The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-01-16

OenJ prOprlety IN the great state or ONO
atfordng some kind of work for all able
bodied prisoners IN its one operating penal
institution
The prison statistics show that the av.
erage population of the institution for the
year 1895 was 2,OS5, a number slightly in
excess Of that of 1894 At the present
time the number of convicts at the peni
tentiary closely approXimates 1900, aud
there is almost certainty that within o
mparativeiy few weeks the number will
be increased to over 1900, thus surpass
ing all the records of convict population
at the institution. Under the most favor
able circumstances, under present cOndi-
tions, very nearly 100 persons Will be
without fixed occupation during the
period of their detention. OF these LOO
perhaps 20 per cent will be engaged in
doing the small amount of state work
now required and the large remainder
will be sitting in the idle house with moth.
ing to do but stare at the blank walls and
brood over thei" imaginery wrongs. The
experience of the world has proven time
and again that idleness begets melancholy
and crime Certainly the ends of refor.
nation are not subseryed by allowing
prisoners time to become melancholy OF
to hatch schemes for future misdeeds. 1t
seems to me that there is prOpriety in the
suggestion that such Of the convict popu.
latiOn at the penitentiary as can be EN-.
ployed in producing material available
Tor use in state institutions should be put
to work as soon as feasable. The material
they would produce, while necessarily
competing TO some extent with that OF
free labor, would still reduce that diSa.
greeable fact to minimum This EN-.
ployment of idle prisoners would be a
humane act and l cannot believe that
honest labor would make any objection
to the prisoners being thus employed.
II it is not deemed proper or feasible
that idle convicts shall be used in produc.
ing state material, the opportunity for
some labor can be afforded them within
the prison walls, and the result will he &c
the benefit of the convicts themselves as
we'll as TO the state property. Anything
ANY employment-is preferable to tn
state of idleness in which we now find so
many Of these convicts.
No subject should apply to the wisdom
OF the legislature more strongly than that
which concerns the idle population of our
great penitentiary. 1t is eminently de.
sirable that the prison shall be self sup
porting at least, but beyond that there il
the consideration of having the institution
place which will show Ohio's advance in
the management of penal institutions.
The report of the auditor Of state for
the year ending November Is, 1895, shows
that the grand total of the local debts was
go looO, ,SOO 81, WnlCu WAS an increase Oh
81, 596, 293. 80. OF this increase, S272, $50 SS
is to be attributed to the increase in the
debt of counties, 81 ,03l ,099. 80 to the debt
of cities and villages. and S39i 1874 35 to the
debts of special school districts The debts
of townships decreased Sl77, 1850. 10. While
requests for authority to issue bonds for
public Improvements are signs of enter.
prise and energy, there is still good reason
why the general assembly should protect
the people from indiscTeet fnanciers. Be
lieving that the best interests of the people
would be suOseryed il Limitation was
placed upon local Indebtedness, recon-
mend TO The general assem- bly, such law
as will limit the local Indebtedness OF
counties, cities. villages, townships and
school districts to 10 per cent of the tax
duplicate.
The subject Of mandatory legislation IL
one which demands attention al your
hands. Heretofore communities have
been afflicted seriously by so-called man
datory laws, aud the taxpayers have been
called upon 10 meet expenses imposed Oy
local improvements, which were ordered,
in some instances, perhaps In defiance OF
the wish and will OF the people concerned
II our theory OF government by the peo-
pie is correct one-and the experience
of the past has shown IL to be one of the
strongest OF the foundation stones OF this
great Tepublic-then these mandatory
laws, which virtually deprive the people
of the right 10 say whether they shall OF
shall not be taped for an improvement
which Is deemed necessary by some and
which Is thought unnecessary by others
are certainly infringements upon the code
OF good government, to say nothing about
there being IN Violation OF the rights oi
-" n@eWla. Ihe supreme court of Ohis