Arizona republican., 1904-04-17
PHOENIX. ARIZONA, APRIL II, 1904
The Peculiar Situation at Benson.

The people of Cochise county are
complaining because their probate
Judge. Mr.. O'Brien, is absent from his
office at Tombstone, the county seat.
at least half the time. The people of
the territory have a right to complain
if this same Mr.. O'Brien, superin-
tendent of the territorial prison at
Benson Officially known as the terri
toriaI industrial SCHOOL,, is absent from
his duties at Benson any part of the
time. The towns of Tombstone and
Benson are 30 miles apart, as the rail-
road runs. 1t is obvious that Probate
Judge O'Brien and Superintendent
O'Brien cannot be at his two places of
duty in the two towns at the same
time. Indeed, the dictum has never
been successfully cOntroverted that
you cannot be in two places to wunst
unless you are a bird" Mr.. O'Brien
is a most excellent citizen, we under
stand, but he is not bird, and he cam
not fly. If he puts in a day in the
Office of the probate judge at Tomb
stone he cannot put in the same day
looking after the duties of his very re-
sponsible position at Benson.
Pointing out the inconvenience to
which the people of Cochise county are
subjected, the Bisbee Review recites
the case of a distressed wife and rela-
tives who took an insane man to Tomb
stone to have him committed to the in
sane asylum by the probate judge. The
probate judge was out of town, and
could not give the case his attention
for two or three days. AS the Review
says,
Judge O'Brien should make up his
mind which of the offices he desires to
retain. He should resign the other"
The county of Cochise pays it's pro-
bate judge $500 per annum, we UNI
derstand. The territory of Arizona
pays its superintendent of the Benson
prison $4,000 per annum, it appears.
The grievance of the people of Cochise
county in the matter of finding their
probate judge absent from the county
seat half the time is mainly a concern
of the people of that county, of course.
But the absence of the superintendent.
for even a fraction of the time from
the Benson institution intimately con-
Germs the entire territory.
The superintendent of the territorial
prison at Yuma, William Griffith, lives
at Tucson. Were Superintendent Crit
fifth to be absent from his post of duty
part of the time there would be an
imperative demand from the public for
his immediate resignation or removal
The case of Superintendent O'Brien
is on all-fours with the case of Super
intenGent Griffith. The penal insti-
tuition over which Superintendent
O'Brien has authority is not less i'm
portant than the penal institution at
Yuma. Nay, it is more important. At
Yuma the prisoners as a rule are hard
ened criminals. At least, they are ma
ture criminals. At Benson the pris-
oners are not hardened criminals. They
are juvenile offenders. They are
separated from the prisoners at Yuma
In the highest interest of reform. 1t
is the contemplation of the law and
the hope of society that they may be
reformed.
But it is manifest that if they are to
have the watchful care that the law
intends and the reforming influences
that afflicted parents hope for they
must have the constant supervision of
competent authority. At Yuma the
chief requirement is that the prisoners
shall be safely guarded. At Benson
the chief requirement is firm, Christian
guidance and alert, intelligent super
vision of the unfortunate young Offend
ers day and night. Society must rec
oncile itself to the fact that most Of
the criminals confined at Yuma will al
ways be what they are now-criminals
and outcasts. But society does not
propose that the inmates of the Ben
son institution shall be abandoned to
depravity.
Can such abandonment be prevented
If the responsible head of the institu-
ton is away from Benson much CT the
time? What reforming influences may
be expected from the average guard?
Hence it is of small Importance to the
territory that superintendent O'Brien
may not earn the salary paid him 1t
is of infinitely more Importance that he
shall perform the duties which he has
undertaken. Nor is this insistent at
titude of the public one of philanthropy
alone, although no motive could be
higher than the reformation of young
criminal. Governor Brodie says in
his annual report for 1903,
1T was the intention of the legisla-
ture that every possible opportunity