St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-07-17
AFTERNOON SESSION.
DIR. Byers' Paper on Poor Houses
and JaiIs,

and JaltS.
Promptly at $50 President Neff rapped
his gavel on the desk and Secretary Wright
read the minutes of the morning session.
DR.. Byers not having appeared to read his
paper, the reports from states was con-
tinued, f. II. Wines taking the chair. He
called Oh Mrs. Marsh, of Chicago. who
told the workings of the school for depend
ent and homeless girls in her city. the only
school of the kind i'll the state. AS one of
the results she said that eighteen out of
twenty of the children were reclaimed.
whereas only two out of twenty adults were
reformed, which was point worthy of the
attention of all, especially the taxpayers
The law governing her school only provided
for girls, but it should include boys as well,
and be state institution. She wanted the
equality Of women before the law; if she
violated the law let her have the penalty of
the law and provide places for them to be
taken care of. One bad woman was ter
rible member of society. Husbands, broth
eSS and friends must shun her. She hoped
the delegates from Illinois would pay par
ticular heed to the wants of the school.
THE FIRST PAPER.
President Neff then called on DR.. A. G.
Byers, secretary of the state board of char
tiles of Ohio, who read the paper of the
day, on administration of Poorhouses
and Jails." He said:
Our inquiry is aimed directly at the admin
iStration of poorhouses and what is best in
any law. Whatever we do must be directed
at the front door, the abuses inside being
often incidental or accidental. The injustice
of taxing a thrifty community to support the
vicious has become so common that it is
passed over, but the injustice is evident upon
trl,r
house wide ajar is to the INDECENT poor what
the pool of Bethesda was to the afflicted, but
often he who needed it most was kept out by
him who needed it least stepping in before.
He who stands at the door of poorhouse
should closely scrutinize every applicant,
but difficulties will arise even then
OF the Heterogeneous assemblage
within well-arranged poor house perfect
registry was desirable, of name, age, habits
and cause, near Or remote, of dependence. If
the manager be equal to the task, printed
rules are a hindrance, but one rule, "let
everything be done decently and in order,''
was sufficient-the rule of DR.. Gundry, who
had become noted as the manager of public
institutions. 1 have recently visited many
county poor houses in Wisconsin, and in
none did find either on the premises or per-
sons any disregard of order. The plan of
letting the management of the poor house to
the lowest bidder is contrary to all principles
OF reform. The manager should be paid q
good salary. The duty of dismissing inmates
should be promptly attended to, but not to
| send them into temptation and worse circum-
| stance. The administration of an infirmary
requires character and talent beyond what
is usually found there, and this neglect ex-
| plains the condition of 50 many such institu-
| lions. The institution should be under the
| absolute control OF the manager, and under a
| non-political non-sectarian board of visitors.
| The administration of jails in this country sug-
gest to US a hopeless field of REFORM so long
| as the jail is county institution The jail
| belongs to the state, and should be managed
| by it, 1t is due to the prsonerlthere that he be
| secured from all possible contact, such as is
common in county jails. Our jails have been
| hurdy-gurdy pens into which the mass have
| been thrown together, schools of crime, of
| instruction in the methods of criminals.
They should be constructed to admit of the
entire separation of prisoners. If convicted,
! let him go to the work-house, of more
serious offense, to the peniteutiary, but a
reformatory should be provided, and if of
| hopeful age, he should go there and the
sentence should be indeterminate. In Ohio
we think we have secured wise legislation,
which require that, on the third conviction
for crime-when the character of a criminal
is established-the prisoner go to the peniten-
| tlary for life, to be released only by recon-
mendation of the prison board.