Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-07
TELEGRAPHIC.
National Prison Reform
Association.
THE HARVARD CELEBRATION.
Sale of Railroad Land-A Fami-
ly Feud-The Chicago La
Dor Troubles.

Especial to the Herald bv the Associated Press !,
ATLANTA, Ga. November 6.-The National
Prison Reform Association assembled here
to-nig ht at s O'clock with good attendance
from all parts Of the country. The opera
house was crowded with an audience rep
reseuting all parts OF Georgia. Ex Governor
Bullock made the opening address as resi-
dent director of the association. He was
followed by Governor Mcdaniel and Mayor
Hillyer in addresses OF welcome. Ex-
President Hayes, President of the Associa-
tion, then spoke. After complimentary ref
erence to the choice of the place of meeting
the speaker said: 1t is altogether fitting and
proper that at the Threshold of our pro
ceeding the memorial address should be
delivered by the distinguished citizen
OF New York, Mr.. DorsheiDer. on the life
and character of Horatio Seymour. the in
dustrious gentleman who, for many years,
was president OF this association, and who
was eminent alike as statesman and as a
philanthropist. A perusal OF the programme
for the week will show the intelligent
relating to prisons and prison systems, to
armies and their prevention, to criminals,
their treatment. occupations and reforma-
tions of both sexes and all ages VIII at
some 1uJuTe pSTlOu Vi tile ntttluS Dt uot
merely in order but under discussion by
members of association. do not, there
fore, now enter upon any of these topics.
The few wards 1 may venture of offer
snd %oe IN e Il the ne GPEn
whose members have so heartily welcomed
me, and to some of Its principles and pur-
poses. The father and founder OF the Ma
DR.. G. L. Wines, the learned. devoted and
persistent leader OF American reformers in
prison discipline. In 1863, DIR. Wines pro-
posed to the Prison Association of New
York, OF which he was Corresponding Sec
retary, the holding of N4tional Prison
Congress. But the New York Association
judged 1t inexpedient to take the initiatory
step IN favor of the proposed convention.
Or. Wines was profoundly impressed with
the importance of his plan. and after con-
sulting with few gentlemen in Boston and
New York. he prepared the following draft
OF a call for
NATIONAL CONGRESS:
The undersigned gdeeming prison dict
pine vital interest of society as well as
one OF the gravest social problems and on
both these grounds worthy OF the closest
study and freest discussion, cordially unite
in calling national congress for confer
ence on criminal punishment and reforma-
tory treatment to be held in the autumn of
1870 in the city of Cincinnati; The call re.
ceived ninety-one signatures" The speaker
then reverted to the first meeting of the as
sociation and detailed its objects. "The
facts" said he. "as toprisons and the treat
ment of prisoners during aud before that
pHGdi0d ppad almost a5s Seyond Ss"ai' belief. fhey
are so atrocious and forbidding that
one cannot even attemnt fully to
state them before an intelligent audience
like this. Turn to the pages Of any volume
Of histery or fiction in which the author
dares truthfully to expose the miseries of
prison life in a civilized country during the
period referred to, and the thoughtful and
fair minded will be at no loss to discover
one of the causes why
CIVILIZATION AND CHRISTIANITY
Have moved forward with such hating
steps. A writer inthe North American Re.
view of July, 1899, describes the prisons OF
Massachusetts, Connecticut. Pennsylvania
and other States as they were about sixty
years ago. The details are too shocking to
be repeated. The results, he states, can he
given in few sentences He describes the
prisons as 'abodes of horrible sin aud
'flthy, saualid, unalleviated misery"
The result was that the prison became
secret place, governed by its own laws or
rather by its own precedents, an abode OF
misery in the midst of an enlightened city
in which no man not belonging TO 1t had
any knowledge of what was transacted
within its walls"
Mr. Hayes then related the history OF the
organized efforts to improve this condition
of things, pointed to the results and con.
cluded as follows: "Let the outcast and
criminal be forgotten or disregarded and
our whole society will suffer from the taint
of human degradation. Like blood poison
it will spread through and through the social
system until it reaches the heart This
serious and mighty truth imposes duty
which no society can neglect and live. No
Christian society will ever neglect it,"
Mr.. Hayes, soon after the conclusion OF
his address, rose and shook hands with
General Gordon and the crowd cheered en-
Enthusiastically while the band played a
medley of Yankee Doodle and Dixie. Ad
dresses were made by Henry W. Grady, OF
the Atlanta Constitution, Judge Emery
Speer and General Gordon.
Delegates are arriving on every train and
the m Getting promises to be one of the larg-
est and most interesting ever held by the
Association.