Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-12

eating at its vitals, nothing is more
certain than that from necessity poll
tics will eventually be purified. And
if it be true that politics corrupts the
entire administration Of our criminal
law, nothing is more certain than that
eventually we shall be compelled to
kick politics downstairs, whirh, indeed,
England did in this matter long ago.
The first five articles in this work
were written Immediately after the
| legislative committee which had been
investigating the Texas convict system
adjourned for the summer. They are
severely critical of the conditions pre-
vailng, and especially those on the
convict farms; but l venture the asser-
tion that the writer now regrets his
leniency. For subsequent investiga-
tions by the committee have revealed
conditions of which he evidently little
dreamed as witness the following re-
cent dispatch from Galveston, Texas:
According to the Investigations of
Texas penal institutions made by the
legislative committee more than fifty
cOnvicts have been killed by whippings
and other cruelties within the past
three years or less. Many more con-
victs have undoubtedly been tortured
to death by guards, but the inmates
are afraid to testify, knowing they
would incur the vengeance of the PEN
itentiary officers and employees. One
long-t term convict with an excellent
prison record told the committee he
had witnessed three Whippings which
had killed the victims. He begged
piteously not to be forced to testify
saying the guards would give him
dogs life thereafter. The committee
has positive evidence that 400 convicts
have been whipped until their bodies
were a mass of bleeding wounds
Twenty deaths from Bright's disease
and pneumonia have been traced to
beatlngs."
Whereon the San Jose Mercury re-
marks: "Such reports seem not con-
fined to Texas. Indeed, with increas-
ing frequency rumors and authentic
stories reach the public page of prison
cruelties being the common penal
regime in various states. People begin
to wonder whether they are living in
America. among humane people, or in
Russia among the brutal Cossacks. We
are asking ourselves whether our penl-
tentaries are modern reformatortes or
merely inhuman dens of torture. Has
the roaring bull of brutal old Rome
been revived?"
Do Not Be Too Sanguine
NV quotation Of this last comment
expresses my own attitude toward the
DOOk III QutSAlOAl. II - Ahlt VI iiilpA
nation, but far too optimistic. One
of the writer's, Mr.. Tom Finty jr.,
staff correspondent of the Galveston
Dallas News having reported the pro-
ceedings of the Texas committee, so
far as they had progressed, visited the
penitentiaries of numerous other states,
and notably those of the Pacific coast.
He gives us most cheering news Of re-
forms effected in the oregon state
prison. which Joseph Kelly, athor of
"Thirteen Years in the Oregon Peni-
tentiary," described only last year as
one of the most awful infernos in ex-
istenoe. I have no doubt that reform
has taken place.
Mr.. Finty tells us that matters are
much better in the Washington pent-
tentiary at Walla Walla, logging hav-
ing been abolished, and the parole sys-
tenn and indeterminate sentence being
in full operation. I have no doubt
again that reforms have been in prog
ress. but / remember that correspond
ents sent the Prison Reform league
quite recently some very ugly looking
accounts of the shooting of two con-
Victs.
The address delivered by the new
warden of San Quentin, John e. Hoyle,
at the Seattle congress Of the American
Prison association in August last, IS
quoted and indicates decided improve
ment. Here again, one hopes eagerly
f j. the best But recognizing how in