. For, II
the average term If iIBT resentment for con-
vets Is but two Cr three years, they do not
become as skllliul at the trades which they
follow as they would become with L longer
apprenticeship. In short, Wisconsin
hOrse thlef can no more than fairly lean "a
trade before the expiration Of TIE term Of
MS sentence. 1t IL great moral question.
Whether II l. better for the people to have
but lev crimes, and TO heye those of 80
Isht a Character that they are punishable
by only short terms OF Imprisonment, or
whether more O2 bLaeker crimes ought t.
be committed. For, do you see, furtv
rapers, at ten years each, are much more
profitable conTIc;s, in money sense, to the
State than two hUrse-thieyes at two wears
each. 1t costs the tax payers SIS 600 to
sJV,eOJ 10 keep up a prison for lJD COM lets
whose average term is two ycer.. Five
hundred prisoners whose average term /,
ne years, can be made source of profit
Are IJp small criminals less damage to the
community than 500 biz criminals? Ifthe,
are, We can afford to keep them at a great
expense, and to dispense ia the reysni,.
which the large crowd would produce.
Milwaukee is Indifferent to the Proposed
change. II the STATE thinks it a profitable
thIng TO remove this institution here, pro.
baby liberal terms can be made Milwau
kee once wanted Madlson's Capitol badly.
Oar city got over that little piece of covet
BUSINESS. long age. Every State Institution
excel the Insane Asylums could do better
10 Milwaukee than on the rural size, nruyii-
Cd tor them. But neither Of them would
tie any particular advantage TO Milwaukee,
which IN Its industries, commerce aud its
works ct legitimate enterprise finds the
best clements ut grow til aud prosperity
MI. NsUS.