The times., 1897-04-09

|
Senator Martin occupying the chair. Tn,
| topics for discussion were the work of the
reform school for boys and the reform
| school for girls, their management, scop,
| and the question as to whether their CON
| troll could best be had under District super
vision. The hearing included also the
| subjects of the Insane, the deaf and dumb,
| and the feebe-minded. On these latter sub
| iects DIR. Godding, Of st. Elizabeth's; DR.
| Gallaudet, of Kendall Green, and Agent
| Lewis, of the Board of Childrcn's Guar
dians, submitted written statements, which
Were filed with the committee
Gen. Cecil Clay spoke for the Reform
School for Boys. A large part OF the
examination OF Gen. Clay went 10 showing
| the condition of the institution, W which haS
| been given from year to year and te-
| Gently IN the last annual report, such as
! the personnel OF the trustees, the number
Of pupils, their treatment, and the care
taken of them after their discharge fiom
! the institution. The most interesting
part of his statement however, related to
| the question of the advisability Of plac-
ing the school under the control If the
! District Gen. Clay thought that one
member of the Commissioners on the board
| of control and the supervision of a Dis
trict accounting officer were sufficient con-
troll i'm that direction. He held that the
Reform School for Roys was practically i'll
| Guided among the penal institutions OF
| the Federal Government, and thst ii should
remain under the supervision of the A L
torney General and trustees appointed ty
him.
ff,,o1 al inn
want you to give your views upon the
subject of the relation of the work of
reformatores to the general charitable
work of the District; to say whether they
are or are not essentially related one to
the other; whether the Work of reform
schools is not a part of the charitable
work of the District, and whether they
ought not TO he brought into one organi-
Zation 10y reorganization
Gen. Clay-I regard the reform school
as a penal rather than a charitable in
stitution. All, however, that would be
necessary to bring about the relation You
suggest would be to provide some means
10y which the boys under the control of
charitable organizations could he committed
to the reform school when necessary
In answer to a question, Gen. Clay said
that Attorney General Harmon visited the
reform school only once in two years He
was then asked this question: Don't you
think board OF charities would give more
and better attention to these matters than
the Attorney General could?'
Gen. Clay-I don't see exactly how any
thing is TO be gained by changing the sys-
TEN of government and giving it To an
other board rather than to one appointed
by the President on the recommendation OF
the Attorney General.
Mr.. Pitney-Do you think these Govern
ment officers have the time to devote to
the management Of such an institution;
do you think that these officers can keep
much Of an eye Oh these matters? Al
don't see why they could not l think the
experience and results Of the school are a
sufficient answer TO that question.
Q.-Yet you say that Attorney General
Harmon went there but once in two years?
Ayes, but if YOU mean 10y that that
you should substitute for the work Of its
trustees this board of charities, that is
another matter. / don't think
anything would be gained by the subsu-
tuition OF another board.
Senator Martin-Looking upon the in
partment of Justice than to the charities,
/ would like to hear your views about the
present authority of the president or oti,S
officer to commit boys to a penal institu-
tion who have not been convicted of crime.
Do you think that is a safe and proper
power to be continued?
Gen. Clay-That is a matter which would
involve considerable discussion.
Senator Martiri-Ought this Reform School
be q refuge for bad boys or a place to
punish boys convicted of crime?
Gen. Clay, in answer to this, said that
the authorities Were very careful that the
Government was not impOS edon by parents
who desired to make use Of the Govern
ment for the purpose Of maintaining their
children, and that they guarded against
this by getting The best records of the boys
proposed to be committed. He said fur
ther that the only fault TO be found with
the people was that they did not 20 out
there to see what was being done. He
would be glad, also, if the committee would
go out and examine the institution. lie
stated in conclusion that the fact that the
Attorney Gen eral paid but one visit n two
years to the school had nothing to Go with
the case. The Attorney General, for in
stance, does not visit the insUi tutions at
Fort Leavenworth.
Mr.. Northway-You regard him simply
as the source of power?
A.-Y es; sir.
Mr. William Endicott, jr., president Of
the Reform School for Girls, submitted
written report as to that institution, but as
it had not been yet submitted to the trustees
he also gave ample oral testimony. He
called attention to the fact that although
the school for girls and that for boys were
identical in purpose, the former was
placed under the head of charities, the
trustees being appointed by the Commits
sioners. Mr.. EndiCott made this interesting
statement: Il think that the saddest thing
about the institution is that girls are sent
there who have committed crimes and
come from very bad parts of Washington.
These criminals are thrown In contact with
little girls, who may be wild, but who
are not guilty of crime"
Mr.. Northway Have you no power of
separation of these classes? a. No, sir.
Mr.. Endicott exp planned this by describing
the building which he said was perfectly
useless when handed over by the building
inspector. Mr.. Endicottsaid d that if build
ing could be had which would provide for a
separation of the vicious from the Others,
white girls might be admitted, as the in
sttution was for both races, although that
was not generally understood to be the
fact.
O. What becomes of the white girls?
A. They 60 to Jail or to the workhouse; a
great many arereceivedin the House of the
Good Shepherd in Georgetown and the
House of Mercy.