The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-22
A PENAL COLONY.

1
who has made some study of criminolosy,
delivered an address before the Brooklyn
| Philosophical Association the other day, in
which he advocated the theory that the
| United States should establish a penal
colony in the Philippine Islands. He would
| go beyond sending the criminal classes
to the colony, however. he would deport
| also those classes which find themselves
unable to make a living in this country
| under present economic conditions He
| asserted that our penitentiares are nur-
| series of crime and universities Of de-
pravity. 1t seems to be the professors
idea to get all of the criminals and tramps
and professional vagranls out of the ooun-
try and send them to the other side of
the world where they might either i'm
prove their morals and condition or an
noy none but themselves by their wick
| edness, lazinees and imcompe tence. The
idea of the United States relieved of its
bad and unproductive elements, together
with the expense of caring for criminals
| and tramps, Is truly Utopian, but there
are number of obstacles in the way of
carrying Prof. Denslow's scheme into eff
feet.
Experience hae shown that the penal
colony system neither reforms those de-
ported nor deters crime in the country
| practising that policy. England learned
this years ago, from her Australian GRIM
| inal colony, and from others She has row
abandoned the policy and cares for her
criminals in home prisons. The greatest
penal colony now sktant is that of Rus
STA in Siberia, though even that is not in
the same class with the one proposed by
Prof Denslow. Siberia is a great Rus
sian possession and the convicts are
under the supervision of what may be
| called for convenience a penitentiary sys-
tenn. while Prof. Denslows suggestion is
that colony of criminals be established
on an island thousands of miles across
| the sea, on the other side of the world.
! Russia, however, is gradually reducing
| the scope of her Siberian prison scheme.
| Spain is the only European Power which
| continues to maintain penal islands On
any extensive scale; and we have come
to look upon Spain's administrative meth
DDS as among the worst in the world. We
would be slow TO take pattern after Spain.
| Still even Spain is gradually giving Up
the island plan. France once maintained
extensive island penal establishments, but
| she has gradually dropped the system I'M
| til it Is now almost extinct.
And how would Prof. Denslow get his
| tramps and other poor, from misfortune
| possibly, out of the country? Would he
persuade them to give up their residence
in the United States voluntarily end go
to live among criminals on the other side
| of the world? Or would he have laws
enacted making poverty a crime. pun
ishable by deportation for life? Unless
one of these two plans could be adopted,
it it not clearly apparent how those
classes which find themselves unable to
make a living under the present econo-
mic conditions" could be gotten rid Of
Another consideration is, have the T'hil-
ippine natives no rights which we are
bound to respect? 1t will be admitted
that they have made gallant struggle
for their independence against the Span
ish oppressor. Gen. Merritt says that
many of them are refined, educated per-
sons, equal in sentiment and breeding to
| Europeans. These, in proportion to total
of population, are few; but they form
a nucleus upon which a high class of
| civilization may be built. Should the Fill
| pinos, educated and illiterate, be weighted
down with and ruined by a Hood of
criminals from the United States? Is that
the way to take liberty around the world?
-e-S-e-
Gov. Russell, the fusion executive of
North Carolina, is being boycotted. AT
Raleigh the customers of his large dairy
have withdrawn their patronage, and la
dies refuse to associate with him and his
family in social affairs. The declaration
is publicly made there that "self-respect
demands that we have nothing 10 do with
him or his; duty to our children requires
that they shall not be nourished on Rus
sell milk lest they become tainted with
the political virus which has made him
an outcast in society, and a contagion to
good public morals" So determined are
the best elements of the population of the
state TO redeem 1t from negro domination
that at Wilmington and other large indus
trial centers white labor is displacing the
negroes, this expedient having been adopt
ed with the hope of overthrowing the
fusionists and restoring respectable and
intelligent management of local and state
affairs. Georgia can see In North Caro-
lima what adherence to the Democratic
party has saved her from.
The decline in Populsm is shown by the
decrease in the number of candidates put
in the field by that party in the present
congressional contest. One thousand can
an h.
S57 seats in the House of Representatives,
and of these but 81 are classed as Pop
ulists Two years ago there were 126 avow-
ed Popunst candidates for Congress. The
falling off is especially noticeable in the
South, there being but % candidates for
Congress this fall, against 81 in 1896. The
third party is but a fragment of its for
NJ. East .nf hn.