The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-24
SEATTLE, sArURDAY. OCT. 81.
PRISON REFORM.

Ex-President Hayes, deVotlng the re-
mainder of his always pure and
dignified life to the work of public
reform and the amelioration of the
perishing classes of society, is noble and
benefcent figure compared with that Of
ex-President Cleveland, standing on the
platform of the Tsmmany hall ring and
lifting his voice for the triumph of cor
rupt faction of municipal thieves and civic
swindlers. In his recent address at
Pittsburg General Hayes named the
four principal prevailing errors of
prision administration as follows:
First, the young and the thoughtless, and
the accidental criminals, and those sus-
pected of guilt are huddled together while
swaiting trial, with the old and hardened
offenders. Second, professional criminals
are sentenced for short terms and then
turned loose again to prey upon society.
Third, ex-convicts are sent forth under
such circumstances that they are often
compelled to make living by return
to their evil ways. Fourth, prisons and
asylums are often under wardens APP
pointed solely as a reward for political
activity.
The result of the first error is that our
jails are made schools of crime. The set
ting free of professional criminals is very
costly error, because one-half the crimes
in the country are committed by profes
sional criminals. In some states profess
sional criminal may be sentenced to life
on being brought up for the third time for
the same offense. One Reagan in one of
the Eastern states has at 81 years OF age
Just been sentenced far life. Reagan was
released in February, 1890; the past sum-
mer for third time he essayed burg
larry, and this sentence is the end.
This man had been professional criminal
for thirty-fve years. General Hayes
would treat incorrigible criminals as he
would dangerous lunatics-keep them in
confinement Just so long as they were
dangerous to the public safety. He would
no more turn an incorrigible criminal
loose to threaten property than he would
a homicidal lunatic.
A prison without proper sanitary adj
ministration Is an outrage upon the rights
of the inmates, and prison without USE
full employment provided for the convicts
is an inhuman and demoralizing i'm
stitution. Convicts should be given
both physical and mental employ
ment and should never be discharged
in q condition that makes honest self.
support practically impossible. The pris-
ons alone Of this country cost over $751;
100000 annually, besides the support of
1900 criminal courts and $4,000 justices of
the peace. The losses inflicted upon prop
erty by the depreciation of criminals
amount to millions. and this enormous
yearly tax consequent upon crime is in
creasing, for crime grows faster than
population. General Hayes believes in the
careful classification of prisoners, separat-
ing the old from the young, the inexper-
fenced from the hardened criminals. The
prison should be clean and healthy, but
not comfortable enough TO be a
pleasant memory, the food plain, and
sufficient for the hard labor that
should be enforced upon all.
No prison; no asylum for the insane; no
local almshouse, hospital or other public
institution can ever be other than monu-
ment of inhuman and inefficient admins
tration so long as the officials of such in
situations owe their nominations not to
reputation for fitness and capacity, but to
political activity. We need not go further
than Oregon to note the pernicious con-
sequence of this kind of political govern
ment of public charities and corrections,
for which DR.. Joseph and DR.. Lane, of the
asylum for the insane, both effectively
denounced Governor Pennoyer