The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-10-01


tentiaries or out in the world. The words
"sickly sentimentality" have become stock
phrase in the mouths of the enemies of re.
forms looking to the more judicous treat
ment of criminals. The criminals confined
in the penitentiaries are protected from the
communicating influence of ''sickly senti-
mentalists" by the laws of the states and
the rules of the prisons. If there are any
penitentiaries where the convcts are not
protected we have not heard of them.
Who has ever heard of ex. convicts being
coddled to any damaging degree? We be-
lieve the general opinion is that they
The writer. in common with many others.
confounds convicted criminals with per-
sons detained in jails pending trials on
criminal charges or those held as INSIDE
meanants. These are not criminals in the
eyes of the law. The first class are still
free citizens before the law and are entitled
to sympathy and kind treatment until the
law pronounces them criminals. They are
then no longer to be considered as unfortu.
mates. 1t is those who are in jals that are
sometimes petted and favored by weak.
minded" women, but that petting and ia
voring does not follow them into the peni-
tentiaries. Penitentiary life is harsh, un.
sentimental existence in the mildest prison,
and in many prisons it is positively brutal.
izing and as devoid of sentimentality as
stone IS of blood. The writer gives the
opinions of a number of philanthropists and
prison officials on this and other points.
They are from officials and philanthropists
of Large experience" but their names are
not given. The question is put to them
thus: docs not the sentimental petting so
often shown criminals initiate against true
and honest measures of reform?" They, or
some one of them (the writer does not state
how many, answer, VERY injurious and
unwise." Mark, the question is not as to
whether or not the evil exists to danger
Gus extent. We VIII dismiss this point by
saying that this so called evil has been
greatly exaggerated.
We come now to the question of citizen.
ship. The writer says:
The very meaning of the word cit zen as de.
fined by our best authorities is, lone possessing
qualifications which will enable him to vote for
rulers or hold real estate" Does any criminal
possess the first qualification? Is the man who
has defed the laws capable of making laws for
honest men to live by? Citizenship should
be the honest reward of honest living The lead.
ing qualifications which should enable man to
vote should be honesty, uprightness, intelligence
sobriety and purity.
1t must be understood that the writer
holds all those as criminals who have been
convicted of crime. But is an ex- convict
necessarily criminal? We do not believe
that he is in the sight of the law, man or
God. An eX convict is simply one who has
expiated crime. If he lives honestly and
peaceably he is as much an honest man as
if he had never committed crime. If he
is honest himself, is he not "capable in aid.
ing in making laws for honest men to
live by?" If honesty. uprightness, in
telligence. sobriety and purity" were the
qualifications demanded of all voters does
anyone suppose that eX cOnvicts would
be the only men or any considerable pro-
portion of the men disfranchised? Here
is a specimen of the opinions of the author
tiles of Large experience" the writer draws
conclusions from: IF the criminals had
the power they would do away with every
policeman. detective, and police court in
the country. Communism would reign su,
preme." You will notice the important
eff" This same authority believes that
criminals should be dsfranchised, but says,
Undoubtedly some prisoners are innocent
of the crimes for which they are serving
sentences; they should not be dis.
franchised and should be aided in every
way that we can get at them" Pray tell
us, who is to separate the sheep from the
goats? Many other like eminent author.
tiles are limited of but not quoted. In moth
ing does the writer show more deplorable
lack of correct information than in stating
that ex convicts are pardoned out of prison
just previous to elections that their votes
may be secured. Now, anyone we'll in.
formed knows that such notion is absurd
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