St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-24
PRISON SUNDAY.
Generally Observed in Minneapo-
lis-Two First-Class Addresses.

Generally Observed in Minneapo-
lis-Two First Glass Addresses.
''Prison Sunday" was generally OBJ
served yesterday by the local churches.
Services were held at the majority of
them in the forenoon. Among the
churches where services were held in
the evening was the Church of the Re-
deemer. There was excellent music,
and addresses by the pastor, Rev. M. d.
Shutter, eX-Gov. McGill and Judge
Charles B. Elliot, of the municipal court.
The address of Rev. Shutter was more
OF an introduction and explanation of
the object OF the meeting. He left the
honorS of the evening to the visiting
orators.
The subject of Mr.. McGill's discourse
was "Antagonism of the Contract Sys-
TEN of Prison Labor with Reformatory
Work." During the course of its de-
liverance he said: "There have been
good people working for needed re-
forms in the arrangements of prisons
and prisoners since the time of Jetfrevs,
and even before, and at all times there
has been great need of it. In fact, it is
not work that can be finished and laid
away. Social conditions are continually
changing. Civilization is advancing.
Where we leave off in our prison reform
work our successors will commence. and
no doubt they will lay down
the work for their successors on
much higher plane than they
found it. The system in vogue in the
United States, i. e., in certain Southern
states, largely populated by colored peo-
pie, was worse than in Siberia, In this,
n in fhn iot fnr I,n ,aric0,
worked under government officials for
the benefit of the government. while in
the former their labor land | might as
well add their bodies and souls as welD,
were sold to rS-irresponSibe
men with no other care or thought OF
the prisoners than what they could
make out of them. This system still
prevails in some of the Southern states.
Efforts have been made by good and in
1uential people to mitigate its evils, but
with only partial success. The trouble
Is with the system.
cit is degrading in itself, and the
evils and cruelties practiced under it
are of the worst possible character. The
old system of slavery was hundred
times better in every way. The lmmu-
table laws of Justice forbid cruel and
inhuman treatment to human beings,
and there is nothing in the law of men
to warrant it. All laws are supposed to
be founded in justice, therefore prison.
ers have the lawful right to just treat
ment. l have but little sympathy
with that gushing sentimentality so
often evinced by amiable people
for criminals simply because
they are criminals. Crime should
be punished, and must, if we would pre-
serve public morality and decorum. Let
10 icbv hn rtai,
you pleaSe-but not cruel or unjust.
Prisoners are human beings, notwth-
standing their crimes. But the contract
system, as has already been said, is
bad one, j. e., the system that sells the
labor of prisoners to outside parties for
what money there is in it is essentially
bad in itself. My own Judgment IS that
the system should be abolished through
out the entire country in every state.
sit was totally abolished in Mime
sofa by an act of the legislature passed
in 1887, bnt has since been partially re-
stored. Most of the prisoners in our
Minnesota state prison, however, are
now being worked on what is known
as the public account system, under the
supervision and direction of officers of
the state. The objections to the con-
tract system by organized labor. as l
understand them, are two-fold. First.
because of the degrading influence on
the prisoners themselves; and, sec
ond, because it, brings convict labor
into competition with free labor. and
in a manner that places free labor
at disadvantage, the products of the
former being sold at so low rate as to
exclude the latter from the field of fair
and honorable competition. Free labor
is ennobling, and it is of vital interest
tf,f hn cf1fn hot ~ ch no 1t
be brought into no unworthy contact.
All the influences surrounding it
should, for the good of the state and
society, be kept pure"
In closing Mr.. McGill paid a high
tribute to the state public school at
Owatonna, and spoke of the work which
could be done amongst homeless chill
dren. who contribute largely to the
criminal classes.
ssCrimes, Criminals and Reform.
was the subject of the address of Judge
Elliot. 1t was very interesting. Among
other things he said:
"Crime must be assaulted at the weak
est point, The movement must be
along the line OF the least resistance.
As we glow with good will and philan-
thropic feelings over the roseate reports
of the reforlners, we are liable to lose
sight of the fact that the number of
criminals is increaing faster in proper
ton than is population. Fifty years ago
England and Wales, with population
of 100000, had about 14,771 prisoners,
or about one for every 94S inhabitants.
Massachusetts,, with population of
100000, had $50 prisoners, or one for
every $50 inhabitants. Official reports
show that the proportion of prisoners to
population has vastly increased. That
while the population OF that state has
increased four-fOld. the number of pris-
Oners has increased fifty-fold. There is
now one prisoner for every 461 inhab-
itants. and in the city of Boston the
proportion is one for every 222. The
fact is that neither the punitive, the
retaliatory nor the reformatory method
have reduced the volume of crime.
Criminals, like the poor, we have always
with US. In the active ferment of
society certain percentage of poor,
fraiI humanity is always found as
sediment at the bottom. A GER
tain proportion seem determined
if not predetermined to go wrong, to be
at war with established rules. Crimi-
nal laws and prisons should be admin
istered and efforts at reform should be
directed with clear understanding of
the object of punishment. Retribution.
reIOrmatlOn ana prevention enter in
different degrees into every punish
ment. but from the purely legal point
| prevention is the chief and only uni
versal purpose of punishment. But to
a limited extent only the fear of punish
ment operates as preventive of crime.
Finding, as L do, but little preven-
tive good in punishment except in the
| temporary restraint of the individual,
and recognizing the fact that crime
is not diminishing. / attach ire
mendous Importance to whatever tends
to check the breeding and cultivation
of criminals. The criminal instinct
developes early. 1t has been estimated
that So per cent of criminals are dis
honest before the age of Is; Il per cent
| become dishonest between the ages of
| fifteen and sixteen, and but per cent
between the ages of seventeen aud
! eighteen. The proportion Of offenders