The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-16

Government Jails and Penitentiaries
Persons convicted of felonies under the
United States laws are confined in the peni-
tentiaries Of different States and Territories,
because the government has no penitentlary
of its own. OF the Southern prisoners, those
from the Atlantic States are sent mainly to
the county prisons in Albany and Erie, n.
Y, and they are thus made TO suffer greater
hardships than the law cOntemplates,
amounting in fact to cruelty. The winter
climate Of New York is much colder
than that of Georgia, and prisoners taken
from this State and put into the penitentiary
at Albany frequently die before they have
served out their sentences. Our law max
ers, however, are waking up TO the necessity
of establishing government pententlames,
and bill having that end in view is now
pending before Congress. One or more of
these penitentiaries ought TO be located in
the South for two reasons, viz greater
punishment than is intended by the law
would be averted, and the expense of carry
ing Southern prisoners such a distance
would be saved. When the bill in question
comes up for consideration Southern Con
gressmen will, doubtless, give due promi-
hence to these reasons.
Ger Brnkerhoff, of Ohio, who is inter
ested in prison reform in this country, has
written an article in which he SAYS. his
co workers cannot render 20 their cause a
more efficient service than by manifesting
to their representatives in Congress de-
sire for the legislation indicated. Ours is
the only government on the globe, he says,
which convicts its citizens Of violations of
its laws and then consgns them to the care
OF. hirelings and strangers, over whom it
has - control. The assignment of prisoners
convicted Of felonies have apparently,
he thinks, been made TO the
lowest bidders as the prisons
with the largest numbers receive no pay
for keeping them, but rely upon their work
for compensation. Those awaiting trial or
convicted of minor offenses are confined in
34S county jails, located in all the States
and Territories, and in his opinion the aver
age JAZZ in this country is simply a school
for the compulsory education of young Of
tenders in all the arts of crime. This is
probably little overdrawn, but undoubt-
edly many Of our jails are unfit to receive
prisoners. Gen. Brinkerhoff wants the gov
eminent to cease to shirk its responsibility
in this important matter, and to devise more
humane methods Of Furnishing its criminals
In his last two reports Attorney General
Garland advocated the building of a peni-
tertiary by the government to be conducted
on the most humane principles. He holds
that United States prisoners, as a rule, are
a better class of men than the ordinary
convicts, and can do better work, and he
proposes to make such an institution self
sustaining by employing its inmates in the
manufacture of supplies exclusively for the
government In his last report he also
suggests the propriety of the erection of
iails by the government at central points,
one being in Georgia and another in Ken
lucky.
Humane people agree that something
ought to be done in this matter The appro-
priation of part of the Treasury surplus to
the building and maintenance of govern
ment pententiaries and jails is one of the
Imperative demands of the times.