Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-08-17

warden pig leadeon ese never changed
Tue wishiagsoa-Cooley contract, the
largest. IN the prison. made protest al
ter protest. but no good canls OF IT.
Other contractors kicked, but they only
famed themselves. Ceiism 10 still on
deck and will remain there until John
T. Rich u elected and the crowd kicked
out.
Why Dise, piiss Is Poor.
Warden Davls 10 nothing If not
politician. He Is . cheap one as far as
method goes up here buI IN the demo-
cratic fold VI managers CD neyerthe-
less. TO the fact that ne asplres TO be
. politician u due the poor state of
order about the prison more than any
thing else. When ne Mas appointed as
warden about half the hungry demo
Gratis IN the state held up their soup
dishes for consomme. They all wanted
The best place. Each one had when
be come on petition several yards
long IN Ms inside pocket. DAVIS being
= poll siclAa thought he must recognize
the bosses, 90 he selected out the petit
tlons with the biggest toads' names al
the head and put ia the fellow who had
brought IL along. The most of these
Eel owe ara ward heslers for some local
politician In the city where the fellow
VINO wants TO be supported by the
state comes from They know
a. little about prison and the duties of
their position ~ If they mad come from
kamschatkA. As an instance, +. Dob
son dropped in early ia Davis admin
issrAtion, coming from Saginaw, armed
with letter from Cnauncey WIsner
Mr.. Dobson wanted 10 boss the culinary
end OF the institution, aud he showed
up Wisner's letter and made his want
known Dobson got the place. He
knew about ~ much Of cooking as the
squawbuck legislature did of Delsarte.
OF course he made mess of it. But
DAVIS came to the rescue. having had
previous knowledge of stewlng vege-
tables and boiling beans, acquired while
camping out IL - said. DObson man.
aged 70 draw his pay, eat lis rations
and hang on. But Dobson has been .
per pssual thorn in Davis side all the
tune. Dobson is fond Of bulge and on
several occasions has got on u fearful
loot up town and lay down in q saloon.
full a. . tick, from whence 1t has been
found necessary to cart him home IN q
hack. Warden Davis WAS informed of
Dobson's disgraceful performances by
friend who hated to see the disgrace
% public. The warden said he knew
Dobson had been full. IN fact he had
seen HIM full aud bloweo him up
for it. He closed by saying: "WhO
do you suppose sent that fellow down
here and recommended him? Why,
that blank old fool Wisner. I don't
want TO turn DObson out and make
Chauncey hot. but I've damn good no
ton to pack him back to Saginaw and
let Wisner support him." But Dobson
hasn't been packed off. Neither will
he BE, but On the contrary he Is q dele
gate TO the democratic convention, to
help renominate Governor Winans.
Dobson's case is not an isolated one
by any means. There may not be
those who get full AZ he does, but 9TH
ers are none the less incompetent even
if they do not guxzle beer and whisky.
TIE reason for this is obvious when
the facts are stated that every ward
politician in the state had something TO
say about who was to be supported At
the states expense. Any one who had
shouted for the "party" was entitled to
nave . front seat, in Davis opinion.
when the plumbs were distributed, and
OF course . motley crowd got in to
places whore competentmens are needed,
il they are needed in any place in the
state. Personal discipline among nearly
500 convicta. many Of them the cles-
crest sort Of criminals in the state, is
thus impossible, and the convicts talk,
laugh and hold conversation with their
pals much the same ~ they would out
side. All sorts of jobs can thus be en-
gineered, work Is neglected and every
body sutfers-but those who should,
the convicts themselves.
Dsmocrats DiAxruntled.
The democrats will set down on Gov
ernor Winans If he is nominated at
Grand Rapids in way that he and the
prison crowd will not forget. 1t Is safe
TO say that 500 will not vote for him.
Good democrats put the figures at 1000
votes against him. The whole reason
locally 10 the fault found with Warden
DAVIS and his assumption Of running
the prison. They do not like to 20
down there and find some of the most
noted criminals In the state occupying
the front offices. wearing bouquets and
smoking cigars. They do most of the
talking and poke their noses into every
woman's face who stops moment IN
the Office to get tickets or look about
These same convicts who should be do
ing labor are taken out by DAVIS and
placed in easy positions IN the Office
without authority just to save few
dollars to the state. People remark
to each other daily. III thought these
convicts were sent to prison for punish
ment, not to be pampered and allowed
to boss the bosses themselves" One
convict got so impudent after
being in the Office a time,
and swore and ran things in such
high handed way that from sheer ne
cessity Davis had to send him back to
the chop. bus another MAS trotted out
in his place and he now wears . bou-
quet and smokes fine cigars which are
handed him as favors by outside par
ties, who want favors in turn and get
them ad libitum. These same dis
gruntled democrats say that the law
should be lived up to and that con-
tractors should be treated as they de-
serve. Many contractors have many
thousands of dollars invested. They
dare rot kiex any more than they
have done because it really injuries
their chances, and thus Is their busl-
ness hurt.
Said one of them TO the HERALD:
1.-THE fact that Davis has been warden
yearly two years will cost me 81 900 a
year. II | make complaint TO CeIlem
that certain conviets are not doing their
work properly he replies srily, | will
look into that At once. What do YOU