Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-01-14
!" FOUNDERS" l"
MT Wells Explains How 10 Make
 Them Self Supporting.

Before the Mems League Of the Second Congregational church in the church parlors last night, Thomas Dudley Wells of the Hartford Times formerly editor of the Waterbury Re- publican, talked on Founders in the course of which he outlined now to capture nomads, tame them, and Tn due time convince them of the error of tkeir way in the meantime keep ing them at work and compelling them to be self sustaining. He also gave his views regarding criminals and paupers and the most heroic treatment known to him for both evils and said he hoped to see 1t ap- piled. MT Wells spoke as follows:
 Reduced to the terms of the mar ket place, the cost of crime in Con necticut is nearly $2,500,0OO year: The bill is big and burdensome, ana collection is rigidly enforced. Inere is no let-up for the paying teller. Maintenance of penal instltutlons' support of police departments, ao- ministration of criminal courts ana a thousand miscellaneous criminal exnenses involve a huge tax which delinquency levies on the communi- ty. If the money which now goes as tribute to law-breaking could De ai- yerted to the working capital or the brass business in Waterbury, or lo the hardware industry in New BTU ain. the funds would help oil the cogs of productive enterprise, and an economic gain would be effected.
 The strain which the delinquent class puts on the public pocketpook is. in its way, important, but It tells only a fraction of the grim story. The blasted lives, the broken tam- flies. the sufferings of the innocent, the heart anguish and the loss or character and of confidence are tue main items in the budget of crime. These things wear no dollar hiarh, and arithmetic falls down when It tries to represent their cost Ill hg- ures.
 The warfare between society ana the offender began in the morning of the world: it will keep up as long as yellow streak remains Ill human nature. The contest is so wide in It's sweep, so important in Its vafl- ous phases and so col -pleX In all l1s bearings that l venture to suggest three or four familiar weapons which, added to the equipment or the states social armory, would help Connecticut wage more eHectlNe battle against crime.
 Establishment of a state reforma- tory, to which offenders between the
 O under the indeterminate sentence plan, would be g useful addition to the penal machinery of the common wealth. The institution would draw a part of it's population from the state prison, where youngsters touch elbows with oldsters, and part from the county jails. where all sorts and conditions of law-breakers are merged in a miscellaneous mass and where the mildly bad are moro likely to be made worse than the acutely bad are to be made better. A reformatory would seek to subject the young criminal to scientific treatment, to shift his thoughts, an- bitions and impulses into better channels; to stimulate his sense of moral responsibility; to teach him a trade and the trick of industry and to provide him with a nancy ladder by which he may climb back to normal social ad- justment, though not by way of the porch roof and the second story window. Reformatory treatment is stirring and not soothing. It employs no angel cake methods. It doesn't try to coddle the young delinquent into being q mollycoddle. It aims to de- yelop his moral and mental muscle by constant exercise and rigid discipline and to keep him from coming in con tact with the mischief that Satan finds for idle hands to do. From its work ing outfit, mawksh sentiment is ex- cluded.
 The value of a reformatory, con ducted on rational lines. is great, but exaggerated notions of its worth should be avoided. X reformatcry is no miracle worker. It can lead the inmate to the water, but it can't make him drink-though if it were any thing but water the problem would in many cases be easier. It can pro- vide him with an opportunity and with helpful tools. and after 1t has done that it's up to him to do the rest If he isn't responsive the institution Is not to blame Statistics purporting to give the percentage of inmates re- claimed by reformatory processes are rough guesseS at the best and mislead- ing errors at the worst. and until thS human heart becomes an open book should be swallowed with barrel of salt. but the ratio of reformation is likely to ha large enough to make the effort worth the trouble.
 To build. equip and maintain re. formatory would involve a good deaI of expense, but I am constrained tc believe that the investment would yield dividend of social betterment To start on a chicken coop basis and then trust to legislative luck for serial ap. propriations to expand and complete the institution on the installment plan would be a blunder of judgment. If the state isn't now convinced Of :hC necessity of a reformatory and isn't yet willing to foot the bills. it is bet ter to wait awhile until the need he. comes apparent.
 A second need, which is so elemen' tary as to be obvious. and so obyiOu: as to he elementary. but which is ob' ssructed by the vested inefficiency oi yesterday sicklied OCT with the palC cast of the vested selfishness of to- day. is that the control of Connecti. rut iaiis should be shifted from coun.