Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-06-05

dlltT uc Has Dttu Ou pdIOlC oOlhS Iiiie, WV
management, from all the facts in his case,
his conduct, his reports, his faithfulness,
believe that he is sincere, and is honestly
seeking to do right in all things demanded
of him, determine that it is wise to set
him wholly free, it may issue an order TO
that effect, and he will be given a certifi-
cate accordingly Under this system the
Executive will be relieved almost wholly
of applications for pardons, since "parole"
will take the place, and the prisoner be
given an opportunity to prove deserving of
pardon.
II may be as well taken as settled, that
it is simply impossible to determine
whether a prisoner is reformed by any
conduct in prison whatever. To know the
purposes and sincerity of the man, he must
be put into the world. What he does con-
fined between four walls, is not and cannot
be a test of what he will do in the face of
trial and temptation. BY the new parole
system, now proposed for California, the
State will be relieved of the cost of MAIN
tenance of all prisoners who are let out
on trial, and this is an economic considera
ton of great Importance. And this brings
us naturally to a cognate subject. The
labor element of the country, and the
organic law, demand that there shall be
no competition by prison labor with free
labor. If this is to be strictly the rule,
there can be no self-sustaining prisons.
We agree that the demand of the labor
element and the principle of the law have
force; that it is bad always to bring invol
untary servitude into the labor COMPETE
ton question. Slave labor degrades free
labor; convict labor in competition with
free labor puts the latter at disadvantage,
since there is no first cost in working con-
victs, save for tools. Their time cannot
be one of the units of the problem. But
when all this is said, the question remains
Shall society support the convicts in
idleness? If not, then shall they be put
to hard labor in doing useless things, in
non-productive exercise of human en-
ergy?" OF course the response is, Find
for them employment that will not COM
pete with free labor" There is the diff
Guilty. The last Legislature purpoSely and
expressly commanded the managers of the
prisons to make, net, at San Quentin $4,000
a year, and at Folsom $40, 900 a year, and to
compel compliance, cut down the appro-
priations just that much for the two years
to eIapse before the assembling Of another
Legislature So far as the San Quentin
Prison is concerned, the management has
made nearly even the income and outgo.
But at Folsom, despite all efforts, the
official reports show heavy shortage, and
to-day the Commissioners are on the high
way endeavoring to borrow money, in the
name of the State of California, to feed
the prisoners and pay other necessary ex-
penses. Whoever lends the money takes
his chances No possible security can be
given him. Not even the name and
credit of the State can be extended. He
must trust to the honor of the next Legis-
lature to pay him, and to add reason
able interest for the use of the money.
Mr.. Charles Croker loaned the State
some thousands, to prevent a general Jail
delivery, some years ago, and it happened
that when the Legislature assembled men
were found in that body who did their
utmost to prevent repayment, though they
could not deny that the State had received
the money, used it and benefited by it
greatly, and was by the loan relieved from
such strait OF distress as had much dis
turbed society. Whoever lends money to
the State on philanthropic sentiment
must not expect to be esteemed public
spirited and State benefactor. On the
contrary, he will be measured as schemer
driving bargain with one in corner.
He will find a lobby hungry for "pieces,"
and ripe with blackmail threats to defeat
the relief bill for his repayment.
OF course there must be no jail delivery
the men must not starye nor the guards go
unpaid. But we could wish that the
Prison Directors could be compelled by
the exigencies of the case and the refusal
of capitalists to be big-hearted, to go into
their own pockets for the few thousands
needed until the Legislature meets. That
supreme body would not hesitate moment
to repay its own officials for advances made
to fill the gap of legislative folly, while by
this means the people would be brought
face to face with the inconsistent action of
the State, and future absurdity of this
kind be avoided 1t would be of little
effect to borrow of money-lenders, since
they have little of public sympathy. But
it would be public humiliation if the I'M
salaried Prison Directors were obliged to
advance money to their principal, the
State, and would probably result in re
form of this system of shortage, and the
substitution of system of full support by
legislative appropriation, and the present
alton as against that Of the credit side of
the prison ledger, if the Directors are able
to conduct the prisons at a profit, however
small. That would be the business way of
managing, but then Legislatures seldom
manage financial matters in business way
Among other questions that will prob
ably be discussed at the Convention of
Tuesday is that of reform schools, graded
prisons and houses of correction. As our
system now stands, all grades of criminals
are huddled together in our two prisons,
and as a result the old offenders and the
hardened criminals teach the neophytes
the primer of crime, and frequently take
them up to graduation in the science of
burglary, forgery, safe-cracking, highway
robbery, and lesser crimes. We need a
system of grading, and with our two
prisons and the subdivision of one We can
as.abl;sh Il at once We need State re-