Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-08-17
IT'S A POOR WAY
In Which the State Prison Is
Managed.
DAVIS AND HIS APP0INIEES
Severely Criticised, and the Causes of the
Lar Discipline and Violated Rules
Thoroughly Explained


JAcKsos, Mich. Aug. I5.-No men
should be appointed 10 the wardensnlp
OF the MichLgAn stAts pris0n Who has
no knowledge Of What ne assumes 70
do before ne begins. That argument
holds good in favor OF . Jackson
county man receiving the sppoinsmsst.
Any intelligent man residing here bee
more knowledge of the way . PRISON
snould be run and how to run 10, than
any outsider can learn IN year or two.
some rhsass Necessary % Kaew.
Ii Will be found that there are many
things to learn and successfully ACCOM-
pllsn before q man Is doing his duty TO
the people OF the state IS warden.
Its not all done when the Institution IS
made TO show balance on the profit
side of the ledger. IL anything else Is
subserved to that idea for time il all
looks fair and seems successful. when in
reality ia only the surface indications
that the public sees rather than facts
and figures. Discipline may suffer.
the contractors ditto and those pnr-
chased from most II all.
Warden Davis and his tootsrs, the
Gov. WlnAns orgAns-few they are in
number, thougn-ges out and blow
their horns aud beat their t0m-toms
about once - month. The song 10,
just see what our Warden has saved"
That's all they know ABOUT II. Their
knowledge of facts begins and ends
when the administration ceases 10 foot.
They fail TO mention the c1nvicts who
walk out of the gates or dig for liberty
In broad daylight for lack OF disci-
pine. Also these tooters forget to
state IN what disgruntled condition
have been the contractors who employ
the convIcts to labor and who pay into
the prison treasury many thousands OF
dollars each year. Ii would be inte-
resting reading to get the opinion Of
the majority OF these contractors a. TO
what they think Of DAVIS discipline
since ne has boen warden;
After the public shall have boen sat
ished on the two propositions above
mentioned IL would be interesting again
to ask them how they like it TO have
the great state Of Michigan treated to
the spectacle OF couvIcts from hfers to
fifers acting coachmen or swinging pens
In the front office. while honest men
are fired out OF the PRISON that few
dollars may be saved to the glory of .
farmer administration.
How warAsa Davis Does II.
There 10 not IN honsst man in the
state. be he taxpayer or poor laborer,
who wants the state Of Michigan to
cheat anybody out OF 3 dollar because
the state wants to buy. Mr..
Davis makes no secret that he
never pays what an article is
worth If ne can help L. He beats men
down to the lowest price who need to
sell, finds out their needs and then Of
fsrs about IS cents on the dollar for
the purchase. He bautess The life out
of the farmer or the merchant just to
ave the state Of Michigan . few dol
lara oil for the glory Of Farme-
Winans. who appointed him and made
800 Jackson county democrats fighting
mad In dong 30. He does board the
convicts 1T about 10 cents . day, bat
somebody else catches II for the re-
duction in price. The people are
bosten somewhere every time it 10
done.
The most pertinent feature of DAVIS
failure 70 grasp the situation has never
been told, IS The HERALD 10 now for
the first time aware. Davis knew
about the fret day he arrived here
after his appointment that Jackson
democrats did not want him 1t any
price, This disgruntled him to such
an extent that he utterly refused 70
even give the deputy wsrdenship 70 .
Jackso county man, but instead he
brought down Fred Cellem from Kala-
maZoo and put him In - deputy. Now
Celiem- however smart he may be in
selling goods to granger customers,
knows ~ little about prisoners and
prssou discipline ~ . porker does
about preaching . sermon. II may
not be generally understood, but it is
true. nevertheless. that the deputy
warden has about all there 10 to do IN
handling the convicts and seeing TO
their daily detail. tbs to the deputy
that all complaints are made by con-
tractors OF iniraetlons OF tho rules,
aud 1t Is his duty 70 set tho
convicts straight and protect the
interests Of the contractors. Thus il
oil be seen that bad deputy or On
Incompetent one may be death TO the
contractors interest. This has been
he condition of the prison ever since
ceIlsm came here. He 10 troubled
With . most pronounced case of the
ns head. His great idea 10 that he 10
.unning the prison and that all roacs
cad g. his office and 10 success. He 10
the man who does IL Gil. He has bean
IN eyesors to al the contractors sincs
his advent into the prison. Davis has
been told time and time again that Cel-
leun Vas knocking the dice pline of the
prison in the head and that contractors
suffered thousands of dollars year in
consequences. The contractors have had
conference after conference with Dawn
about hls lack of discipline. They nave
beggsd OF him timc and again TO let
Gel en- 20, ss they we're having their
money burned up, bat DAVIS said che
10 my deputy Add don't know where
~ get another any better" md % the
dissrunslsd condition continues The
broom contractors several times notl-
fed DAVIS that their interest was beng
sacrificed to Cellem retention, but the