The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-10-02

is maybe, put into the closest possible as
sOciatiOn with burglars and professional
thieves, the pickpOcket. the counterfeiter
the hardened criminal, there to be associ
! ated with them days, weeks and months
perhaps, to be taught and instructed and
encouraged in crime. to hate honesty. t(
hate society. And we pay for that acad
emy of crime hundreds of millions every
year for these three. four or five thousand
jails and their support How many o1
them are fit placesfOr the young man to be
put? How many of them provide by theil
construction for the separation of thai
young man from the hardened teacher thai
is ready to encourage him and to teach him
all he needs to know to be professional
criminal? Not one in one hundred!
We read with the utmost interest the
graphic description written by George Ken.
nan, of the prisons of Russia and Siberia.
How easy it is to see the mote in the neigh
bOr's eye, and not discover at all the beam
that is in our own eye. Applause. Sup.
pose some Russian George Kennan should
pass through this country and look into all
the jails and see the weeping, trembling
boy placed in one of those jails in the midst
of that circle of vile teachers, to hear the
boy taught. and suppose he should describe
it just as it is! There would be reading thai
would be interesting to the American
people!
Then comes what we ought to have
everywhere, what think we have to some
extent in Ohio. here certainly, work k-houses.
district work houses for those convicted OF
smaller Offenses and where they are in
structed in that best. not merely preventive
of crime. but curative of crime. habits of
daily industry. of labor with their hands, sc
q w fhou wi no oh RI
earn an honest living. That takes lower
grade. Then comes an intermediate pen
itentiary for the younger ones, and that is moi
found, unfortunately, as often as it should
be. and after that comes the great State
Prison. That-the latter-ShOuld be retained
as the place for the incurable, the irreclaim
able. the professional.
After all, if [ were to talk all night
could not give to anything more importance
upon this whole subject than the one idea
with which l commenced, and that is the
Importance of the community thinking
upon this subject and considering it. The
evil to be met is an evil that no man can
intrench himself and his family against.
Your son and your daughter are in danger.
We care nothing for what can be done by
the burglar in taking your property. OF
breaking into this house or that. or picking
your pocket; that is small. but he that leads
your sou to crime. either the crime of cap
ital. which is at the top OF the heap. or the
crime of despair. which is at the bottom
breaks open the casket that contains the
jewel of your soul. Applause. The peO.
pie of the country cannot think too lone
and too deeply upon this important sub
ject. 1t is worth considering. AS look
upon this audience l see that it is very
much of the size of the audience that on
bright and beautiful day twenty years ago,
we met in Cincinnati. There were del
egates present from the different institu
tions. and few citizens. The weather il
ON the wrong side of the question to-night
and am little afraid that on this side
Cincinnati holds its own. Applause.
REPORT ON CRIMINAL LAW.
Mr.. c. H. Reeve, of Plymouth. Ind, acting chair
man, presented the report of the committee OF
criminal law reform. Among many importan
suggestions. are these:
After showing the purpose and duty of govern
ment, and that the aim of the law is to accomplish
justice it proceeds to show that there can be M
liberty without government and no government
without order contract exists between ever!
resident and government that the resident will OBJ
serve and help maintain order. in return for pro
lection to person and property; and the right t.
liberty should depend on performance of the con
tract. If it is broken by the citizen he should for
felt the right to liberty. a dangerous and dis
turbing element. and the state should perform
its contracts with the orderly citizens by removing
the disorderly and rendering them harmless. Th
idea of punishment and penalties should b.
abolished as between the state and the individual
except as means for discipline and order in tn
prisons. The abuse of liberty should forfeit tn
right to it, and unless the disorderly be re
formed as to observe order. they should be shu
up and serve the state that protects themselve
and others against the anarchy they would Great
| if left at large. Prisons should be provided TO
both separate and congregate confinement an
labor. and arranged so that complete classification