Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1878-11-30
CONVICT

NNio Ivy W. S'S ~ h''ti
Republican. under the caption. What
shall wedo with our crimlnals?" AS these
words were written over an editorial
which appeared in this paper a short
time ago. and as the first two lines of
the second paragraph contain q quota
ton from that article. we hope we shall
not be thought presumptuous in assum-
ing that his letter is a criticism OF what
We wrote. though it is not so stated.
The subject Is one which demands an
exchange of thought, and if we succeed
IN awakening an interest in ii throughout
the state, and a discussion OF 1t by the
press and political writer's we shall nave
accomplished all that we nave hoped.
We entertain no dogmatic opinions re-
gardins it which will not yield to better
or more practicable ones. We see that
the great burden upon the people OF the
tate is the cost OF crime. and seeing this
we have cast about Tor "a remedy. and
have suggested one. We will not 20
INTO its merits here.
Mr.. Wilson assumes that tho '.sug-
gestlon of the radical change IN our
criminal wv has its objective point in
the revival OF the coal trade OF LeXing-
ton, destroyed by convict labor in other
mines. In this We think he makes n
radical mistake. The correction of
the evil OF working convlcts in coal
mines would simply all tor their return
to the prison walls, and though that ques-
ton aud the one involving the proposed
change III the criminal law may be dis
cussed together, they are, nevertheless.
two separate propositions, and only bear
upon each other incidentally. The first
requlres.a as we view II. only an obedience
to the spirit OF existing laws the second
Il very considerable change in our penal
system. which should not be narrowed
down to local interests.
but our friend MAJ say. had it
not been tor the effect which convict
labor has had upon the coal trade of
Lexington you would not have taken an
interest IN this subject. nor thought OF
the dignity of labor as it is affected by
it," Very true. We fully appreciate
that the difficulty in righting this wrong
lies IN the fact tina. but q few localities
icel Its effect. But that does not deter
US from agitating the matter, nor do we
believe that when attention is brought
to 1t the representatives OF the great
state OF Missouri will consent that even
a portion OF her people shall be made to
suffer from it. The fact. however, that
changes in one law are suggested by a
misconstructiou of another, will no, de-
tract from the merits OF the proposed
changes ii they have merit.
We have no disposition to question our
friends motives in entering this discus
sion. tor we believe him to be generous
and patriotic but to illustrate how easy
it is to assign selfish motivest 10 the most
dIsInterested person we call attention to
his letter. First, he asserts that s re-
form is suggested in L~e1inqton's inter
eat second, that politicians talk of the
dignity Of labor" sc. the inference he
ing hat they do 50 IN order to have labor
dignity them. Suppose that We should
SAVIOUR friend, Mr.. Wilson. is u banker,
his bank IS not interested in coal mines,
the two other banks in the city are SO
interested. ergo Mr.. Wilson sees little
merit IN doing anything to build up the
coal business, as this would result IN
building up his competitors, This would
be ungenerous. would it not :? certainly
and we only speak of it to show thai it
IS best to discuss questions upon their
merits. So far as the lnteIligencer goes,
il is opposed to convict-miued coal, not
because these banks are interested. for
We have never consulted them. and would
be as much opposed to It even if they
favored 1t, but because it is an injury TO
the whole community. and because we
think it wrong.
We do not agree with our friend in
the sweeping assertion that criminals,
ike poets, are born not made" This
rounds a period very PRETTY, but is no,
borne out hy facts. We do not question
that this is often the case; but we
think 1t is not always so. That some of
taSln's boys might have turned out
thieves without a teacher may be trde.
but that he corrupted others who might
with good training have been made good
men seems to us the lesson intended to
be taught by Dickens. If our friends
doctrine OF election were carried TO its
fullest logical conclusion it would do
away with ali necessity Tor reformato-
ries, schools and churches. We must
believe that with humanity the fountain
sometimes rises higher than the scou-ce.
and that ii is good doctrine in criminal
Jurisprudence to hold. with the most
eminent writer's upon the subject. that
the reformation OF a prisoner is one of
the chief ends to be kept in view.
That there is dignity in labor all
admit. but labor to be dignitied must be
q voluntary act. No servile or enforced
labor rises to that distinction. 1t is gen.
orally thought, and we share the opin-
ion that there are many criminals-very
many-who hate nothing so much as
work. We believe that felons should be
punished as we'll as reformed, and we,
therefore. advocate q plan which will
most expeditiously and protitably set
them at work.
Mr.. Wilson says: All attempts to
manipulate that force (crimlnal) 80 as
to make a profit out OF it. or get back
what it costs, are failures. under what
ever plausible disguises." This state
ment Is incorrect. We have not time
nor would our space admit OF citing
numerous instances. but q sufficient an
swer to it may be found in the report OF
the National Prison Association which
met IN this country in 1874 In the
twenty-nine states that made detailed
reports to the association, twelve prls-
ons showed an excess OF earnings over
the total current expenses. including
S.larias TbaSa rara IN hs;pa Nap