Evening journal., 1897-04-09
A STATE WORK HOUSE.
Chief Justice Lore's Argument
in Favor Of the Same.
MEANS HUMANITY AND ECONOMY
THE HOUR HAS COME FOR THE
LEGISLATURE TO MEET THE
EMERGENCY AND REMOVE THE
BLOT FROM DELAwARE's FAIR
NAME.
staff Correspondence Evening Journal.


NAME.
Staff Correspondence Evening Journal
Dover, April 9.-Chief Justice Lore
presents to the General Assembly,
through the Evening Journal, the fol-
lowing argument in favor of a state
work-hOuse:
To the Members of the Legislature.
Economy and humanity demand that
the prison system of our state shall be
reformed and that at once. All agree as
to the duty We can no longer afford to
shirk the responsibility.
Economically considered, we have these
facts. BY a careful calculation from
official papers, for the year 1894 the
three counties of this state paid for
maintenance Of prisoners, averaging210
IN number, as follows
Average yearly amount S3S.064.79.
Each prisoner yearly cost SlS1.25.
Each prisoner daily costs 1915.
These figures are below the actual
cost. as ! only took the items that were
specifically charged to the prisons, and
did not include the items in mixed ac-
counts, which went to prison support
BY q careful estimate it has been as
Of 5000. 600, the necessary grounds can
be bought, buildings and plant erected
and supplied, interest and expenses
paid until the work-house is completed
and in running order and in receipt OF
he allowance from each county for the
A - p of its prisoners.
Ii the state viii loan its credit, to the
extent of 100000 with which to erect
! , rr-rf1-- hotcn orpopfya a u.rcfort,
ON a business basis, and then let the
respective counties pay for the mainte-
aance Of their prisoners what It now
actually costs, viz: SSS.0G4.79, by actual
test and experience, we reach the fol-
| lowing results. Out of the 3S,064.79 so
paid the trustees will be able to pay:
Interest on the loan of 100000, at
per cent. $4,000.
Cost of prisoners at 10 cents a day,
81, ,665
Cost Of one superintendent and seven
wardens, $1,000.
Cost incidental (excessive), 5000. 70.
Total expense, S2S,064.79.
Deduct this amount from the $685.
064.79, it leaves a yearly surplus of
| $4,000, which, placed in a sinking fund
to the credit of the institution at 4 per
cent, in fifteen years will amount Ia
the sum of S2l7,319. Thus saving
enough to pay for the entire plant, and
leave a balance of S17,319.
The 5000 600 debt may then be liqui
dated, and a work-house and plan
worth at least calculation $780, 900 pre-
sented to the state clear Of cost in gooG
working order. actually saved out O
the amount paid under the present sys
TEN and wasted as political sewage.
With such a system, we would alsC
have reached a method of keeping pris-
oners for the future at daily cost oi
not exceeding 10 cents a day, instead O
the 40 clio cents, as al present.
Is IL not amazing, therefore, tha
there should be a moments hesitation
when such results are within reach
That, too, under the name of economy
The present system defes every ele
ment of economy.
If, in fifteen years, the wOrk-hous'
plan will furnish clear of expense
complete plant in good working orde
worth $1500O0; and from thencefortl
reduce the cost of keeping prisoner
from 80 CLIO cents q day to 10 cents
why should we hesitate?
1t is urged by some thoughtful mel
that these are rOse-cOlOred calculation
and speculating.
We answer that they are the result
of experience fairly tested and ascer
! tained in our sister states, and reduces
to an absolute certainty. Wherever tb
method has been applied, whether d
large or small states, to many or fey
prisoners, the results have been rela
/, lively the same.
We have carefully ascertained som
=, such results. In our neighbOrin
- county Of Chester. Pennsylvania, tn
net cost for the keep of the forty pris
4 oners per day has been ascertained
be cents; Eastern Penitentiary, Phila
delphia, 500, daily, 5 cents; Vernon
. 125 prisoners, daily, Is cents; Rhode Is
land, 692 prisoners. daily. Z Ito cents
Maryland Penitentiary last year pai
into the state treasury a revenue {
$4,000 over all expenses. So that Will
| under our system, we are paying tC
the maintenance of 21O prisoners eac
the daily sum of 40 6-10 cents, Chest'
I county, for her forty prisoners, is onl
paying in excess of earnings. dali
sum of z cents. Vermont, for her 4.
q prisoners. is only paying the daily SUI
of 13 cents; Rhode Island, for her g!
Il prisoners, is only paying a daily SUI
y of z lilo cents, and Pennsylvania, Il
Il her 900 prisoners in the Eastern Pen
I, tentiary, a daily sum of 8 cents; an
y the Maryland Penitentiary is sour
!, of revenue to the state. l have exam
j. ined the statistics of other states. an
d. find the same results wherever q
> system is pursued and is taken an
kept out of politics.
Surely under this test Of actual e.
. perience economy is altogether on u
side of the wOrk-house. l beg leave
y challenge a successful contradiction
l. these facts and results.
IS If il is the desire of the Legislatu
E. to start on the line of economy. and
x tighten the burdens of taxation no
le and for the future as well, no mo
Ia practical or humane field is open ths
u this And now Is the time.
r But there is a higher plane than tn
I'd Of mere economy. 1t is the broad groui
of humanity that makes It the duty
the Legislature of this state to effe
+ this reform, and that without delay .
present system savors Of the age whi
al witches were burned, Quakers tongu
L. 4