The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-06-24

l
 dollars worse than wasted; and l doub
 not the amount is nearer half a million I What can be attempted with any hope l of success? A friend of mine, a gooc ] criminal lawyer, when asked how ht | would reform criminals, stutteringly re- piled: Reform 'em? Td-d chlo-reforn 'em;" Of course we cannot do that, al
 though 1t would be an easy way out ol l the difficulty if we could. The action o1
 the legislature of 1895, in beginning re- l formatory on the most improved ElmiTa | principles, successfully advocated by the | distinguished citizen of New Haven, the | Hon. Henry G. Newton, was the most 1 commendable thing any legislature had i done for fifty years. Not since human | slavery was abolished has anything like the beneficence of the act of '95 been at tempted. It opened the door of hope to all degraded and oppressed and forsaken
 of our state. It lifted the burden of
 their support from the taxpayers and placed it upon their own shoulders, where it belongs. If any one of you, knowing all the facts, feel competent to
 express properly your feelings of cha
 grin, modification and almost utter de- Spair at the action of the next legisla-
 ture, '97 in ruthlessly repeating the act of '95, I gladly leave the task to you,
 BENEFITS OF A REFORMATORY.
 A we'll managed refornatory may give the inmates better education and train ing than outsiders get in our common schools What of that? So much the worse for our schools; make them bet ter! But in any event, bear in mind that the sick and lame in any family need and receive the best care. All hos pitals, to which many poor people are admitted free, in the nature of the case, have to be better than the homes of the poor; but is that any reason why hos pitals should be abolished, or that the poor should not be admitted thereto?
 In considering this subject, l doubted if you would think the church or clergy have any practical duty to our jails and criminals therein confined but 1 have made some inquiries in relation to the visiting of the prisoners in our county jails by the clergymen of this denomina- tion. The replies which I have received may not be quite accurate; l hope they are not such as they are I give them to you in the kindliest spirit.
 In Hartford county, twenty-three out of thirty-two Congregational clergymen in the city of Hartford have visited and preached in the jail. Three out of thir- ty-six Congregational clergymen outside of the city of Hartford have visited and preached in the jail There is a regular and efficient chaplain, whose kindly eff forts at the reformation and assistance
 
 ly to be expected.
 In New Haven there are thirty-seven clergymen of our denomination, and of that number only one has visited the jail so far as I can learn; l hope my in- formation is wrong. The r. M c. A. and other voluntary organizations hold services, and so far as they are able, interest themselves in the welfare | of the prisoners with gratifying results. | There is no Sunday school or day school | in any of our jails. PASSED BY ON THE OTHER SIDE. |
 There are thirty-one clergy in outside the New Haven jail on their calling list. |
 In MiddleseX county there are thirteem Congregational clergymen, only one has | visited the jail. and he holds service | there once in two weeks. They have no studies. In Windham county, out of | twenty-five, nine have visited the jail There is regular preaching The w. c. T. U. holds meetings, and some kind soul loans the county jail a baby organ, which the county, up to the present time, is too poor to purchase. In Tol- and county there are thirteen clergy nen, only one visitel the jail and he breaches there about six times year
 In Litchfield county there are four cen, none of whom have visited or preached in the jail. They have a wo- nan for chaplain.
 In Fairfield county out of twenty tight, four have preached in the jail. The Bridgeport T. M. c. A. holds service egularly, and a lady visitor has come very Thursday afternoon for fifteen ears doing a blessed good work It would seem as if, so far as visiting those vho are in jail is concerned, most of the lergy of this denomination had passed " on the other side;" that is, on the utsde.
 Of course I may be wrong in suggest ng this duty, and I certainly would not ncourage a professional call in an in- estigating manner. Go, if you go a all S a Christian citizen, anxious in a friendly way to do your duty by the tate and criminals.
 What can be done in any way to help 1atters? In the first place, we must ot be dsmayed by failures, by past at ampts at reform, we must agitate, agi- ate, agitate, learn wisdom from the mistakes of the past The people of this -, tate will not submit to be plundered i. orever. Politicians may fool some of ' he people some of the time, but they . annot fool all of the people all of the me. I believe the honest people of this tate, descendants of the noblest ances- " in the world, mean to do their full uty no matter what it costs, and they ill not for still another hundred years eep up the pestiferous breeding of paul :, CTS and criminals; they will not forev l- z in each county keep free hotel for onthly loafers and tramps. ,,
 ENORMOUS DRINK BILL. If I were to suggest specific remedies IT this enoOrmous drink bill, I would ' " first, give police courts power to in- y ct an intermediate sentence, or at any Lte to confine for drunkenness for six z onths as a minimum term, with very !, W diet and hard work for tramps and :, 'ounders;" support judges in imposing lat sentence. Any less term is only a ' lief respite between sprees. Insist T,