Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1884-01-11

corresponding months last year IVY ten thou-
sand dollars, and the Indications now point TO
profit of eighty or. ninety thousand dollars
for the current year, II tho present cxcclent
management is continued. While tho pecu-
MARY results arc so gratifying, tho discipline,
caro-, and treatment of conviots arc all that
can reasonably be expected under tho present
system OF prison mnnaRement.
ApJurANT GENERAL.
The report of tho Ad1ut0nt General shows
that the present forcc OF the Ohio National
Guard consists OF oighty-two companies OF in
fantry. and seven batteries of light artillery,
aud n total number of 5ibI men, including
officers, boing reduction during tho year M or
4lS The Improvement In discipline and sol
dlorly bearing OF tho officers and men oontin-
ucs 70 bc gratifying feature OF the condition
Of the Mniiona Guard Your onore aenupn uf tbs rs
Adlutant General; the suggestions ana re-
commondatlons thcrcln made arc worthy OF
careful consideration, Tho sum Of $Ioei3@
was collected during the year and paid into
tho state Treasury on claims against the
General Goyornmont, adjusted 10y Mr ~ ~
previous collection, makes a total collection
on account of claims of the Stntc against tho
United states OF slSSol,e; me aEent re,
Of about $4,000, which will be. paid to tho
State when Congress makos the eppropria-
ton.
I discussed quito fully in my last annual
message tho future relation of the state to
the public works, 20 which your careful at
| tontion is. respectfully requested I repent
with emphasis that, "should II become the
policy of the state to dispose Of all or any
portion of the public works, then I would
urge the ascortainment of what the state
owns, pertaining to the portion proposed 70
be parted with, n careful valuation made by
competent authority, and when the property
| is accurately described, and Its valuo deter
mined the snle to be made to tho hiphost bid,
der, but at not less than the appraised value
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS ~
Tho publioinstitutions arc IN all respects IN
| most excellent condition. Their management
has been, in..the main, free from mere partisan
ipunpupa Tho epVprul hOarIiA with two eNC0n-
| tions nre composed of two Democrats aud
| three Republicans, all gentlemen of hgh
character who have discharged their several
| trusts with great intelligence and fidelity to
| the public interests. The employees have been
selected without regard to their pontical
| Affiliations, and 1t Is believed that, outside OF
| the ponltentlary, tho voters In the public In
| stitutions are about equally divided between
the two parties Tie greatly improved c9nni, e,ii,
attests tho wisdom of the policy that has been
applied TO them. During the past -four, years
large expendn,Tes, have been 6 mmqe LOT ror optgp i
proved steam heating and for extraordinary
purposes, until now but small appropriations
are nshcd for such purposes, and the sum re,
| hundred thousand dollars.
INSANE AsYLuMs.
| About $500 insane people are cared for with
| the present accommodations furnished by tho
| State. about 1000 are cared for In the county
| infrmaries, and thcro are probably bVO 70 i,OU
persons in private institutions and with their
1 families and friends. Tho. nsylum, the build
4 ing of which was authorized by the last Gen.
| oral Assembly, will be located at Toledo, and
is designed to accommodate one Thousand m
| quircd by the law authorizing itscQnstruction
/ Great care has been taken by the commits
| sion having this matter in Charge to secure
for tho State. when 1t is completed, the best
institution Of it's kind In the country, and mt II
per capita cost of less than one,third of that in
| completed the unfortunate insane population
now confined in our iniirmnries win be cared
for in it, The remainder of this population ,,l
can then be provided for Mt small expense by
enlarging existing institutions.
| REFoRMATORIEs.
Too little attention is paid to finding homes
for the inmates of roformatory institutions.
This work, by law, devolvos upon the triisteos
and superintendent. With his other duties,
the superintendent has not the necessary time
TO devote to 1t, and the trustees who give their
| services gratuitously cannot be expected to
| give the matter much attention. Tho state
| should employ an agent for this purpose. In
| mention the exceptional success of the trus-
tees and superintendent of the Girls Indus
trial Homo in finding homes for the girls
| of that institution, ana 1t Is especially graft
| flying to learn that more than threefourths
of those are leading useful and honorable
lives. Z"
CHILDREN's HOMES.
Tho "Children's Home" of recent origin, Is
| the first and most valuable step in the right
direction. II is believed that three-fourths of
the waits upon society who grow up without
criminals The purpose of the Children S
Home is temporarily 10 shelter and care for
them. with the ultimate purpose of finding
good homes for them. 1t may be accepted as
a fact, that there is a childless home for every
homeless child in the land. The mission then
in short, of the Children's Home Is to lind the
childlesS home for the homeless child.
The bare statement of what seems 10 be a
demonstrated fact that, because of the Chill
drens Homes, we are enabled to give to soci-
ETY. useful and self-supporting citizens to the
number of more THIN threc-fourths of all
their inmates. whereas, without the Children's
Homes more than three-fOurths of the same
! children would become migrants and crimi
mails. is in argument in favor of their encour
agemept Of such force e. as u to command The The
| to the necessity Of giving tho institution OF
Childrens Homes in every county of the
State their earnest attention.
CONTRACT LABOR SYSTEM.
| The public mind has been brought to the
consideration of the subject of prison contract
labor, and both of the political parties of this
| State have declared against 1t.
| The General Assembly authorize the ap.
pointment by the Governor of n commission
| to examine and report to the present Genera
| Assembly, not only upon the subject OF the
| contract system, but also upon the subject OF
| prison management generally; The report OF
l.this commission Is exceedingly interesting
and will be found valuable in the consider
| alton of this particular subject.
From the Investigation l have given the
subject ! am inclined to the opinion that tc
abolish simply the present contract system
| and to substitute for 1t the State account sys
| TEN will end in disaster and failure to accom-
| plish the end sought.
| 1t is possible to suggest n comprehensive
| system of prison management, including the
abolshment of the contract system, which Il
| practicable and can, with wise management
be made not only successful, but, at the same
time, by such system, there can be secured
most valuable reform. There is no doub
but that the contract system does, in some de
| partments, seriously iniure honest labor, anC
the honest labor of the State has right Il
ask that this injury be reduced to minimum
| And II Is the duty of the General Assembly tc
secure such Il result.
That the convict must be compelled to worl
Is a proposition so sef-evident that no one will
dispute THAT his work shall l. dS as M itt
be sought, and prison management shout
have for its main object the reform OF TIL
y convict.
To accomplish these desirable purposes,
would suggest. first, that all sentences be O
an indeterminate character, life sentences eA
cepted. the term of confinement to be deter
mined by the prison managers; would pre-
vide that eight hours constitute aday's work
that two hours each day DO devoted to the 90
he sentences II convict, certify TO tho boar
managers the facts that secured the convl'
ton, with statement of tho general chara'
ter of the convict.
The bonrd of managers should adopt sy
tenn of rules providing for promotion for goo
conduct, and reduction of standing for ba
conduct. AT n certain degree of promotion til
convict should be entitled to wear citizen
clothes, and certain further degree of pr,
motion should entitle him to his freedom,
go out of the prison with right to his carr
ings. ho TO be IL convict STILL bearing the &C
tihcate of the prison managers to that eirec
~ Good conduct outside the prison for a state
10 | period, the convict reporting once n mont
a. his report certified by his employer shoul
,f enttle him to a full discharge and restoratio
Ie to all the rights and privileges of a ctizenshi
L. In this connection the police and peace of
GERS of the State should be required by law
assist I'm all proper ways convict who hi
10 earned his freedom thus making the polit
10 his friend instead OF his enemy rs Is the ca'
= now.
30 The reason why prison labor is injurious
n honest labor is because 1t fixes the price
% honest labor. The amount of convict lab'
: does not equal one per cent. of the labor
the State. .fnd probably In any one articl
ie manufactured by convict labor does NJ
m equal more than ten per cent. of tho tot
|. product, yet this ten per cent. ilxes the prl'
q, In times of depression of the ninety per ecu
Z of honest labor engaged In the same man
4 factnre. To employ the labor of the convic
~ on State account would not help this featul
IA of the trouble. The State Will sell tho pro
| nf nd nj "a