The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-12-21
FOUNDERS.

wasteful method of dealing with drunk
ards, so ably begun by Judge e, NJ.
Warner, of Putnam, is going on with
vigor Rev H. H. Kelsey, of Hartford,
| read before the Hartford Central as
ISOLATION of Congregational pastors
meeting, a paper of marked excellence,
| giving fresh and startling facts and
wise suggestions. 1t was printed In full
in the Hartford Times and has been re-
printed as supplement to the Con-
necticut Citizen which is laboring for
the needed reform. Copies of distribu-
ton will be sent free by j. H. James,
Rockville 1t should/have a wide read
ing. The concluding portion of Mr..
Kelsey's address says:
| The report of the advisory committee
| on penal aspects of drunkenness, APP
| pointed some time ago by Mayor Quincy
| of Boston, was recently transmitted to
| the city government by special message
to the mayor. In it occurs the passage
regarding the system of fines and short
sentences in its relation to the "round-
err"
LET no one misunderstood this pitt
full wretch. The 'rounder is physically
and morally debauched, is the product
of the existing system. He represents
the closing act In a moral tragedy, in
which society plays the villain in the
guise Of justice and law, and the poor
man is the victim, with the mpris0n-
ment Of hitherto respectable offender
for the first official act in the tragedy;
the corrupt and compromising associa-
lions of the prison for the second hct
tainted reputation and decreased earn
Ing capacity for the third; discourage
ment and relapse for the fourth: and
so on to the end of this miserable bust
ness-1rst moral and then physical
death"
There is nothing punitive in the pres
ent law
The arrest of drunken man Is
blessing, not punishment. He feels
no disgrace, neither is a ride to the po-
lice station with a driver and two liv-
cried footmen. painful experience for
him. The Police Court and the Jail sem
tence are not punitive; many. of them
beg for it when sober, and get drunk
or steal something, or get into a row
on purpose to be sent to Jail If there
were whipping post or stocks after
they We're sobered UP, or an indefinite
to- hard labor, the case would
be different.
There is absolutely nothing reforma
in our present law: on the contrary the |
exact opposite is there. The treatment |
compelled by the present law does
nothing but injury to the man. When |
a man is arrested he has entered a to-
boggan slide, the incline of which the1
State gradually Increases and makes
the final descent quick and easy.
The present law does nothing for So
ciety except to keep the drunken man |
out of sight part of the time.
The present law does nothing for the
state except to burden the people with
expense. 1t costs the people of Con-
necticut a quarter Of a million dollars
yearly to arrest its drunkards.
1t is hooking comment on the econ
omy of the economical administra Jon OF
our State that 1t pays annually as much
TO perpetuate and produce drunkards
and criminale as 1t would cost to estab-
ish a Reformatory and inaugurate a.
system by which, as has been proven
by experience elsewhere we should be
able to rescue. save, eliminate a large
ger cent of these very men from the
'anks Of criminals and paupers whom
he State now supports, and transform
hem into prospecting. useful citi-
.enS.
Our present laws also provide for and
preserve, a considerable means of poltti-
al sorruption. The machinery Of pub
ic officials, whose chief occupation is
he care of the drunkard, is valuable
dement, OF strength TO the party in pow
II. The drunkard makes 1t chiefly
necessary to support this large standing
Irmy of officials in the State, and in
ome cases their incomes would be very
mall were it not for him.
Not one good thing can be said in
'ehalf Of our present system of treating
he drunkard 1t is inhumane, unjust,
bad ethically, socially and
Policemen, judges, jaiors-
verybody familiar with it, except poe-
IDLY few politicians, condemn the
Whole system as bad through and
Trough.
This ought to he done. and il can
nd will be done, if Il sufficient numb 7
f people become interested in the sub
act, so as to create an intelligent pub