Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1897-12-25
THE NEGRO RBroRMATORY.
Mrs. Smith is Emphatic.
DO Editor Of rbe 49,:

To Editor Of The Planet:
read with surprise the questions
asked through your columns last week
by o NJ steward concerning the Ne
gro Refofmatory which il 10 proposed
TO build in your state. / was the more
Surprised because have seen now and
again 0. NJ. Stewards name attached
TO very creditable verses appearing in
your columns, and can not under
stand how man OF average intelii-
gence can be so ignorant as he profess
es TO be of the laws governing institu-
tiOns OF this character. aud applying TO
minor offenders generally. Webster's
detinitiOn Of a reformatOry is as fol-
lows: An institution for promoting
the reformation Of offenders
We are further enlightened from the
same source nv this addendum: Mag
istrates may send 5uNSpils offenders 20
reformatories instead of prisons. Mr.
Steward ana Mr.. Chiles who seem so
athirst for knowledge on this subject
might have informed mselves by
reading a part of the first paragraph of
the prospectus OF the WUmRn's De-
purtment of the RefOrmatory which
appears weekly in your columns aud
which l quote here for their benefit
The object of this department. is Co
create among the women Of the race
an interest IN refermatory for our
boys aud girls. who on conviction of
CRIME disorder or vagrancy are now
sent Go the jails Of the one hundred
counties of the state and the peDiten-
tiAry, but who with reformatory will
be rescued and saved In this one
paragraph the object of the refCrma-
tory u 30 clear, aud so cDncisely ser
forth as TO MIKE il impossible for mis-
understandings to arite. lt is readily
seen then, chat the reformRtory is in
tended AZ place for the reception of
minors convicted OF ofcnses against
the laH Of The state anu in no way in
terferes with the freedom or rights Of
tho innocent. We have here IN the
District Of Columbia two reformato-
ries, one for boys and one for girls.
All minors under sixteen years of
age convicted of mIsdemeanors are
supposed 10 be sent to one or the other
of these Institutions. and the length of
their service depends entirely on he
discretion of the Judge sentencing
them and the nature of the offsnss
committed. Now, as Co the question
of citizenship, minors are not citizens
in the sense in which these writers use
the term and therefore could not be
deprived of a priyilegc which they do
not possess. But admitting for the
sake OF argument that the laws of Vir-
ginis deprive male child who has
been convicted OF crime of the right of
suffrage on attaining his majority,
would his being sent 20 a refOrmatory
let that right more or less than be-
ing sent to jail or the penitentiary ?
In the reform atory he would be re-
claimed and fitted for the exercise of
the right of suffrage and the duties OF
citiz srship; wheaeas i'm the Jail or pen
itentiary ne " ould run the risk OF be-
ing degrsdtd and utterly destroyed 10y
daily contact with hardened criminals.
Thus you see that the RefOrmatory
is only smother movement for the bet
terment or the condition of the unfor-
Inmates OF ouL race.
Perhaps the officers OF the Reforma-
tory movement regarded the article
that appeared in the Reformer some
weeks ago on this subject in the same
light that did, AMI therefore allowed
il 10 pass without making a reply.
could not feel that the article was
written with real desire for informa-
ton or even in the spirit of unbiased
criticism. But, In my judgement, the
writer took that method of using up
Idle moments and at tbs same time
stirling at a movement that did not
happen to meet his approval.
FANNIE L. SMYrH,
$40 I ST., n. W., Washington, ID. @.