Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-09-05
NEWPORT NEWS, VA. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER s 1905

w W.
fitted for any trade ar occupation cx
ccpt tho most unsliillcd Labor Profess.
or baldwin suggested that the govern.
m"ht should buy M vast tracts Of
ponr, idle, or Wild land ana send its
cnnvictS there to work with shovel
and pickaNc, draining ana irricatins.
Though great expense would he on.
tailed in huying such land, he main.
tnined that the State would he able
to sell ii at an ultimate profit.
Citing tho example Of North Caro-.
lima, whore % per cent of the con
dcmncd are by natural occupation I'll.
raj lnhorcrS, and whcrc This plan is IN
successful financial operation, the prn
lessor concluded nevertheless that tho
new scheme IS somewhat more cyprn-
sivc than tho ordinary ono of uuttins
the convicts ut road labor and other
public employment where he is con.
stantly before the public eye.
Might Wear Masks.
Where tho latter Kind of work is
found unavoidable Professor baldwin
suggested that the better class Of
criminals he allowed tn wear IL mask.
This privilege he would make dcpcnd
Cit on the Recommendation of Il chan
lain or other competent authority anal
also on the prisoners continued good
behavior.
AS a remedy for Keeping prisoners
"ho still have left some sense of
Shhmc, away from contact with thcir
mare cvil-mindcd companions Il was
proposed that the number of guards
be Increased SO as to enforce Il law uf
no talking, and that the most degrade
clements might even he denied on.
dGGr work and kept in their cells for
he good of the other convicts.
hat open air work. where the erin.
nal lIhorcr is often almost alone with
ms guards. affords the mnXimum Oh.
poitun!ty for cruel treatment PROBES;
aor Baldwin regarded as indisputahln
lie proposed only two remedies. first
| that linz, guards be selected so far MS
rosSiblc. and second that only the
State be allowed to put convicts at
Outdoor work. Convict employment
outdoors i'll connection with privn,e
enterprises he regarded rs tending TO
endless cruel practices.
Prevention of Escapes.
| In
oapcs facilitated by open air work,
criminals were divided into two class
cs. the long term and life convicts,
mcr, who had lost their right to citi.
Zehsliip in one class. and short term
prisoners who still might become
good men, in the other. For The first
class Professor Baldwin advocated
th2 ball and chain. AMI road wori
Y'ry near the prison cells whore The
oonvicts could return each night But
for the other class. whom he assert
cd had less temptation 10 escape, lie
| declared that the ball and chain were
harmful both mentally and physically
and that prison suit and n place of
work far removed from railway or wat.
or transportation should be sufficient
safeguards against escape.
Replying to the implication that out.
door convict labor makes unjust com
petition with free labor Professor
baldwin stated that indoor work, the
only alternative of outdoor labor. was
open to precisely the same objection.
| Loss Harmful Competition.
| Then he maintained that the open
mir occupations competed less against
free labor than indoor work. first he.
cause indoor products, being those Of
handcraft, had local market, that is
n limited market, where their dis
poSal was Il hardship to free labor
whereas the outdoor rural labor had
the world as its market Moreover hc
asserted that nearly all products Ji
the outdoor work OF convicts, living
i'll the colonies proposed, would never
he thrown on the market but be con
sumed by the criminals themselves.