New-York tribune., 1897-07-30
A CHANCE FOR ACTION.
PARK COMMISSIONER DETTMER WILL
PROVIDE WORK FOR CoNvlCTs
lie Is READY TO MEET KINGS COUNTY CHARITY
COMMISSIONERS HALFWAY IN RELiEViN"
THE DISTRESS AT THE PENITENTIARY
-suRrIs TO ACT TO-DAY.

-Bt,RrIs TO ACT TO-DAY.
The crusade begun and maintained by The
Tribune 70 compel Brooklyn city officers TO give
N the idle inmates Of the Kings County Peni-
tentiary such work on public Improvements as
would not bring them into competition WIFI
homes. labor seems to be on the verge OF success
Park Commissioner Dettmer yesterday met 'he
Charities Commission half way by statihg 'ha'
II he received official information that humanity
required that employment be given 10 the con-
victs he would Immediately give consideration
70 the proposition to give them work on the r-as'
Side lands and Washington Place.
When a Tribune reporter conveyed 10 Chari-
,os Commissioner Burtis the definite PROPOSE
don Of Commissioner Dettmer. Mr.. burus was
da,,rh,ed He said that he would meet Com
missioner Henry in special meeting at mum "
dav and introduce a resolution informing the
Park Commissioner Of the condition OF the Piis-
pners and ask him to give them employment
that does not interfere with outside laoore'S'
"I think II proper and a pretty good plan
that we should pass such a resolution ne SAUL
"I shall have a talk with Commissioner henry
- ,,,o agraes with me I'll introduce the reso-
u,ion. I have learned that there is the same
oninion about this all over the counr! as 'n''
a,,er,ained Inv The Tribune. Some OF the Chi-
co.o nanocs are noticing the question nave
no, advised with the politicians as TO the at'i-
.,aa have taken l am too much OF humah-
.ar,an N he intimidated by the possible poh'icai
ofyac, of such an action as is proposed s"a'i
,n,roduce resolution making a requisition OH
,ha Park Commissioner TO give us an opPo'-
,uritv N do such work on the East Side lahos
~ a,sewbere as he thinks can be done by con-
y,c,s and not take work from honest men, i"e
;dea ;s not TO sell the labor Of convicts' out 10
oiva Il to the people who support them.
"To tell the truth ! am not In the least lrish'-
oroa at the effect OF such an action on 'he
labor vote. I believe that the laDoring peopie
would vote against party that would leaVe
,oon In loneliness to become Idiots and mao"ei
rather than give them work nave 'ahe" "
casion 10 talk with aboring men OH 'niS SUI
iect and without exception they are III lawn 'i
giving work 10 the convicts.
All DETTMER WANTS is PROPOSITION
Mr. Dettmer is not a politician, but he Is just
A.. cor, of nublic-spirited citizen to whom the
,hougbt that men were going insane for lack OF
or,nlovment is unbearable. He has reau WITH
an interest the disclosures of the present oe
nlorab,a condition Of affairs In the peniten'iary
that have appeared from day to day IN Inc
Tribune He was impressed by the susses'io"
made by this paper that the most sehslpie ie
lief that could be offered the prisoners was W
ennoy them on the East Side lands, "hch iie
almost at the door of the penitentlary' ies'ei
dav he made the decision mentioned ana au
,bor,zed John E. Smith. secretary of the PARK
Denartment. to make known his position. 10 a
Tribune reporter Mr.. Smith said:
"Tbe Commissioner has had his attention
called 10 several articles that have appeared IN
relation to the employment OF conVlcts' "ho' u!
reason Of lack Of work. are going insane he Is
an exceedingly humane man, and. like every
other citizen who believes that such state OF
things should not exist, is willing to do what
ho con ~ ame,iorate their condition. He has no
official knowledge that the state of affairs men
,,o,ad IN the newspapers really exists, but II II
doae exist and the Charities Commissioners VIII
mako a nroposition to him whereby the conVicts
can he mt to work in such a way as not 10 IN
,erfere with the interests Of honest labor ne
will give the matter his most serious cohsioera-
1ion and decide at the earliest possible moment
what can be done. ,,,. ..o.
personally the Commissioner beneVes tnai
a. would he advantageous to the pubic as well
os m the men 10 use them in the making OF pup
lie improvements that could not OtherwlSe pc
made because of lack OF money nes thar ;s
g. used on the East Side lands because 'heIe -
no fund applicable to the Improvement Oh INA.
piece of property, and they couid De useu Sn Il
the Improvement OF washington RAJ " .h no
Ed
Wrininck entrance to Prospect Fark rms Is
street that has long been opened nu, mas Hoe ,na
been improved because OF lack Vi iuiu' ""O '''0
inability to obtain them. =. x,,o.s on
these improvements would in nowlse i~hteIiele ~
with the employment or honest iapoi noents .
undar existing conditions. these lnprONeiheH'9
could not be made for many wears but, as
hsvo said before. the Commissioner Is hol i.i a a
position to take any action tsenton through
any action Of the Charities Commissioners W. w =
under the law are the legal custooiahs ., 'i,o AZ
inmates of the penitentiary ana unsr umey give
act OF course, the Commissioners cd""o' e"
the matter any consideration
soI,EAL FROM wILLOUGHBY-sT
That tho Mclaughlin machine would attempt
60 mako demagogic capital out Of such use OF
oonv;cts cannot be doubted by those who nave
known its methods in past campaigns. In fact'
,ha yy;loughbv-st crowd showed their teeth
Yesterday in the following editorial which ap-
peared in the machine organ
TOO MUCH FUSS.
The same mawksh sentiment aism whcn lrrPeaS1 PeS
emotional people to SEND mowers 70 Vbe aDonizinc
sunerings OF their poverty-strcken tb Com
gained by BY vSass to4 Of ihS ce2an Ssn veil
meaning bu, misguided persons ana ana sp ESountV
4nd work for the p@awYGk IN Srne his
ing feiicates itself 10 the extent OF coiu'h" Va
brsEer qRen s there are at the time not
eight hundred prisoners. all told IN uhe oIk for
49, and Warden Hayes is able 10 nnd "ork io
more than half the number. moderate cacula a.
IT, ~ the numbay Of honest men and women ~
.hn ~ Cresier New-York who are both out OF wors
and out Of prison is about seventy-hve thousaho
10 one hundred thousand; -,. r.,,,,ra has mo-,
revealed the faintest symptom OF any emory De;rS
,rada h,, that friend of the convict in securing
work for the thousands Of honest men ana "oihe"
whose only cri ne is their poverty . ,os,or
AS Commissioner Burtis rightly opserVeu !esoet
dav there is entirely too much fuss being mace
the convicts
THIS SOUNDS DIFFERENT.
The earmarks Of willoughby Street are appar-
ent In the editorial while every one recognized
that the editor had his unhampered say In the
following editorial. which appeared In the same
paper on the day that The Tribune announced