The representative., 1895-10-30
PRISON REFORM Il FARCE.

Prison reform-What a farce All
this babbling chatter about prison re-
form is as disgusting as talk on po-
litical reform. 1t is as shallow as an
gel tears from hypocrite. The word
reform has great depth, the bottom
of which has never been fathomed in
this state. Prison reform is but a
bubble blown up by the daily press, a
bubble that can be punctured into
nothing by a single word. Is contract
labor prison reform? When the state
of Minnesota, the tax payers of this
great state, appropriate thousands of
dollars for improved machinery, the
best that money can buy, and thous-
ands of dollars more for the mainten-
ance OF the state prison, barring per-
sonal expenditures, is it such great
load to put the machinery into mo-
tion? Should that be termed "splen-
did financial management" 1t can
not be denied that the parole system
is humane device. a nd who but AL
bert Garvin proposed it? Every time
we read an article headed "Prison Re-
FORM it makes US feel like saying a
great deal. 1t makes us think what a
wonderful transformation the word
Reform" must have undergone from
AOS VI 3 Aol AASuHIHk. ny OOu U UuC
press handle two sides of an issue, in
stead Of printing lot of eloquence
punched together for effect? The big
gest fool that was ever created can
commit finely worded speech and
have it printed in the newspapers,
but prison reform is thing that ex-
lists in the press and upon the imagin-
alton only and can be brushed away
like dead mans whiskers We would
like to hear the reform question ar
gued by men like Donnelly and un.
derstand what actual reform means,
and the experience Of those who know.
The state prison is a public inStitu-
tion and it is right to discuss it.
We may not be able to tell what
State Prison Reform is, but we can
tell what it is not.
State Prison Reform does not con-
sist in the Prison Board sending one
OF their number to Paris, at heavy ex-
pense to the taxpayers, to listen to
discussions in language he does not
understand, about conditions utterly
unlike those which exist here.
1t does not consist in buying $25, 900
worth of twine-making machiney, Of a
kind not wanted by the farmers, and
throwing it aside in year or two; the
Twine Truest in the meantime hav.
ing things their own way; and then
going ahead to buy more machinery at
large cost to the people.
It does not consist in selling the
twine output to local dealers to dis
pose Of at prices great deal higher
than better twine can be bought for
at the same time.
1t does not consist in making thous-
ands Of dollars worth of twine and
then refusing to bring the same to
the attention of the consumers,
through the ordinary channels of ad-
vertising.-th newspapers.
1t does not consist in running the
state prison so that instead of being
self-supporting, as other prisons are,
it costs the people in twenty-five years
a million dollars more than they re-
ceive from it.
1t does not consist in making the
State Prison Board place of refuge
for lot of payed-out political ver-
min, to
'Sprawl and sprattle
Wi timer kindred jumping cattle;''
with not an actual farmer, or man
the people have any confidence in. in
the whole gang; but, instead. fellows
like John Norrish, who, with the Dem
ocratic nomination, in a county Dem
ocratic by 500 majority, was defeated
for State Senator by 500 majority
thus running 1,00O votes behind his
party strength in total of 5000 votes.
This is the kind of man that is taken
up by the Republican leaders and