The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-10-01
THE BIG MEETING WAS OPENED
IN MILWAUKEE, WIS.
LAST NIGHT.
PRESIDENT BR|NkERHOFF'S ADDRESS
Tells How Society Should Deal WITH
the Crminal-There Are but TWO
Ways, Reformation or I'M
prisonmcnt for Life.


tional prison congress began its meeting
here tonight
Ex-N[ayor John c. Koch, rs chairman
of the local committee, called the meet
ing to order and introduced the Key, MI.
Sinkham, chaplain of the Maryland state
prison, of Baltimore, who invoked the
divine blessing.
Adiutant General Charles King. on be-
half of Governor Upham; Mayor lush
ongurgcr and John Spencer OF the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers association
made addresses of welcome.
After responding to the addresses Of
welcome by Adjt. Gen. King and
Mayor Rushongurgcr, Gen. Brinkhcrhoif
delivered his annual address. which was
in part, as follows:
"rhe importance of the prison ques-
ton can not well be overcstimated,
since in its solution the very existence OF
free institutions tx at stake, for if
safety to persons and property can not
be maintained, II stronger form OF gov
eminent becomes Il necessity. In tins
question every citizen ought to be active
ly interested, for unless protected he is
ut the mercy of the criminal. 10 secure
this protection an army OF policemen
larger than the army of the United
States is constantly on guard and must
be paid. In addition all the machinery
of the criminal courts must he llaln-
tanned. penitcntiarics for an average of
100,0 600 conyicts must he supported, and
in every county there is Il Jail, so that
the money expenditures alone count INTO
the millions every year.
I'm dealing with the criminal. society
should have but one object i'll view and
| that is the protection of its members
| from his unlawful acts If the protec-
| ton of society is the fundamental prin-
| ciplc it follows that there are but two
ways that will certainly accomplish that
result-reformation or Imprisonment for
life. Experience shows that a large
/ majority of prisoners convicted of their
| first offenSc are not confirmed criminals.
They are the victims of environment, of
a bad heredity, of Il special temptation OF
of something else for which perhaps
! society itself is to blame, and if they are
properly cared for they can be cured
TO send a criminal to prison for any
specified period except for life is rs
senseless as it would be to tie up Il mad
dog for Il certain number of days and
| then turn him loose in the full frenzy
of his madness.
Under all prison systems, if discipline
is to be maintained at its best and refor.
nation promoted and health preserved
some form of labor is absolutely essen
| tial. Unfortunately in recent years
there has been n prejudice against prison
labor, which has crystallized into legis
lation in a number of states to such III
extent as to make it difficult to provide
employment for prisoners and the result
is that they are to Il large extent kept il
idleness. Men in idleness rapidly de
terioratc both physically and mentally
\ some go to the hospital for want of cx,
crcisc; some go to the insane asylum
through loss of reason: and all upon dis
charge go out impaired to such an extent
as to render it difficult and Otter
| impossible to earn an honest
living, even if they had the opportunity
/ to do so. The entire prison labor of the
country, as compared with the same kind
of labor outside. amounts only to II
| per cent. and i'll the nature of things can
| not affect prices or wages to any apprccia-
| bic extent Prison labor. as compared
with all kinds of labor outside. the only
proper comparison is shown by invcStiga-
| tionS of the census and labor bureaus to
| be only 64-1O0 of per cent of prices and
| wages. Doubtless locally. in rare in
stances. it may cause injurious compc-
tition. but this can easily be remcdicd by
| suitable legislation. In the larger fields
of the country rs II whole the cOmpcti-
ton is not worth considering.
"rhc greatest hindrance to the i'm
! provCmcnt of the various grades of priS-
ons is unqucstionably the appointment of
officials for the administration rs re-
wards for political service. This practice
is almost universal, and the results can
not he otherwise than injurious. Anoth-
o. direction in which there is Il pressing
need of more enlightened public scnti-
mcnt is in the construction and manage
mcnt of county iails. Another require
| ment is that every prisoner upon dis
charge should be cared for and aided if
worthy in securing occupation. In the
work of reformation this is half the bat
tie, for unless Il prisoner, upon discharge.
can have an opportunity to earn an hon
est living he is driven back to crime.
"All criminal statistics show that Il
large proportion of prisoners have never
| learned Il wagc-carning occupation, and
| think all prison wardens will agree that
this deficiency is n prolific cause of crime
| TO correct this our schools must educate
the hand MS well as the head, and no
common school system should be conSid-
cred complete in which industrial train
ing is not an important part. More than
that. every child should he taught good
citizenship and good morals. and oul
schools should cultivate equally the head
the hand and the heart.
IF we are to have any hope of success
we must have the active cooperation OF
all good citizens, and especially of all
Christian men and women. Doubtless
as long as human nature remains as it is
Al
very sure that if society will utilize the
forces ut command the number of pris
ons now in use can be reduced ten fold
in Il single generation"
At the conclusion of the address i
was announced that the annual service
would be held at Plymouth church to
morrow and that the members of tn,
congress would meet at the Pfeistc
hotel at 10 o'clock sharp and proceed il
Il body to the church.
-A-