Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-09
ROAST" FOR NATION
WASHINGTON JAIL, PRovoKEs
HARD WORDS AT RICHMOND.


in Washington. which was characterized
as IAN institution that would be dis
grace to Russia. " was. made yesterday
by Mrs. j. Ellen Foster of Washington
and Mr. Samuel j. Barrows, president of
the international prison conference. at
the session on Criminals" of the con-
ference on charities and correction.
Mrs. Foster said the 800 cells In the
jail. which are : by feet. were used to
accommodate 100 persons, among whom
there is no classification. persons await
ing trial and those sentenced mingling in
discriminatory. She said: The made
quate building. within a stones throw OF
the Capitol is one of the greatest dis
graces to the nation.
Raped the Government.
Mr.. Barrows raped the government
hard when he said if the ambassador
from Russia would investigate the condi-
tons in the Washington Jail and report
them in his country the Europeans would
not concede that the Americans were Of
a higher civilization. He said the govern
ment was grossly negligent in its care of
United States prisoners and was almost
century behind the times in the meth
DDS employed in handling the persons
convicted of offenses against the gov
eminent.
w. II. Whitaker. superintendent of the
Indiana reformatory. charged the govern
ment with utterly failing to prepare AIDE
quately United States prisoners for an
honest livelihood after their discharge
He said no opportunity was afforded the
Sex of learning ahs trade
branches in the government prisons.
which, he asserted. is responsible for the
return of many discharged government
convicts to vice.
In, II x>I
session he urged the necessity of indus
trial education in prisons and peniten-
tiaries. a probation system and the en-
ployment Of the inmates on labor the
product of which should be sold in the
open market. despite the opposition of the
labor organizations to contract convict
labor. Mr.. Whitaker insisted that as soon
as the labor unions were made to realize
the advantages of such plan their OPP
position would he withdrawn.
Old-Age Pensions Denounced.
The old-age pension. which was yester-
day Endorsed by Mr. Asquith. the British
premier. in his budget to the house of
commons. afforded an opportunity for the
ventilation of the views Of some Of the
conference members at the morning ses-
sion on Statistics. when Mr.. Frederick
L. Hoffman. the statistician Of the Pru-
dental Life Insurance Company, in no
uncertain verbiage denounced old-age
pensions as impracticable and only an ex-
cuse to remove the incentive of thrift
among the working people. Mayor Hib-
bard of Boston advocated old-age PEN
sions. which he argued would soon be
practicable.
Mrs. John NJ Glenn of Baltimore con-
Quoted another session on Needy FAM
lies yesterday morning. which was
marked by. a paper. The Limitation of
Charity in Dealing With the Unem-
r,v0 hxv
the Charity Organization Society. Buffalo
He commended the work done by Balti-
more agencies in meeting the extraordi-
nary demand for material relief in jan
uary and February. when thousands Of
Baitimoreans. with families dependent
upon them. were out of work, with no
money to provide the necessities of life. :
Lesson on Public Health.
The session on Public Health. attract
ed a large attendance. Plans for better
safeguarding the health of the community
from, disease weres offered. The seriohs
problem of bad housing conditions. which
has been interesting Baltimoreans since
the disclosure ,tcf the seondftions. In the
tenement sections by, Miss Janet K emp
of the federated charities. was discussed
in its relation to the work OF the sociolo-
gist by Miss Harriet. Fufinder,. superin-
tendept of the Visiting Nurse Association.
Chicago.
! This afternoon Mrs. Swanson, wife of
Gov. Swanson. will receive the 800 mem
bers of the gathering. So
The members Interested In the care of
the insane and epileptfc yesterday visited
the Central State Hospital at Petersburg.
where meeting was held Ia the institu-
ton
Buffalo was chosen as the conference
seat for 1909. Baltimore Is regarded as
the next eastern city In which the con-
ference will meet. 1t Is expected that
Denver will be the place OF meeting in
1910
Miss Ida A. Green, acting secretary of
the Associated Charities. who is attend
Ing the conference of charities and cor
rection at Richmond, Va writes that the
conference is looking forward with inter
est to the general session SUNDAY evening
when Jane Adams OF Hull House. Chi
residents of Richmond are attending the
meetings so largely that il is expected
that In order that the delegates NAV be
sure or seats the meeting will have TO he
held at the Academy of Music
Mr.. Edgar Shaw Of the Washington
I1mes and Mr.. Charles F. Weller of the
Presidents home commission spoke from
the point OF view Of newspaper man and
a philanthrOpic worker at the Saturday
morning session.
1t Is expected that many who have not
been able to attend the convention NAV
come down from Washington for the Sun
day evening session.
The committee on needy families in
their homes. whose chairman is Mrs John
NJ. Glenn of Baltimore. has aroused the
greatest enthusiasm for scientific charity
work. which means a thorough under
standing of family before an attempt IL
made to put the family on its feet. Mr..
Francis II. Mclean, field secretary de-