The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-05-16

Saltwater, Minn., Wednesday, May Is, 1888.

feet. Now is the proper time for the dis
cussiOn of the subject, and if we can offer
any suggestions that will aid the manage
ment in formulating more perfect system.
it is not only our privilege but our duty to
do so. Prisons have been criminal factor
ies'' long enough: the public see this. and
they propose to change the plan of impriS-
Onnent. Let the Minnesota reformatOry
teach the lesson to the world that men may
be cured of criminalty by a proper course
of treatment. and in the name of all that is
right let not the old and barbarOus principle
of rendering evil for evil, punishment for
wrong doing, enter into that institution.
Discard forever the idea of ''breaking the
spirit" of the convict. for when his spirit
is broken he is no longer man, but mere
machine. His spirit" means in this con-
nectiOn his individuality, self-reliance, and
manhood.
Ingomar's article is criticism of my sub
ject. not an effort to answer my argument.
Why does he not come to the front and dis
play some of his intelligence, since he says
that ''any intelligent person can tear into
shreds" my argument. | invite him or any
one to an honorable discussion of the sub
ject, but when he makes use of such ex-
pressons as characterize his "criticism" in
that have appeared in The MIRROR, and
advises that I'VE must admit what is good
in the opposing side" he charges all the
writer's for THE MIRROR with narrOwneSS,
and narrOwness means ignorance. or what
is worse, dishonesty. This charge comes.
with tinge of injustice from the last source
from which it would be expected. IngOmar
is either wrong from want OF ability to
appreciate the motives of the writers, or is
catering for the cOmmendatOn of some one,
or else he is honestly right and all of the many
hundreds of readers and friends of our little
sheet are guilty Of the grOssest ignorance.
We call his attention to the hundreds of
favorable newspaper notices we have re-
ceived. few of which have been published.
But now, at time when we are given
credit for doing more toward educating the
public mind to the needs of a prison than
any one factor that has ever entered into
the discussion of the prison question, one of
our number charges the writer's, without ex-
ceptiOn, with -sidednesS.
He asks, us it wise to condemn those et
forts simply because they are part and
parcel of the discipline of that institution"
/ answer no; nor have done so. The mo-
tives of the people Of the state in creating a
refOrmatOly, are deserving of the highest
praise. 1t is the proposed planOf sub
jecting one suffering from criminal disease
to a course of treatment " hich tends to de-
prive him of manhood. and erecting false
standard by which to judge of morality, and
giving one man or set of men an absolute
right to again imprisOn one parOled, with
out trial. without any just investigation of
his offence to which we object.
am surprised that one of our number
would place every effort of the inmates. to
educate the public to our needs, and
give to the people Of the state knOwl
edge of what prison is. in the category of
selfishness. He pleads guilty to the gener
al charge.
"HonOr and shame from condition rise,
Act well your part, there all the honor lies"
This truism is too often lost sight of, and
no one knows this 50 well as he who suffers
from unjust stigma. The wrongs inflicted
upon men because they have violated an
existing rule of conduct are the blackest
pages in history. We see no use for the
lnquisitiOn. the persecution of the CathO-
hes. Jews or QuakerS but the same spirit
Is abroad in the world and forms an integral
part of every civilized community. 1t en-
tiers into our laws and condemns one man to
death or Imprisonment for life for a single
wrong act. and imprSOnS another for one
year who is known to be worse man in
every respect Here are four men under 30
years of age. One is serving life sentence
for an act committed in the heat of passion;
another twenty years sentence for an act
no worse than One-half Of those at liberty
have committed at least once in their lives;
another ten years sentence for forgery,
involving An amount less than thirty dollars;