The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-06
THE CHARITIES CONFERENCE.
Reports Showing General Advance in
Methods of Furnishing Criminals.

WASHINGTON, June 5.-The second days
meeting of the Conference of Charities and Cor:
rections called to order by President Garrett
at half-past 9 o'clock this morning, and was
opened with prayer by Rev. DR.. Dana, of Min
neapolis. Delegate Giles, of the business com
mittee, reported resolution that speeches be
limited to ten minutes, and that State reports
be limited to the same period. Adopted.
The president announced the order of business
to be the submission of reports from States. A
motion was made and carried that committee,
to consist of one delegate from each State and
Territory. to determine the time and place for
holding the next annual conference, be ap-
pointed
communication was read from the directors
.of the Maryland penitentiary, in Baltimore
inviting the conference to visit that institution
Mr.. William Howard Neff of Cincinnati,
chairman of the committee on reports from
States, read the committees report. Notwith-
standing the efforts OF the committee, it had not
been able to secure reports from all the
States. Despite the record of few failures,
the report was highly encouraging, and the
committee suggested that its life be extended for
another year, and that all persons possessing a
knowledge of matters of interest be invited to
communicate freely. The report embodes alb
stracts of the reports from the several States,
which were received by the secretary of the con-
vention, or by delegates from the respective
States. The reports from several Southern
States noted the quite general abandonment of
the system of hiring out convicts, and the adop-
ton of measures which had tendency to miti-
gate the evils of the system. The report from
Delaware noted the mitigation of the severity of
the whipping system; blood was rarely drawn at
present The whipping post was in general
favor with the people of Delaware for the pun
ishment of petty offenses. 1t was rarely found
necessary to administer second whipping to the
same offender.
A delegation to the number $50 ladies and gen.
tlemen called upon President Cleveland this
afternoon. They were introduced to the Presi-
dent by Commissioner Edmunds. There were
no speeches. but the President took occasion to
express to several members of the delegation his
warm interest in the reformatory work to which
they have devoted their time. The reception
over. the delegates took carriages to visit the
district Jail. almshouse and government insane
asylum.
Governor Hoyt, of Pennsylvania read paper,
this evening, before the conference upon ''The
Evolution Of the Prison He said we should
look upon the prison IN no other light than as
place of punishment In Pennsylvania. New
York and Maine solitary confinement without
labor had been tried, but with disastrous results.
Then laboring in company without the privilege
of conversation had been tried, with equally as
unfortunate results. He condemned contract
labor as no better than the convict lease system
Chas. Dudley Warner then made an informal
address, describing what he recently saw in the
Reformatory at Elmira The one thing the
most necessary In this country at present was
discipline and new styles of prison contract-the
one with its uniform discipline, the other not
unlike modern hotel, where the prisoner was
lodged and fed for time, but with no bill to
pay at the end of his term. He found the results
of confinement about the same whether in the
in neither had any interest in the
affairs of their kind He then
gave at some length the experience
of the superintendent of the Elmira institution
That gentleman had about reached the con-
cluson that there were no incorrigible prisoners
Mr.. Warner had believed it right that State
prisoners should be self-supporting, and had at
first found it an objection to the Elmira insti-
tuition that it cost the State $50, 900 year.
When, however, he reflected that GO per cent. of
the prisoners discharged from the institution of
his own State Connecticut were brought back
to prison, while 80 per cent of those discharged
from the Elmira institution went out as self
supporting citizens, he found reason to believe
the Elmira system the cheapest
The following Indianians are present as dele
gates: DIR. W. b. Fletcher, superintendent of
the Hospital for the insane Indianapolis Eli
Baker, superintendent of the Indianapolis Deaf
and Dumb Asylum; Rev. Oscar c. McCulloch,
Indianapolis; Howard Briggs, Greencastle, rep
resenting the Blind Asylum ex Senator Charles
ii. Reeve, Plymouth, representing the State at
large; Prof. Il. j. Charlton and wife of the Re.
form School for Boys; Revs Cyrus F. McNutt,
n. o. Bradeu and L. D. Russell, of Terre
Haute.