Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-12-29
SANDERS A R[FDRA[R
Fort Madison. Prison Warden
Makes additional Interest
ing Suggestions
SCORES SHERIFF FEE SYSTEM
County Jails Also Come in for Adverse
Criticism BY Warden, Who Suggests
Commission TO Make Regular lnspec-
tons - stats Agent to Oversee Re-
leased conyiets.
Special to Times-Republican.

, .
Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Dec. 29.-Warden j. G..
/ Sanders, of the Fort Madison state
| lenitentiary. who created quite a SEN
| sation in his paper here recently be-
Efore the state board of control by rec
+, ommending radical reformatory
| changes in prison methods, has some
interesting suggestions in his biennial
report to the board with reference to
other matters.
In this he brands the present sys-
TEN OF paying county sheriffs fees for
feeding prisoners as AN especially
vicious one,p and concludes that it lis
Il constant temptation to underfeed,
lnistreat and neglect prisoners, and to
welcome and possibly facilitate their
arrival and detention by the prospect
of additional revenue" He urged the
board to ask the legislature to abol-
ish the fee system for feeding prison.
..rs.
That there should be commission
appointed by the general assembly to
'tisit county .jails thruout the state and
report on some method for betterment
lis the wardenss, contAntion. He brands
The present county, Jail Jas generally a
'disease breeding institution" He says
that prisoners who have been confined
In these county jails for any length
Of time cause all kinds of trouble to
the state penitentiary by the diseases
they bring with them. One, suggestion
the warden makes for betterment of
conditions is for several adjoining
counties to unite and erect Jail on
their borders that is sanitary and spa
cious Then let 1t be maintained at
an equal expense to all the counties.
This system is employed to consid-
cradle extent in Canada.
Another new law suggested by the
warden Isl the establishment Of the Of
flee Of a state agent .swho shall over
see released pris oners until they get
onatheir feet Mr. Sanders says that
during long years Of confinement the
men have learned to rely on someone
else to prepare their meals and lodging
for them. They become totally I'M
equipped tozplan ahead for these
things, he says, and claims it is Moth
ing short of cruelty to turn them free
practically penniless to battle for
themselves. A state agent to watch
them and help them get a start he
says, would be for the protection Of So
ciety.
On the theory that "Idleness is the
devils workshop" Warden Sanders
asks the board to urge the legislature
to buy 100 acres of land as a peni-
tentiary farm. He says the men would
be better off morally and physically If
put to work on a farm and could pro-
duce much of the vegetables necessary
for sustenance of the prisoners. Work
in the outdoors on a. farm, the warden
believes, would do much to overcome
the physical debility of most prisoners
caused by long confinement in unsan-
itary county jails. or previous lives Of
dissipation.
Warden Sanders suggests to the
board that every man who enters the
penitentiary should be first graded
as first class prisoner and then per-
nitted to sink or swim" This he be-
lieves would do much toward disci-
pine.
Among new things established at the
prison the warden explains is orchestra
music during meal hours and a big
bulletin board in the dining room upon
which, is daily chronicled the principal
events happening, in the world.
Warden Barr, of the Anamosa peni-
tertiary in his biennial report, ex-
plains that. the reformatory law has
been in operation too short a time to
know what actual results will be, but
explains that Indications are it will be
one Of great benefit to the prisoners
and to the state.
4 The penitettiary wardens recon-
mend asking the legislature to appro
pirate annually $1,000 for sustenance
for the wardens and $500 for house
rent These are the only two heads Of
state institutions not now SO provided
for.
At the meeting OF the iowa State
Teachers association today, E. A. Lard,
of Onawa, president of the association,
presented an invitation from the Alas
ka- Ynkon-Pacific exposition to the
members to visit Seattle next summer
during the exposition period. The IN
vitation points out that the vacation
time of 1909 comes wholly within the
dates Of the exposition, which opens
June ] and closes October 16 The
Iowa State society, an organization
composed of former residents of Iowa.
is making extensive plans for the en-
tertainment of visitors from the home !
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