The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-05-27

After a perusal of the interview with |
Major Goldman, Judge Hoadly indited
to the Major the following splendid
document. 1t will warrant a careful
reading, and should Ee in the hands
of every citizen of Ohio. Few men
can write 40 forcible English as Judge
Hoadly. The following letter will be
found written in his usual happy vein:
Hoadly, Johnson l. Colston. Attorneys at Law.
ST PAUL BUDDING,
N. 25 WEST FOURTH STREET,
CINCINNATI, o., May 15, 1886.
Major d. C. Goldman. Ravenna. o.:
My DEAR MAJOR: Your letter of
the 18th, also the article in the Plain
Dealer, came to hand in due course of
mail. You and Captain Poetry have
nothing to be ashamed of. I take it
for granted that before many days
Captain Peetrey will be removed from
office for political reasons; possibly,
however, under the pretense of want
of executive capacity or something
else equally untrue. In my judgment
a more difficult task was never put
before a body of men than that which
was presented to your board in the
reorganization of the penitentiary.
You found nothing but
WALLS, PRISONERS, BEDBUGS AND
LICE.
No shoes, no bedding, no food. no
clothing. Nothing. The institution
had been run on the rack-rent princi-
Pile; buying nothing, collecting ev.
erything, so as to make pretense of
money gained. At the same time half
the shops were in a ruinous and dan
gerous condition. (For particulars see
the official report of the inspector OF
shops and factories made last year,
You were required to give up the only
system by which profits can with any
| degree of certainty be made out OF
risoners-namely, the contract sys-
tem-and to adopt some other, and
| this in hard times when there was q
reduced demand for manufactured
goods. And you were also required to
run the institution as refOrmatOry.
In my humble Judgment, your board
and Captain Peetrey have
| MADE A SPLENDID SUCCESS.
| OF course, it has been at q large loss
| of money to the state, but the institu-
| tuition has been set in the right path f,
and any board that Gov. Foraker is
likely to appoint will find themselves
in possession of the institution with
abundant supplies of fuel, clothing
and provisions, and with the piece
price plan so established as that what
ever loss of money, if any, there may
be hereafter, will be necessarily but
small.
AS to Captain Peetrey, 1t is q matter
of very great regret that the hunger
of the Republican party-a party
which might we'll be called from Its
present aspect, the
"wHoLE HoGn PARTY
lis such rs to require his removal from
the institution. A gallant soldier of
the war, who suffered years Inn
prisonment in Confederate prisons
during the war, a man of the strictest
integrity, of much executive capacity,
he came to the institution fitted by
two years previous experience as a
director, for the important place he
took. In my opinion he filled the
place admirably. I have spent great
deal of time in the prison. L think
am as familiar with il as any Clover.
nor of Ohio ever has been. DR.. Byers,
who knows the institution from top
to bottom, told me that In answer to
a question of r. b. Hayes at Fremont
last fall, he told Mr.. Hayes that the
difference between the prison as our
administration took it and as it Is now
was the difference between darkness
and light; that there was no conpar-
ison, the Improvement was SO great.
Governor Foraker will be Il uly fortu-
nate if he finds q man as humane. as
as Just, and possessed of as high an
order of executive ability as Captain
Isaac G. Peetrey. / speak of Captain
Peetrey with feeling, because he Is my
friend. l am grateful to him for his
services as a soldier, prisoner during
the war, and for the assistance he rem
dered my administration in his gov.
ernment of the prison. I have no feaI
that calumny will more than tempo.
rarily darken his fair fame. The re
building of the prison during the past
year, and especially the building of the
waterworks, have been costly, but will
result in great saving to the state
This is in aid of the state and of Gov.
ernor Foraker's administration, al
though you and I will receive nc
thanks for it,
REPUBLICANS REPRESENTED.
1 was required to appoint two Re-
publicans, or at least two gentlemen
not Democrats, trustees of the prison
The gentlemen 1 selected - Colonel
RempeI of Hooking county, and Col
Robinson of this county-were men
of the highest standing in their own
party and in social circles. They did
their work we'll. 1 have never heard
any complaint of it. And perhaps as
good proof as any that has been given
10 the public of the fidelity of the
whole board to its trust is the fact that
although differing in political opinion
there never was divided vote in its
lcOuncils. Your whole work was unan.
imous. There is one thing, and one
thing only, l regret in the manage.
ment of the penitentiary. The inten.
ton and purpose of the law was that
it should be run entirely without ref.
erence to politics. In my present
opinion at least one half of the officers
and guards of the penitentiary should
have been Republicans. A few Re.
publicans were appointed. but not
nearly as many as were necessary to
give the institution that nonpartisan
character which it ought to have had
and which the law contemplates. Un-
ill such nonpartisan character be at
taiued fear that this great penal in
stitution will be the football of politics.
was successful in keeping politics
out of all other institutions in Ohio
NO oHC was ONol Dlduc
in any other institution that 1 know
of except for reasons of fitness without
regard to politics, certainly none by
me. A few changes were made in
subordinate offices to put the two par
ties on an equality. But with this
exception the penitentiary is the only
state institution in Ohio into which
during my term of office of Governor
consideration of politics existed.
| When the reorganization of the pen.
itentiary was required by law it was
the desire of prison reformers in Ohio
that Mr.. Patterson of Cleveland should
be made Warden. The legislature
practically prevented this by putting
the salary at a sum mot exceeding
50, 900" n price for which Mr.. Patter-
sons services could not be command
ed. | offered him the office twice aud
he refused it. Had he accepted L should
have made it The sine qua non in the
appointment of directors that Mr.. Pat
terson should be their choice for War
den This l had the power to do, and
it was my opinion then and it is now