St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-06-19
CRIME A DISEASE.
Able Paper on Crime by O Col
lege Professor.

Able Paper on Crime by O Col
lege Professor.
Last nights session of the prison
congress was an interesting one. ending
in warm debate over resolutions
against congress passing the O'Neill
bill. which was characterized as enter
ing into politics and tending to the
downfall of the ASSOCIATION.
The early evening was devoted to the
readiug of paper prepared by Prof. q.
r. Henderson. of Chicago, upon Crime
and Social Reform" and which was
read by Rev. E. R. Donahoo, to take the
place of an address on that subject for
which Prof. Richard Il. Ely, of the
University of Wisconsin, was sched-
uled, but who was absent because of
illness.
The paper was an exhaustive thesis
on the subject, divided as it was into
topics, such as the study of crimes from
the standpoint of biology; the legal
view of crimes; the prison warden's
standpoint and the study from the
standpoint of the citizen. The general
tenor of the paper was to treat crime
as disease, and to handle it
much as infectious and contagious
diseases are treated and quaran.
tined against. 1t was asserted
that insanity has much to do with
prompting crimes of lower and greater
magnitude, and the mental conditions
should be investigated as well as to
consider the surroundings and moral
influence operating. Surgical opera
tions were recommended IN certain
cases to prevent the propagation of the
criminal classes; restraint should be
placed on others, ana reformatory in.
structiOn to others, and the principle
of restitution i'll all cases of
stealing or embezzling was urged. The
punishment of adults as distinguished
from younger people was treated in the
view that distinction should be made.
A varied class of punishment was advo-
Gated. The paper advocated conmenc-
ing social reform in the outside circles
and thus preventing the actual contact
with crime. A system of education
should be adopted which includes
training in social duties. Sensational
reports OF crimes in the newspapers. the
writer declared. should be prohibited by
which was designed to discuss reforms.
and not to settle questions of govern
mental policy. The contemplated
action was fight against organized
labor, and was unnecessary, as the bill
is unconstitutional, and would never
stand the test in the courts. He advO-
Gated individual efforts with congress
men and senators, but opposed putting
the association as body on record as
trying to influence legislation. -;s-
Charlton L. Lewis. noted phrenolo-
gist OF New Jersey. responded to
call from Rev. S. l.. Milligan to discuss
the paper and spoke earnestly for few
minutes. He coincided with the views
of the paper and asserted that the con-
gress is not confined to the walls of the
prison in the work of reforms but has
the whole world tor field. He i'm
pressed the point that an in
determinate sentence should be pro-
vided by law and the idea of
punishment should give place to that of
reforming the criminal. He spoke of
the courts as being the tribunal to de-
tect crime and impose a sentence, and
declared that the law should provide
for tribunal that should pass upon the
reformation and say when convicted
person should be released from prison.
In his opinion the country has
made sufficient advancement to
warrant the establishment of trlb-
unals to release criminals when
reformed. He declared that the one
object of the prison association is to do
away with prisons, and when that is
accomplished the association would die
contented. He denied that the prisons,
as now conducted, could be an agency
of reform. He wanted to see offenders
of the milder grade imprisoned ON the
parole system, and in the meantime
hired out to guardians. The peniten-
tiaries he designated as great universi-
ties that graduate criminals.
WARDENS ELECT OFFICERS.
The prison congress adjourned at this
point to give the wardens' association
an opportunity to transact some busi-
ness. The session of this organization
was very brief. and consisted of the
election of the following officers, report
ed by committee:
President. Joseph Nicholson, Detroit,
Mich; secretary, R. W. McClaughry,
Pontiac, ILL.,; treasurer, John C.Whiton,
South Boston; executive committee,
Henry Wolfer. Saltwater; P. r. Cos
tello, Cincinnati; j. F. Scott, Concord,
Mass; j. w. French, Michigan City,
Ind, and B. w. Lynn, Richmond. Va.
The National Prison association then
resumed business. and got into an ami
mated discussion and division over
resolution offered by Capt. Edward S.
Wright, of Allegheny. Pa, of a COM
mittee of the wardens' ASSOCIATION,
which protested against the O'Nelll
bill pending before congress that pro.
vides for confinins the sale of goods
manufactured in penitentiaries to the
states in which they are manufactured.
Judge Follett, of Ohio, made vlgor-
GUS speech against the adoption of the
resolution, which he characterized as
going into politics. He said that during
the membership Of Gen. R. B. Hayes,
that gentleman had opposed bringing
politics into the association. Judge
Follett declared that the passage of the
resolution would end the organization,
Warden George, Of the Kentucky
penitentiary, spoke in favor of the reso-
luton in speech, in which he advo-
Gated keeping convicts employed within
the prison walls, and not to farm them
out to contractors outside of the prison.
Mr.. Butler, of OHIO, pronounced the
resolutions as political move. and de-
signed to precipitate war with labor
unions.
Mr.. Washburn, of Ohio, declared that
he would never aid any prison associa.
ton that favors partisan politics. He
asked that no vote be taken upon the
|, resolutions until abundant time should
be given for consideration thereof. Sew
eral others made short speeches, and
there was disposition of the friends of
the measure to rush it through. Mr..
Butler, of Ohio. moved to lay the reso-