The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-10-28
Prison Reform.

Mrs. N. B. Smithers, State Superinten-
dent of Jail, Almshous, and Flower Mis-.
SION has made a very interesting report
to the W. &. II. U. State Convention. AT
ter saying that prison reform Is not popu-
lar in Delaware, she remarked, ''all we
ask the State OF Delaware to do is to stand
In line with our sister States in this work"
Our common jails, she said, are pest
houses, where both sexes are huddled to-
gether Unfortunately, idle neglected
and despised, and as a consequence they
become more degraded instead OF better.
Enforced idleness Is the bane of our race,
and therefore Il workhouse should be erect.
cd and employment given to those unfor.
tunates If other States can employ their
criminals so rs to make them self.support.
lug, and even bring a revenue to the State,
surely such system as theirs would not
be burden upon lis. ALI we ask the Gen.
eral Assembly to do, is to eliminate the
vicious system that lnakos bad men worse
and institute system that makes them
better. by 50 doing the amount of crime
Is constantly being reduced, aud q great
saving TO the State thereby effected
her report Is strong argument in favor
OF changing our present system Of treat
Ing criminals and adopting system which
will not only benefit the prisoners but at
the same time make them self supporting.
49, luOtos lOllDWlUR
paragraphs from al address Of Chief JUS
tice Lore, made over year ago, which are
calculated to mako tho AK payers take
some steps to change a system which is SO
expensive rs we'll as demornliZing:
The wssl eful extravaganza of our jail
system compared with the workhuuse
system of our sister States is simply ap-
pnlling. Let US examine and compare
them. On Friday, the 23i day of the pres.
ent mon b, there were confined in the jaili
OF the three counties OF this State 2a7
prisoners; Of this number 1855 were con-
victs sentenced to imprisonment for
longer or sh ortsr torn. The average mum.
Der OF prisoners is about 80. These piis-
oners do not contribute one cent to their
own support, but are an absolute charge
on tho taxpayers of the several counties,
living as they do in enforced idleness
In 1876 our prison system by actual re-
turns of the several clerks Of the peace,
for an average of 2l0 prisoners, aggregate ed
S3s Oh s3;ench Prisoner yearly cost $lS3.65'
each prisoner daily cost 80 $40 cents.
Is there any reason why the people of
Delaware should be taxed to keep in idle
ness all our prisoners, at II daily cost of
6O 3-lU cents each, when by putting them
to work, as shown from other states, he is
kept for So cents daily in excess OF earn
lngs; or that we should pay yearly in the
aggregate stS5lT.S! to Keep 2lO idle con-
victs; when he above named states show
that that number can be kept under the
wOrkhuuse system ut u yearly aggrega
cost OF $J,63i 10: shall We then continue
system that absolutely wastes the differ.
ence between the sum of s3s, ll7.s3 and
S3,61i 40, viz; 81, SOB 50 cvery ycasy II tho
latter sum can be saved, it is he impera-
tive duty Of the Legislature to do SO. This
saving can bU made.
Let II, look at one of the leaks Of tho
present system. III 1896 New Ca,te cnun.
ty paid to he sheriff for food for the prs
onsrs alone the sum Of $l2G5l.2> Now
listen: tho actual cost to the sheriff was
4,2l7W. The county therefore paid him
IS, l3 10 in excess OF cost. This single leak
would pay the entire 5000 900 cost Of work
house IN 20 years in u sinking fund Such
lehks and waste are found along every line
OF the present system; 1t S simply reek-
ing with old time political favor and cor
rup ion.
The secret OF tho success of the work.
house sys em Is that it Is not Il political
machine, but Il business enterprise, con.
Quoted on strict business principles every
prisoner is made TO work and earn his own
food clothing and expense. 1t Is the diff
ference between go idle drones on the one
hand and 2lO working bread winners Oh
the other