The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-10-18
PRISON REFORM.
Meeting of the National AssO-
citation to Effect 1t.
TARIFF REFeRE MEASURES.
Chicago wheeling washington Whis-
persia Tough Yarn
About Riel
Prison Reform

DETROIT, October IA large number
of prominent persons, interested il
prison reform, have arrived in this city
Ats O'Clock tonight they held an open
ing meeting of the National Prison As.
ISOLATION. in Whitney's Opera House
Rev. Father Charles Reilly, of st. Pat
rick's church, in this city, and treasurer
of the Irish League, opened the exercises
senator I. w. Palmer, chairman of
the evening, spoke briefly of the history
of prison reform, the present needs and
methods of such reform, and gave some
idea of the object of the organization
Judge James B. Campbell, of the Michi-
gan Supreme bench, delivered an adj
dress of welcome for the State of
Michigan. He stated that the object of
the association was not to make easy the
life of the prisoner, but rather
to prevent others FROM joining with
him and to lead him away from
his criminal practices. lie emphasized
the Importance of taking good care of
our prisons, as a public duty. He
believed in a. better knowledge of the
criminal law by society in general, and
desi, ed justice in dealing with prisoners
and supposed criminals. No prisoner
should be placed in such surroundings
that he VIII be made criminal. He cited
known instances of honest men being
arrested and sent TO Jail by the County
Justices simply because there happened
to be no one present who could Youch
for them, and argued for a simplifica-
ton of the criminal laws. He recalled
the fact that the Detroit Public Library
was formerly enlarged and sustained by
means OF fines for minor offences, but
such a method OF punishment has been
almost entirely abolished. Having but
Imprisonment for punishment bands
together all acknowledgement and small
and it may in the end require an in
creased effort to suppress crime.
EX-PreSident Hayes was then intro
duced. He returned thanks for the
welcome extended, and then spoke at
some length.
Senator Palmer then introduced Mr..
f. NJ. F. Rounds, of New York, secre-
tary of the association. who made a
statement of the associations work. He
read letter from President Cleveland,
expressing regret at his inability TO at
tend the meeting.
The next speaker was Prof. Francis
Wayland, dean of Yale Law School, who.
spoke on the first work in his State
for reforming the prison system.
He then considered newer methods
of managing prisons and caring
for prisoners. The reOrganized aSsocia-
ton is for common practical. common
sense attempts to reform all prisoners
that are refoTmable. and to shut up
those that are incorrigible fol the rest
of their lives.
Senator Jones, of Florida, was then
introduced and spoke of the legislative
phase of reform among the criminal
classes and the benefits TO society of
practical reforms. He spoke In opposi-
ton TO the punishment exceeding crime,
and demanded that the general govern
ment establish prisons of its own in
stead of scattering its criminals among
the States prisons, where there is no
one to be responsible for them.
After benediction by Bishop Gillespie,
the meeting adjourned.