Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-12-13
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.

Acknowledgement Garland, In Ills Annual
Report. Makes Nm Urgent Appeal for tho
Embellishments OF National Peniten-
fiaries and Ref0rma ories for United
States Ca1vIcts.
WASHINGTON, Dec. Attorney-Ge General
Garland, in his annual report, makes an
earnest appeal to Congress to provide for
the construction OF Government peniten-
tiaries and reformatories. Recent laws
that have been enacted by States with re-
/ spect to the labor Of prisoners prove more
conclusisely than ever, he says, the abso-
lutte need of such institutions. Provisions
should at once be made looking to tho
erection OF at least one United States
penltentiary, and, if possible, reform
atory. The objection in the minds
of many that the cost of conducting
such an institution would be so much
greater than the existin., arrangement is
being almost overcome by the fact that
the favorable contracts which the depart
ment has heretofore been able to enter in
to can no longer be made. This arises
from the fact that laws passed recently by
several of the States and by Congress
prevent the employment of prisoners on
contract labor. This necessitates resort
to experiments in other systems, as pro-
vison must necessarily be made for the
working of convicts, If discipline is to be
maintained and the prisoners health and
comfort considered. A large number of
prisoners convicted in United States
courts are those who have committed but
single offense, and who have but COM
menced a career of crime. If they could
be prevented from associating with hard
ened criminals and not confined in an liz
stltut1on which in every way suggests a
criminal life, many, perhaps, could be re-
formed. Besides, many are young men
who have had positions Of trust and re-
sponsibility, and who, through tempta-
ton, have committed some crime against
the laws of the country. These, and the
class referred to above, should not
DC confined IN a prison., but
the Government should provide
suitable reformatory where proper
influences could be thrown around
them and their reformation effected, as is
done now in several States. In addition
to all this, he says, it would seem that the
United States should have model prisons
and reformatories of its own in which to
confine its criminals, and provisions
could be made for the employment of the
inmates at some suitable industries on
system of labor which would not violate
the recent act of Congress, nor be incon-
sistent with the laws passed,by the sever
al States and the prevailing opinions rela-
IlfO " Tile SuUJcCG O1 cOutTtcG
The Attorney General recommends spe-
cial appropriation of S375, 900 for fees and
expenses Of United States deputy mar
shals, and readjustment of the marshals'
fee bill, which has not been revised for
thirty years. He also suggests the reor-
ganization of the official force of the de-
partment and an increase of the force to
correspond with the increased amount of
work done during the last four years. On
this subject the Attorney General says:
''The work of the department during the
past year was continuation of what has
been its policy during the whole Of
the present Administration: a strict and
vigorous enforcement of the laws.
For nearly four years the department has
kept this object in view, and the results Of
its action are very apparent. Because Of
the diligent prosecution Of suits for the
cancellation Of fraudulent patents and
against timber trespassers and plumber
ers Of the public domain, it has come to
be understood that the laws enacted for /
the regulation of the public lands, both as
to their general disposition and manage |
ment, and as granted to railroads and
other corporations, are of binding force,
and are to be rigidly and impartially exc
cuted."