Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-12
SournxI ana Gonrier.
SINGLE COPIES THREE GENTS.
Saturday. January 1s. 1884.
A TOWN WORKHoUsE.

We have received a circular signed by Judge Dsming and Town Agent Reynolds
 calling meeting to consider inc project of
 erecting town vorkhouse, one purpose of
 which is to provide place to which habitual
 drunkards may be sent. and where they may
 be compelled to work. We have had occa- sion before to speak ef the manner in which l drunkards are at present dealt with. By far 1 the greater part of the arrests made by the police, and of the convictions which take I place in the City court, are for drunkenness. And yet the instances where arrest, or fines or | imprisonment, have resulted in reformation | of the prisoner are exceedingly rare. We have yet to hear of one. Indeed, It is the opinion of those who have given the most at- tention to the subjsct that these means az gravate rather than diminish the evil. The l wholesale way in which police courts continue to commit drunkards to jail, in the face of the plain fact that imprisonment is no sort of remedy, argues very great indifference to the real interests Of the prisoners, or an utter want of appreciation of the class with whom they have to deal with quite as little comprehension of the true interests of the public in the matter. Whatever will best serve to reform the prisoner will, of course,
 best serve the cause of public order.
 It is very much to Judge Demings trates who have found out how; useless it is to keep up the practice of periodically com
 hitting the t'town drunkard" during his
 natural life. The case of the habitual drunk
 ard is unquestionably very difficult ono.
 Drunkenness is quite as often disease as it
 is crime. It is of course true that it is
 disease induced by criminal conduct. The
 same may often bs said of insanity. But we do
 not send the insane to jail, though they may
 have become so by irregular or even
 criminal conduct. The law, however,
 cannot afford to let drunkenness alone,
 for even when it is disease it is one which,
 like insanity, renders the patient dangerous
 to himself and to society. The ouly question
 is, what is the best method of dealing with it.
 The best remedy we have thought would
 be State inebriate asylum to which the courts could commit the prisoner convicted of being 8 common drunkard. But in the absence of such an institution the project of
 Judge Deming and Mr- Reynolds is certainly
 highly commendable one They propose to send the habitual drunksrd to town work
 house where he will be compelled to labor,
 and thas wages be allowed for this labor and expended in the support of his family. This scheme serves two very good purposes which certainly form no part of the present system. It keeps tho drunkard out of the reach of rum till he has reformed or, at least, had a fair chaHcs to reform, and forces him mean
 wbile to maintain his family or, eE least, to assist in their support. In speaking of the werk which the prisoner is to perform the circular uses the rather unfortunate expres. sion ''hard labor" The nature of the work should be left largely to the discretion of those who have charge of the wcrkhoGse and should be regulated according to the mental and physical condition of the subject Indeed, it might be found wise to give the board of health supervision to certain extent of the institution.
 The whole matter deserves thorough and careful consideration, and no subject ought to be more interesting to tbose who give their special attention to the temperance question. Such institutions ara worth thousand times more than fruitless schemes of prohibition. We do not suppose that it 1 has been found practicable to in Vite a large 1 attendance at the proposed meeting, but we have no doubt that Judge Deming and MT. | Reynolds will be glad to receive any sugges- | tions in reference to the matter. It is cer- tainly not often that any project is preached 1 in New Haven more deserving of public sym eathy and attention than the one in question.