New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-02-03
FIGHTING FOR THE PRISON.
WHAT IS SING SING WITHOUT IT'S FENAL
INSTITUTIONS
THE TOWN TIRED OF THE STIGMA, BUT SEEM
1SsLY RELUCTANT TO PART WITH

THE TOWN TINED oF me SAA"""' IVA "
,ysLY RELUCTANT TO PART WITH
CoNCoMITANT ADVANTAGES.
c,ur Sing is rent in twain. There is great
-, - anxiety there and a great deal Of COM
plant. ;.u,,
with their muttonP" you ask.
Nonsensei Who said anything about convicts!
Tho trouble is in Sing Sing, not in Sing Sing
pr;son and one Of the principal causes OF COM
.Ia;rt is that the very moment anybody says
= cling Sing almost everybody thinks oil the
,;r nrson. with its gloomy walls and repuisiNe
;rmates instead OF thinking of one OF the pIeC'''
.na most picturesque little towns on the huu'o'
a number of its citizens think they have enouieu
LONG enough the stigma which the prison coni',S
- tho town and have decided that the oiu
plague-spot must CO. ~, or,s,ocratie
These represent the so-caiieo az -
uort Of the community and aISo 'no'.
who do business in this city anu na'' -
suburban homes on the terraced niii'iu. ,d
Sing Sing sits and looks out over 'iio ~ sorn,
80 Uuduon They have had influence enousn
- ho,,o q commission appointed by 'he N'eo
- ,,h;oh has already chosen new si'e ioi
,r;son at Esopus, Ulster Oo'n|'
, az ronort is now before the Assembly
1y,.h these are ranked the manufacturers Vi Ol,'
.o,-, ,vbo find difficulty in selling hS'nihe n'""'
~ S;rc Sing because of the suspicion Oh prlsoh-
labor which attaches to 1t and Executes 'n' A''
,il;tv Of organized labor everywhere .,.,
Onnosed to them are an
Number of the shop-keepers ana oVherS WIS
business interests are bound up LII 'lo o"".
1bev contemplate with alarm the prospc0O Y.
losing the comparatively large amount oi non.S
which the State distributes there through 'he
ons numerous employees and their famlnes' s'.""y
.trean, which continues to run IN goou anu "-
,imes alike Petitions and CONGREGATIONS %-
being circulated for signatures ana 'noSe WIN
have not been able to decide ei'ner ""S '
been nearly argued to death. ~ or TT
DETERMINED TO GET RID OF H.
Tribune reporter visited the village inc oVnoa
dav and ascertained the views OF soOu n"nS
nople on both sides Of the controversy
stance of them is as follows -, ~.
1obn p Truesdell is Of the foremost neil "a
town large property holder, ana acuNe anu
hot,c IN his pnrpose to have the prison co. ne nus
s+ud,ed both sides OF the question carefully ho'
gwen TO rash or hasty conclusions ana he
himself on the question as follo"s' .,.d
All who have given the matter careful ana uhpise'N
thought declare that the suggestion OF ba
nrlson building on the grounds al sing Sns ,,,.s
,o,,ained The twelve available are 700 hi'u'
They demand not only that there shall DC ne" p''o'
huut hut that It shall be built elsewhere. liners s
few things In the future more certain IMAM " -. 49,,
10 done But this be in what position does lee
st Sineq That is not difficult thing to determine Inc
nresent prison policy is to divide all eonVio's IN"
three classes based upon age, crminan'y anu Ve ~ In
prisonment. The new prison. Wherever iocs" VIZ, 70
constructed according TO the most advanced lucas II
o Is still continued here, it is evident the TWO peter
classes will 20 to the prison. and that the 'niru c
will remain in Sing Sing But what viii constitute inc
third class The life or long term conlctS anu
,encod to execution awaiting the hnal act OF 1usuce
understand that the prison now contains about
,u, hundred of this class So that practically what some
Of our citizens contendine Tor Is tha' we mug
n four or Ave hundred convcts at Sing Sing with the
income to the village reduced To about oneourth whst
h,g received and all the increasing stigma attached
q, The name This result Is not imaginary but sure as
the SUM- and people OF Sing Sing can make 10 greater
mistake than TO shut their eyes TO It,.
r merchants find their trade coming to them either
s,ectlv or indirectly, mainly from three sources
First-The manufacturers whose employees spend all
their money in the village.
secmd-Citizens who have their homes here' ouS are
no, actively interested In any local business
Third-The prison.
Vow the first two interests appear arrayed against
the third 1t claimed by the manufacturers that they
find the labor organizations everywhere resisting the
nurehase Of their goods prson-made Any statement
made bv the manufacturer to the effect that the prison
I'D the VILLAGE are not identical listened to- They
further assert it useless to expect another manu-
,c,o, N come here so long as prison remains The
citizens who have only homes here assert that the
association Of the prison with the village Keeps away
many who would otherwise make their homes here,
attracted by natural beauty and healthfuness OF inc
location but not willing 10 establish their homes In
rrson town that presence Of the prison OF necessity
lowers the moral Of the community and that they
find wherever they go that Sing Sing Is known only
A. the location Of the largest prison in the country
The friends Of the prison claim that these objections
all purely sentimental 1t may be thst 'ney are
but fact certainly remains In our community us'
the prison is positive repellent torce 10 every u'
faeturer and TO every home-seeker
Mr. Truesdell has embodied his views In concise
and cogent public letter to the Editor OF Thc sing
Sing Republican" NJ F. Rowe, who takes strong
ground in favor of the removal. In the issue OF
January % of his valuable paper Mr.. Rowe says ed
itorialy:
The opnonents OF the proposition the State
Prison from Sing Sing lay great stress upon the loss OF
the large Of money which is paid 10 the sate
officials and the citizens now employed as INSTRUCTORS
etc an amount which think greatly exaggerated
There is no question Of this loss but The other hand it
IS claimed that It would only be for two three years at
the outside before other industries would be established
here that employment 70 as many hands as are
now employed in the prison. and these operatives would
in addition families induce many OF their friends
to take up their residence in this place. Another and
very important consideration for the taxpayer wouo DE
addition OF the State property, consisting In all OF
Of most valuable real estate to our tax
able property.
In the event passage Of law providing for the
removal Of the prison it would be well to bear In mind
would be accomplished for several
years in the meantime there would be ample oppor
the State dispose Of its real estate and for
manufacturers to make arrangements for locating.
is also forth by the opponents Of the removal
that there large number OF available sites for
factories between Yonkers and Sing Sing that have not
been up. That true far the sites for the
factories but there other requisite conditions there
available and convenient for residences for
the employees and their families and friends These
sites are be found in the above territory all
or nearly all devoted TO private residences and
isolated plots in the market held high
price to be used for residences for operatives.
The State property here lying OF the railroad is in
every way suitable for such purposes and thirty
acres now lying would be by improve