St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-02-13
THE WARDEN's VIEWS.
He Fayors the state Account
Plan and Makes q Suggestion.

Plan and Makes Suggestion.
Warden Stordock being asked his
views ON the current topic, protested
that as the matter was in one sense none
of his business, and required no inter
ference from him, his opinion in the
matter was neither pertinent nor desira-
BILE. However, interviewing aside, he
afterward expressed himself quite fully
i'm course of general conversation. He
said:
MY preference of the so-called sys-
tens would be that of the state account
and piece-price plan together. The
contract system has some advantages,
mainly in that it relieves the prison
manager of much responsibility. For
instance, suppose you own span OF
horses. In order to make anything out
of them you must work them at some
thing. Now, your neighbor offers you
a dollar day for them provided you
furnish stable room, feed and harness,
he to find the work. 1t does not take
much talent to feed and curry a
profitable work. Your neigh6Or may
make enough to pay you the
dollar day and leave him a handsome
margin, yet you nightmare that mar
gin if you worked for it; but again you
might make less. 1t depends much on
the management. The only difference
in the convict and the horse is tnat in
the case of contract for the horse the
owner would be sure to see that the
horse was not oyerwOrked, but the con-
yict would be left to the mercy OF a lot
of job contractors.
sit is not so very unusual where con-
tracts exist that guards and officers are
secretly paid extra by contractors. Why
this is done can be easily guessed. 1t
certainly is not done in the interest of
the convict. Contractors will say there
is no profit in contract labor. Then why
are they
so ANXIOUS TO GET 1T?
s'Is it to help the poor state out of
bad mess? Such philanthropy is scarce
nowadays. That contractors are often
better than the system does not prove
that the latter is good. My short
experience teaches me that there need
be no talk of reformation where
convicts are sold. They are as
much a state charge as the insane, and
what a howl would go up from the
truly good if DR.. Bartlett, of st. Peter,
should advocate contracting some of his
patients to some private concern. The
state must transfer part of its authority
over convicts under the contract sys-
TEN, or else the contract would be un-
profitable. OF course, it depends on
what the chief aim of prison is. If
only to punish and humiliate convicts,
then the contract system does as well
as anything. 1t may be the most profit
able, because the profit all depends on.
the management. Under our present
statute three inspectors and warden,
with necessary assistants, constitute
the management. The inspectors duty
is to audit bills monthly. make inquiry
into the warden's management, see
that the c0nyicts are properly clothed
and fed and receive fair treatment.
They meet in regular session once a
month, and the average time they spend
at work Is not to exceed four hours
each session. They are not under
bonds, and as their services are practic-
ally given without pay. the state cannot
expect them to keep up any particular
familiarity with all the details of prison
management. The most to be expected
of them is that they will hold the war
den responsible for general results. On
the warden depends OF the details Of
the prison. He is responsible for all
aClo VI HnS uOPuCy: G,Oi N, DUO no.U "nu
guards. He cannot know whether or
not his subordinates do their duty un-
less he is constantly keeping track OF
them and their work. The whole ma
chine must work right or it will be like
a wheel with cog out. hope the leg
islature will define each officers duty
plainly, so that there cannot be any di-
yided responsibility. In case the
SYSTEM OF STATE ACCOUNTS
or piece price should be decided upon