New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-04
THE PRISON PROBLEM.
succeed.

The figures for the year at Auburn Prison
60 far to prove that the State account system
can be made financial success. The mstltu-
ton not only sustained itself in 1883 but, &C
cording to the warden's balance-sheet, ac-
cumulated a surplus of nearly $4,000. This
showing may be neutralized by the result for
the year at Sing Sing and Clinton but as 1t
stands ii is well calculated to encourage the
friends Of the State account system. And GER
ta:nly they needed encouragement, Tor 1t IS
not a system that has commended itself to eX-
perienced prison officials. Writing Of it in a
report which he submitted to the Legislature
in 1885, the then Superintendent Of Prisons,
Baker. said: off the State can DO business
with economy, efficiency and honesty, perhaps
it can reimburse itself for these advances dor
the necessary machinery and naterals) IN full
Such a result, however, is one that the state
has never realized before in State account
work.D \ committee appointed by the Wis
consin Legislature in 1887 TO visit all the lead
ing penal institutions of the country and eX-
anime the systems in operation reported against
the State account system. Warden Brush, OF
Sing Sing, at a conference of prison supenn-
tendents held in Chicago a few years ago, in
the course of an argument against the State
account system, called attention to the fact
that, while managing her prisons under It, New
York had run behind over q million dollars.
Testimony to the same effect might be multi
Piled. 1t is but just to Superintendent Baker
to add that in his report for 1886 he expressed
the opinion that the State count system could
be made self-sustainipg after the plant and
eqnipment had been furnished.
OF course, those who have followed the course
of prison legislation since 1888 are aware how
the State account system came to be adopted.
The decision of the popular vote Of that year
was against the continuance of the contract
system, and accordingly the Legislature Of
1884 passed an act prohibiting the Supenn-
tendent of Prisons from making any more con-
tracts. There remained the piece-pan system
and the State account system, but the Attorney
General decided that the law of 1884 shut out
the piece-plan system, so that the Super1n-
tendent was compeledto confine himself to the
other one 1t has been in operation ever since
and, although there was deficit under 1t IN
1887 Of over $50, 900, superintendent Lathrop
in his last annual report, expressed the opinion
u'~NNN~-'
The bill which was passed at the extra SEES
sion of last summer having proved Intellectual
it is made incumbent upon the present Legs
lature to address itself 70 the prison question.
No man has made moe exhaustive investi-
cation of the whole subject than Carroll d..
Wright, United States Commissioner of Labor
and it was his conclusion that the prison sys-
tom which provided for hand labor only YVES
to be preferred TO all others. But it is hardly
possible that with such limitation the convictS
in our prisons could be kept employed at pro-
ductive labor, while experience has shown that
non-productive labor soon demmalizes those en-
ga red in it, The problem is beset with dill
culties, and still there can be no moro pressing
duty for our law makers than its solution. In
the nature of things it is impossible to devise
a system which will not come in conflict in some
degree with outside labor All that the Logls
lature can do is to have regard to the greatest
good Of the greatest number.