Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-05-12
LETTERS FROM BEE READERS
Judge Crawford Differs With and Agrees
With Mayor on Jail
CONDITIONS ARE BAD AT TOWN LOOKUP
Need of n WOrIShOuse on Modern Lines
IL Set Out by the Magistrate
in Commenting on
Conditions.
Mayor jam and the JafIs.

OMAHA, May Ito the Editor OF The
Bee: The news that our amusing mayor
is about to investigate the city jail is in
deed refreshing. II he were even fairly
well Informed the investigation at this
time would be unnecessary. Everyone and
every organization which takes an interest
in our criminal classes and their better
ment has long recognized that our jails,
both city and county, are inadequate, both
in size and appointment, and utterly un-
fitted for any work of reformation or cor
rection.
The newspapers have featured" our jaIls
the WOmans club has protested long and
loud and to good purpose; the humane So
ciety, the city missions, in fact every hui
manitarian impulse in the city has d.
rected effort against conditions In our jails
which all admit are as bad as cramped
and unsanitary jails On be. When the
mayor and his party arrive that much in
vestigated institution will groan like Caesar
Of old: EFT tn Brute!"
But II the investigation planned by the
mayor will add new recruits to the move
ment to provide Omaha with an up-to-date
workhouse a substantial good will be &C
complished. Aid to a good cause is still
aid even IL it comes from bad humor, be-
cause the mayors practice OF granting par
dons without investigation or information
has been criticized by the public press.
1t is true, although It may not have
come to the mayors attention, that The
Bee, the woman's club, the. humane So
ciety and, indeed, my humble self, have
long been urging the erection and equip
ment Of a modern workhouse. work
house modelled upon the Cleveland plan OF
after the Kansas City institution. A place
having proper sanitation. large grounds,
a variety of employment, removed, from
the atmosphere of crime and debaucheTy
in which depravity and moral defect flour
ish A workhouse costing indeed a sub
stantial sum In the first instance, but prac-
ticauy self-supporting thereafter. place
to which both county and city prisoners
can be committed and to which with slight
alteration Of the statutes the prisoners OF
surrounding counties and towns might be
committed on terms which would Yield
revenue to the institution. A place where
fallen men and women shall be commit
ted, not for 1--WE days, sufheient to meet
the ends of justice" but for periods sum
ciently long that In a measure at least hab-
it's OF sobriety andNindustry shall displace
habitual crime. Displace habits, tenden-
cies, defects with which the unfortunate
has no power to cope; but which are a
constant menace and burden upon the COM
munity.
II was only because the city's legal unit
OF bond issue for 1906 had been reached that
a propOsal 10 vote bonds for workhouse
was not submitted last year. An ordinance
which 1 prepared for the purpose last year
is waiting TO be introduced In the council.
VIII the mayor favor Its passaseF WIN
he lend his influence TO a vote to authoHzs
the Issuance OF such bonds? That will be
welcome assistance. Very many citizens
have talked to me on the subject ] am
sure the time is ripe for this much needed
advance In the municipal CROWN OF OUT
fair city.
notice that the mayor does not agree
with the police judge about fines and SEN
tencea Perhaps we view these matters
from different standpoints. Certainly l am
doing my best in a position made particu-
larly dlfhoult by Jail conditions
BRYCE CRAWFORD,
Police Magistrate.