Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-06-02
DEiTOCRATIC-REFORM CONSIST
ENCY.
How About State Prison Frauds.

AZ tiG tlmC anu plOVlOuS W Tue III :
auguration Of the present State admin
istration Democratic politicians, aud
the Democratic press generally, we're
loud in their denunciations of Repnb-
licans and the management OF State
affairs by the Republican party, and
especially charging gross fraud and
corruption In the management Of the
State Prison. AL through the cam
paign of 1878 they continued to ret-
crate lnsinuations and charge of mis-
management. and made loud promises
of reform ana retrenchment in the ex-
penses of the State Prison, in case
they should succeed in capturing the
State Offices. The election that year
resulted in a Democratic victory
Notwithstanding an investigation, or
dered by Governor Washburn, and
made by the State Board of Charities
and Reform, had resulted in the COM
plete vindication of Commissioner
Wheeler, yet Governor Taylor. in his
first annual message to the Legislature,
says:
The management of the State Prison es-
pecially demands your scrutiny. Contrary
to the experience of many of the most en-
| lightened states of the Union, the punish
| ment of our criminals is source of contn-
nal depletion to the public treasury. The
criminals confined in this institution are
mostly able-bodied males, in the prime of
life, capable of earning much more than
the average of men, and the fact is incom-
prehensible that they should prove a per-
petual burden upon the Taxpayers. l see
no good reason why this institution, under
| proper management, should not be made
| nearly or quite self-sustaining, when the
| penitentlaries Of so many states in the
| Union are source of revenue TO the public
| treasury. 1t is claimed by those who have
made the comparison Of the statistics that
the inmates of our State Prison cost US
more per capita than do the inmates of any
charitable institutions of the state For
this condition of things there seems to be
neither justification no excuse The con-
tinuance of an enlightened policy towards
the prisoners, looking to the protection of
society rather than a malicious punishment
or the guilty, will not tend to retard thai:
reform in this direction, which is now SO
IMP eratively demanded.
But the so-called Reform admins
tration had hardly entered upon its
duties before it began to dawn upon
its vision that possibly they had made
a mistake In their calculation. 1t did
not seem to he quite SO easy, after all,
tn bax, 10
know where to begin. The possibili-
ty, or probability, that they had bitten
off more than they could chew, caused
no little anxiety among the knowing
ones. 1t wasn't certain, after ALL but
they had got toleraby larged sized
elephant on their hands. "But it
won't do to own up" they said. 1--WE
must put on a bold front and contin-
ue to promise reform, whether we can
accomplish it or nol'
And so, with stentorian promises of
reform, and by the use Of various de-
vices, they managed to get much
larger appropriation than was thought
necessary, even by the "extravagant"
outgoing Commissioner. They ex-
emplifed their ideas of reform by in
PRODUCING bill appropriating a small
sun for the support of the prisoners,
and then, Gas is their usual custom,
reforming it up to an unusually large
sum. But they must keep up appear
ances- and the best way to do SO and
be consistent with their professions Of
reform, and at the same time divert
the attention of the people from their
own management Of the State Prison,
was to reiterate those insinuations and
charges against Commissioner W heller.
In accordance with that theory and
conclusion, another investigation by
the State Board OF Charities and Re-
form was ordered by Governor Taylor,
which resulted Gas did the one ordered
by Governor Washburne) in the com
plete vIndicatiou of Mr.. Wheeler.
Gov. Taylor's remark in his second
annual message, touching upon the
affairs Of the State Prison, indicate
that light had begun to dawn upon his
vision, and that it was more than like
ly he had In bis former message put
his foot in, and put il in bad This
is what he said In his second message
''The first annual report Of the directors
Of the State Prison deserves and will I'M
doubleday receive more than ordinary at
tention. 1t appears from this report that
the internal affairs Of the Prison the past
year have been administered with intelli-
gence and fidelity, and that important i'm
provements have been made for the pur-
pose of economizing labor and decreasing
expenditure. The recommendations of the
directors with reference to a further reduc-
ton Of the annual cost of the Prison com
mend themselves to your approval sug-
gest the propriety OF further inquiry, in
conjunction with the board Of directors and
the warden, as to the possibility of more eff
fectiviy utilizing the labor OF the Prison,
by a partial or total change in the character
of the work now engaged in at the Prison,
materially diminishing the revenue which
ought TO be derived from the convict labor