The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-03-12

~ Il,
cheap land, cheap because it is rough,
but having a basis of fertility so that,
alike in clearing the land and in it's
profitable cultivation after it is cleared,
large amount of labor can be furnish
ed to the inmates of the institution. It's
industries should have an agricultural
basis, with such incidental shops for
mechanical purposes as naturally so
with the running of an extensive farm.
For instance, there should be black
smith shop for the shoeing Of horses,
the sharpening, mending and, to some
extent, the making of tools, An the
inmates viii need shoes and clothing,
and shops should be established for the
manufacturing Of these articles and to
give employment to the few inmates
who may have special gifts in this di-
rection, or who, from any cause, may
not be fit for outdoor labor. But in
no case should there be any manufact-
uring which tends to bring to the hon
est labor of the state a degrading COM
petition.
In their report to the governor the
Connecticut commissioners explain
their small purchase of land and say
that in this, as in every other import
ant matter, they followed the advice of
the superintendent at Elmira. They
state that "in New England the drift is
away from agriculture" and that they
did not think it wise to force this kind
of labor upon the inmates of their in
stitution. The drift of which they speak
is simply this: Young men have gone
from the farms to the factories of the
cities until the factories are overcroWd-
ed and there is a scarcity of laborers
for the farms. For the last five years
there have been ten good factory opera
tives seeking employment to every good
farm hand out of work. In this state
to-day there are hundreds of farmers
waiting for emigrants, when they
would gladly hire American help if
they could find it. The very argument
which these commissioners use in IA
Vor of a small tract of land is a strong
argument in favor of a large one.
We submit herewith a resolution au-
thorizing the governor to appoint a
commission of three, who, serving with
out pay, shall have power to sell the
plSSGilI lGlOIIIdlOIy SITE anu "AlooC
duty it shall be to investigate this
whole subject and to recommend to the
next general assembly such legislation
as to said commission may seem wise
and proper.
We also introduce bill repeating the
reformatory act of 1895. We feel that
in this matter it is best to begin to
build again from the lowest foundation.
The many admirable provisions of the
present act can all be retained in the
bill which may be submitted to the
next general assembly for it's considera-
ton and approval.
In concluding their report your COM
mittee would urge that the idea Of re-
formatory be not abandoned In the
last eight years the people of this state
have spent in the improvement and ex-
tension of jails more than three hun
dred thousand dollars In short time
additional expense in this direction
must be incurred. 1t costs no more to
build a reformatory than it costs to
build a jail, and a reformatory estab-
lished on the lines suggested in this re-
port will maintain its inmates at a less
expense. There is in the jails a class
OF prisoners whose chances of reforma-
ton would be much greater in re-
formatory. This would mean to the
state gain in manhood and woman
hood which it Is hard to estimate in
dollars and cents. In her charities Con-
necticut stands in the front rank of her
sister states. In the reformation of her
criminals she may have attempted too
much at first and so faltered. But she
should take no backward step. She
should stand at least with her face to
the light.
GEORGE e. LOUNSBURY,
EDWIN L. HEATH,
w. r. BARBER,
CHARLES E. NEWELL,
G. W. COUCH,
S. L. ALVORD,
JAMES j. MERWIN,
CHARLES b. FRISBIE,
HORACE f. PORTER.