The age-herald., 1900-06-10
CITY STOCKADE IS THE RESULT
 OF WORK OF BIRMINGHAM WOMEN
Movement Led by Mrs. Adams, Director of Reform Dopartmen
 of WOmans Cub, Met With Strong CO-OperafOn

men criminals The police jail he said, was apparently never intended or designed as anything more than place of tempora- ry detention, but it had for years been steadily oyercrowded to point where the laws of decency and health are violated to an extent not only unknown, but hardly realizable to good women. MT, VanHoose's $ plan was to enlarge the city jail, pending the time when better and permanent build ings could be, erected, and the establish ment of work farm, where men convict ed of minor offenses could work out their fines and be spared the degradation of working on the public streets, and where women could do light farm work and keep repaired and laundered the clothing or the prisoners. The opening of the Boys h. dustrial school, he said, will solve the problem of handling youthful offenders, but what to do with the men and women remained a problem. To compel man guilty of slight offense to sacrifice his manhood and lfrespect-disgrace hls wife and chldren-simply because he IS too poor to pay his fine, and in consequence Is put to work on the public streets In slsht of his family and his neighbors, was an ln- justice In speaking of this law, MT. Van Hoose declared that as long as it remained in operation Birmingham would face mor- ally and financially a state of affairs most unique in municipal affairs, ana III ela- phasizing the inadequate accommodatlohs
 
 ment:
 All classes, ages and conditions of of- lenders are daily drawn in by the net which an ever vigilant police force Keeps constantly spread for our protection.
 To separate classify, punish and save, humanely and effectively under the present laws and conditions. and with the present facilities, is simply an absolute imposslolh- ty.
 Often the most desperate and hardened criminal is caught and sentenced for a long term, twelve months, and more. The same bill which created the inferior court plo- vided and intended that such crlmnais should be hired out for profit to the coal mines. It seems at the best fearful nor rible way for a city to raise revenue, out of the fault or crime, shame, sorrow, nesn and sinew of human creatures. And there is little wonder that the aldermen long shrank from the almost direct orders of the lawmakers, and refused to thus hire out these conVicts.
 The result is an oyer-crowded jail, large gangs of men, women and boys, herded like cattle into a temporary house or de- tention, whose accommodations are not sufficient for one-third of the number nightly herded there sleeping in the same wet and soiled clothing in which they clean ed or worked the streets, or dug sewers, during the day.
 With the prison conditions thus described by prominent men who appealed to the philanthropic women present that after noon to continue in their earnest Work or bringing about the changes so greatly needed assuring them their co-operatio the only obstacle at the time that lay in the way of accomplishing a stockade was the difficulty that might arise in securing an appropriation Birmingham women felt assured, however, from the full accord with which the movement met that the