The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-06-05

COLUMBUS, May soth, Il

--<~ ColumbuS Letter.
COLUMBUS, May 30th, 1879.
Prison affairs are gradually settling
lown, to asbasis from whlch sati6lacto-
y resplts ire sure to follow, Thacha-
,tic c6nfusion thsE is surs to comeefter
, radiSal departure from old cusioms
Apd time establiShed hahits, ,has come
md is gradually wearing away, "slow
but sure" In the past the Prison was
, close corporation, with all the pecu-
liar privileges to the few and disadvan-
ages to the maAy, which are born Of
of that kind. Political
Jesuitism ruled the institution. and its
doorways were barred and guarded ac-
Underall parties, and with
sach succeeding administration by the
same party, the first caro- Of the man.
to hand down and per-
petnate, certain points and certain GUS
toms which had passed into workings
Of the ,prison and fastened themselves
upon it like. the old man Of the sea.
These were not easily shaken off, and
the men who devised and engineered
that clause of our, present prison law
which relates to County representation
Of guards here, I" builded wiser than
they knew" This clause was thrust
at the gordian knot which had for
years been tied around the old institu-
ton, and its successful execution will
solve the problem sooner than any
other plan. Il Light Is what is needed
In all these places. The people want
to, and must be made to see into them
not through a glass, darkly, but face
to face, and, then away goes the close
corporation, Jesuitism, and special adj
vantages to the few, and in their stead
we will have prison that peepls will
know something about and care some
thing for. As 1t was in the past, not
one taxpayer in . hundred knew any
thing about what became of the earn
ings of the prison, why it did not sup
port itself, or any Of the many curious
facts that were rolled up in its history,
and as to knowing anything about the
good or bad management, or the result
Of penal servitude on the convict, the
people, neither knew nor cared. The
Sheriff brought isisquad to the prison
gate and turned them over to the
Warden. and that was the Hast Of them
anti, bye and bye9 the people heard
Of or saw - strange, half scared, guilty
looking face In their neighborhood
again, and then they knew thst the
convict had been restored to. the world
again but what had happened, to him
whilst in durance vile, was . secret,
and nobody felt like asking him any
thing about, it. -. -. -
:. Well, It came around in time that
The law was passed which required the
Warden to employ as guards at the
prison . representative from each
county In the State, until an the
counties should be represented. This
was DONE When the Legislature con.
ivsned the members found an acquaint-
ance from their own county here on
duty. The guard found friend In the
Legislature to- whDmshe could 60 and
speak feely. There was ., sudden u.
Illumination all around the prison hori.
zon. The people at home heard from
the prison from men in whom they
had confidence, and. NOT, as before
only from discharged convicts. There
b nothing In the world, SO good as
light TO iispel Darkness. The sun
Ifises In the morning and the night has
to'take back seat, and all the night
igoblins, oprowlers, and monsters have
to hide themselves. So It is every.
where in life. I,, lssssr SD y
> The old ring that had made money
and fame out of the toll and sweat o.
the conyicts. were frightened, and n
the. light began to shine In upon
their workings they were ready to hide
themselves, No secret can be kep
unless, al the parties are interested
Here was . little secret, and It was no,
possible TO get the, whole State Of Ohit
TO Keep it, because the State was MOI
Interested In having it kept. - =,
p- T'do not Wish, ii what / have said
to reflect personally on any man or or
any party. The evil was one that be.
longed ITO the system, and the State
was just as much to blame be were the
party involved, and more, because the
State, ex-Offieio. is the'guardian Of al
these. Interests. and every convict ID
the wardlof the:commenwealth. The
contract labor system has its good aide
as well IS its bad, and great deal car
be said in its favor, but when it be.
comes the paramount interest, then II
is very liable. TO work evil, Franklin
county men are as good az the men o.
any other county, but when ring il
formed that gives Franklin county the
majority of all the official and subor-
dinate positions in all the Institutions
located at Columbus then secrets are
liable to be kept to the prejudfce Of the
6tste sat large. The present system
works wrong to no ONE. The patron!
ageofsthe prison, distributed over the
Stats.s is not dangerous, but rather
healthy as it ;begets . laudable ambi-
ton on the part Of outside parties to
SECURE place, but when that patronage
is narrowed down to the borders Of
Franklin county, it begets q scheming,
scramb1ing, and wire-pulling operation
that is evil and only evil. -
Aboye the clash and clamor and