The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-06-03
GOVERNOR H0ADLY
On the Conduct and Management of
the State Penitentiary.
Splendid Record Of tho Old board aud War
don Pestry'-A Difhoult Task 10
Improve on Them.

w
The spicy correspondence published
between Governor Foraker ard MfJ0r
Goodman relative TO the laittra removal
from the Directory OF the OHIO Penlten,
tiary has callad 'Orth letter from Ex'
Governor H0adly 10 MajIr Goldman,
which for dlrectness OF point and the
cleafness with which he aeis forth the
animul Of the Republican Oarty, aud
the Yaluabl special information II con
taina, should be read by every one, II Ia
given below:
ST PAUL BUILDING,
No 30 WRIST FOURTH STREET
tINcINNATl, ONO, May 10, 1866
Major ID, O, Goodman Rayenna, o:
Ny Dear MajOf:-Your letter Of the
l3 h came 10 hand In due course Of mail
You ana Captain Peetrey have nothing
TO 20 ashamed OF, take II for granted
that before many days Captain Peetrey
will be removed from flee for political
reasons, possibly, however, under the
prelenae OF want OF executive capacity
or something else equally untrue. In my
Judgment more dlllljult task never
was put before body Of men than that
which was pr sentcd 10 your Board In
the reorganization Of the penitentlary,
You f0nl nothing on hand but Walla,
prlsOnere, bed bugs aud body lice. No
sh0ea, no bedding, no food, no clothing
nothing, The lns,itu Ion had been ran
on the rack-rent prlnciple-buylng no
thing, collecting eyeryIhlng-s0 Az to
make pretenae OF money gained. Az
the same time half OF tho shops were In
ruin0ua Hnd dangerous condition, (BOr
particulars see official report OF the ln'
apectOr OF Shops aud Factories made
last year You were required TO give
up the Ouly system by which profit can
with any degree OF certain y DO made out
OF prisoners, namely, the contract sys'
tenn, and 10 adopt some other, and this
In hard times when there was q reduced
demand for manufactured goods. Aud
you were also required 10 run the lnstl-
tull0n aa q rGfOrmAtOIy In my humble
Judgment, your Board and Captain Pee
Trey have made "A aplendld eucce 4, or
course II has been NJ large loss OF
money 10 the State; but the institution
has been set In the Tigft path, and any
Board that Governor Foraker IL likely
TO appoint will lnd themselves In pos
session Of tho institution with abnnd'
ant supplies Of fuel, clothing aud pro-
Visions, and with the piece'pTice plan
10 established as that whatever loss OF
money, If any, may DO hereafter will be
necessarily but small,
As to Captain Peetrey, II Ia q matter
OF ny great regret that the hunger Of
the Republican party-a party which
might well be called, judging from It's
present aspect, the "wh0le hog" party
10 such as 10 require his removal from
the institution. A gallant soldier OF
the war, who suffered ayear'a lmprisOn'
ment In Confederate prisons during the
war, man OF the strlctest integrity,
OF uch executive capacity, he came TO
the institution fitted by two years pre-
Vi0ns experience 40 a Director for the
Important place he tt0S. In my 0pln.
Ion no filled the place admirably. |
have spent great deal OF time In the
prison, think am as familiar with
II az any Governor OF Ohio ever has
been. DR., Byers, who knows the inatl.
tuition from top TO bottom, told me that
In answer 10 u question Of Il. b. Hayes,
u Fremont laal foil, he told Mr.. Hayes
'that the difference between the prison,
III our Administration took II, aud aq II
IA now, wa2 AMC difference between
d0E1ntHfb aud 1tlYif; that there was no
comparison, the Improvement was
30 great, Governor Foraker will
be truly fortunate II he Ands o man
~ humane, M just, aud possessed Of M
high au rder Of executive ability AZ
Captain aac q. Peetrey p ak Of
Captain Peetrey with feeling, because
no IL my friend. am grateful 10 him
for his services ~ u soldier, n prisoner
during the war, and for the assistanco
he rendered my Administration In his
government OF the prison. have no
fear that calumny will more than tenn.
porl rily darken his fair fame. The 70
building OF tho prison durll K the past
year, and especially tho building Of the
Water W0 ks, though costly, will result
In great saving TO the State. The In In
aid OF the State and Of Governor Fora.
ker'a Administration, although you aud
| will 90. no thanks for 10.
was required TO appoint two Repub
llcans, or Ht leaet two gentlemen not
Dsmocrate, Trustees OF the prison, lhe
gentlemen | seleciet-C0lonel Rempel,
Of Hooking county, and Colonel RObin.
| son, OF thla c0unty-were men Of the
highest standing Ia their own party aud
In social circles. They did their w0 k
well, ! have never heard any complaint
Of II. Aud perhaps Os good proof ~ any
that hns ever been given 10 the public OF
the fidelity OF the whole Board TO lta
truat ls the fact that, although differing
Tn political opinion, there never was a
divided vote IN its councils; your whole
| work was unanimous,
There IL one thing and one thing only,
regret In the management Of the rem
itentlary, The intention and purpose
OF the law was that II should be run en-.
lirely without reference TO politics, In
my present opinion at lor g. 0ne'hAlf OF
the officers and guards Of the ponltOn
tiary should have been Republicans. A
few Republicans were appointed, but
not nearly as many az were necessary to
| Rivo the Institution that non.partlsan
CHI racter which II ought to have had
aud which tho law contemplates,
Until fuch o n0n-partlean character
be attained fear that this
great penal institution will be the foot
ball OF politics. l was fuocessful In
keeping politics out Of oil the other In
stitutl0ns Of Ohio. No one
appointment was ever made In any
other institution that know of except
for fitness without regard TO politics,
certainly none by me. A few changes
were made In subordinate offices to put
the two parties on an equality. But with
this exception the penitontiary ls the
only State institution In Ohio into
which, during my term Of Office as Gov.
ornor, considerations OF politics noyev
entered.
When the reorganization Of the penl
tenitiary wae required by law ~ was
the deeire Of prison reformers In 0alC
that Mr.. Patterson, OF Cleveland, should
be the Warden, The Legislature prac'
tirnllv Drnyanted thig by uniting the