New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-13
hey would find the VIZ a

tive sentences, and thst they would find the WY q
keep hem 10 employed 10 secure for the State SUD
porting prices for their work For 20 years the prisons
were conducted upon this theory and made TO fun tia
intentions OF their founders. Agents OF responsibility
honesty, decision and sagacty who coDprehendd their
PURPOSE, put In charge Of them and most not ALL
OF them discharged their duties their regulations A
business men depended upon their The agents
moreover appeared TO take delight in making the pr,
oners nay their way Under their Administrations thu
prisons were reay prisons not comfortable quarter,
for tho fricndless and lazy They were prisons n
which those who had forfeited their liberty by depre
datons upon society made To reimburse the s,as
for care and keeping And in order TO give pecunIa,y
value to the labor during their confinement they wer,
mt under the restraints OF whoesoms business rulsS
Wbep in health they required 10 work during all
thu usual business Of secular days and exec
the work well and to the extont OF reasonable aska Al
their work had computabe value in those days for con-
tractors there seldom any cihcuty az either prison
in obtaining for IL reasonable and supporting compen.
sation The discipline was kept up, the conylct wer,
made to work according to the conditions Of their son.
,epces and "A a consequence the prisons for vera
made under ordinary circumstances to pay their war
And the health, comfort and morals OF the conycs 40
cording to the reports far they
That in substance the condition or te state prsOn
in a pecunary point OF view at the time Of the change
majority OF the delegates in the Convention which
framed the Constitution Of 1916 were greatly Influenced
by il not afflicted WITH the then prevalent mania FOR
legal REFORM Reform OF the civil and Judicial autonomy
OF the State was the order OF the day And such 60.
tbussts as Ansel Bascom OF Seneca County, who a,
that time published o legal reform paper at Seneca
Falls were content 10 leave any department Of the
service IA IL was whether it needed reformation not
The State prisons were well enough as they were At
any rate they not subeets Of any public complain,
exeept from few mechanics who disliked the conpeh
ton OF convict labor And no delegate in that Con
venon proposed To discontinue mechanical labor hs
prisons by any constitutional provson tDers was
reason assigned by any one OF them Tor needing with
the subject at all. The Convention did NEEDLE whk
however and put in their work the provision which hs
cost the State so much and proved TO be what Kirk
patrick styles decided failure" The reasons why
turned out to DO q failure are TOO NUMEROUS 70 b
stated In this letter One OF the most powerful caas
WAS that David ID. Spencer, Isaac n Comstock, and
John b. Gedney, the first elected Inspectors, were poh
tcians merely, not statesmen nor business men, sBa
that they manned tho prisons with an inferior clas
of their political friends. BY that single act Of them
they converted the prisons into siDecures Tor hungry
and lazy politicians Of the most incompetent and Te
sponsible class and reduced the disciplinary and 70
munerative character Of the prisons very greatly Il
became at notorious that the prisons were con
duced by politicians in the interest Of their party and
To the detriment of the State. And from that very hour
the prisons began to run behind; in the first place b.
cause the agents and wardens were denied all hight TO
make selections OF keepers and secondly because bs
inspectors assumed to possess the paramount right h
contracts for convict labor to their avors by that
line Of conduct they degraded the agents and wareas
who had before the chief officers Of the prisons
the humble condition Of servants The next cause Of tie
prisons degenerating the public profession by some
of their OF the very destructive Idea that the
prisons were eeemOsynary institutions merely, ana
were never designed nor expected to be sesupportng
The PRONUNCIATION Of that impression sunk the hnanch
TIA iflln ont IaWn
when the agents and wsrdens despared OF making then
pay At Sing Sing onefourtb. and at ALBUM
one-third OF the cOnvicts were unemployed az
through the last fiscal year for the want OF dsepune~
give value to their labor They were merely oV"uess
The contractors for convict labor may DE selfish ID s
statement but it is understood that they generally s
that the inspectors OF 10 the prisons "haeV
and that the history OF the management OF the prisons
them since l54S shows that they have been doImen'
instead OF benefit What the contractors for con'lss
labor say they desire is single Responsible hosu "'A'
prisons whose will and Efforts to do right cannot DC over
slaughed by Inspectors ignorant OF contractoH
wants, and the exgcncics Of contractors DulneA
They say that by such restoration OF the agents .na
wardens to their primitive positions they believe me
discipline may brought up again TO its onginA
standard and convict labor DO reinyesed with s ioFa
value.
This difficulty was known to the Commissioners sp
pointed by cx-Goy Hoffman, who thought the bes
inspectors and appoint single superintendent o.
prisons to be nominated by the Governor and confirmed
by the Senate their stead. That proposition appeared
at the time TO meet with general approval. The mrs.
Legislature to which it submitted approved IT, bu
the second one, upon the solicitation Of one or more
tho INSPECTORS it was said, declined TO submit II
the people for ratification. Ex-lnspector krkpatriei
in his minority report says: 1t Is greatly 10 ~
deplored that the amendment OF the Constitution r.
lang to prisons had not been passed by the Lesatu'
and submitted with tho other amendments rus
that it will yet be passed and approved by the Teope
The present system has not met tine expectations o! ~
friends Under it there neither be that security na
stability for the prisons which is essential to Their sue
cessful management. It Is, indeed, decided failure
AS the State prisons depressing the taxpayers oi s
State very heavily, it il evident that something shouH
be attempted by this Legislature 10 relieve them
MI. f. W. Seward introduced in the early part OF IA
session present State Assembly resolution ~
yiying that rejected amendment II no bettor plan ea
DO devised to reach the difficulty, hope it will pass
Auburn, ". T., April II, 1875.