The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-11-06
For A -REFORMATORY.

~T1Tn0 ddNOOG5U11A LIZ OOOCA
of a reformatory for youthful Grim
inals-one of the original planks in
The Progressive Farmers platform
the rapid growth of sentiment in
it's favor is very encouraging. The
pulpit of the State is deeply inter
ested, the newspapers are working
zealously, and the judges and lawyers
know from daily experience that a
reformatory is badly needed. AS a
straw showing which way the wind
blows, the following from Judge
Stevens recent charge to a Mecklen-
burg grand jury is interesting:
1.-The State has not performed the
duty it owes to this class. The only
places of punishment provided T
the common jails, the State prison
and the chain-gang, where the boys
of tender years and the hardened
criminals constantly associate to-
gether. The profanity of the old
culprit is poured into the ears of the
youths, and the result is the State is
educating those boys in crime. One
of the most perplexing questions pre-
sented to a judge is how to punish
the youthful criminals. WHAT the
remedy? The establishment of a
reform school for the juvenile Grim
inals of the State-an institution
where boys from ten to eighteen
years will be taught useful trades;
an institution where one who is inn
prisoned shall not have attached to
him the stigma which follows inn
prisonment in jail OF penitentiary."
Judge Stevens then read the fol
lowing thoughtful letter from Capt.
Thomas w. Patton, of Asheville,
worthy, we think, Of publication in
full:
AsHEvILLE, N. c., Oct. 10, 1900.
Hon. II. 3. SteUenS:
MY DEAR SIR Il am much salts
fed, though not at all surprised, to
hear from you that you feel so thor
oughly the need of a State reforma-
tory, to which can be sent such
offenders as from their youth, give
the best promise of reform, and for
whose reformation there is absolute
ly no chance in the penitentiary, the
county chain gang, or in Jail, where
they, like a sponge, absorb all that's
EVIL from the hardened associates
with whom they T placed in close
contact.
The greatest difficulty that has
been encountered in past years in
procuring the needed legislation for
establishing a reformatory in North
Carolina has been our want of means.
Compared with the more prosperous
States of the North, ours is certainly
in great poverty, and yet this fact
instead Of influencing our legislators
against a reformatOry, presents the
strongest argument in its favor. We
are SO poor that we cannot afford not
to have one. We cannot afford to
continue the present terribly expen-
sive methods of dealing with young
criminals. One boy or girl, reformed,
will add more, by many fold, to our
States wealth than the cost of refOr-
nation, while the same boy or girl,
grown into q hardened criminal, will
certainly cost the State, by a thou
sand fold, more than the expense or
effort and reformation.
Of course the question then comes
in, ''Is there a reasonable chance of
reforming any fair percentage of the
young children who are now a nui-
sance in our cOurts?" OF this | have
no doubt whatever, but have not by
me the data from other States to
prove my conviction. 1 have, how
ever, written to a friend who [ trust
will provide the proofs.
would like to ask your cOnsidera-
ton of the subject of 1.-The indeter-
inmate sentence" which is attract
ing much thought of those best cal
culated to consider such matters. It
seems to me to be especially calcu-
lated to aid in producing good re-
suits in a reformatory for the young.
AS I understand the system the court
imposes the maximum sentence in
each case. The Governor never in
terferes with pardon, but the au-
thOrities in charge of the reforma-
tories are authorized to shorten the
sentence on account of the good be-
havior and prospect of reform mani
tested by the prisoner. By this