The Elbert County tribune., 1909-01-14
THE BIENNIAL MESSAGE OF
GOVERNOR HENRY A. BUCHTEL

ferS from one prison to another When
boys are sent to the penitentiary for
their first offense, the warden, with
the approval OF the governor. ought to
have authority to send that boy to
Buena Vista where he ought to have
been sent by The court. Then when
some expert criminal who has been in
penitentlary several times Is sent to
the Reformatory at Buena Vista, the
warden ought to have authority under
the approval of the governor, to send
that expert criminal to the penitentiary
at Canon City.
Wnen the large group of prisoners,
nearly one hund-ed, were sent TO work
on the road at Trinidad, at first an
armed guard was put in charge of the
camp at night. After a little time this
armed guard was taken of. Since that
time no civilians have been employed
excepting the superintendent and the
oyer-seers in charge OF the work. The
guard at night is life termer, the only
lie termer ever made a trusty, who
guards the camp without gun and
let's better results than were at first
secured by a guard with n gun. In
the whole history of prison discipline
nothing has ever occurred which is
more heartening than these extraor-
dinary results which have been Sc
cured under Warden Cleglorn's direc-
tion in that big camp of prisoners
working on the Trinidad road. The
warden explains that the guards were
needed to guard the camp from prowl-
ers at night on the outside. rather
than to prevent the prisoners from es-
Gaping 1t is hoped tLat you may do
some really credltable thing in making
1t possible to extend this work. Max
ing roads does not Interfere with Tree
labor.
Another element which has contrib
uted to the Improvement in discipline
in the State Penitentiary has been the
granting of pardons to the right pris-
oners. You can grant pardons with
out intelligence and create a riot in
any prison. Then you can grant par
dons with intelligence and secure the
respect of the prisoners and arouse in
them desire to earn pardon by right
conduct. The warden reports thirty
pardons for the biennial period: One
of them was granted by Governor Nc
Donald. five were granted by Governor
Harper and twenty-four were granted
by me. OF course you understand that
have been solicited to parden every
body in the peniteDtiary, in the Re-
formatory, in the Industrial schools
and in all the Colorado jails. Many Of
you gentlemen have taken much OF my
time to request pardons which | have
refused. If l had granted all the par
dons | was asked to grant. the list for
the biennial period would have been
not twenty-four but many hundreds In
December l granted five additional
pardons, all of them on the recommen-
dation of the Board of Pardons. To
| morrow morning, on recommendation
of the Board OF Pardons, l Shall par.
don colored man. So my total list
of pardons for two years from the
State Penitentiary will aggregate
thirty. l am glad to have had the op-
portunity to grant each one of them.
The State Board of Charities and
Corrections gives much time. with
large intelligence and sympathy, to the
consideration of all our state institu-
| tions. Certain recommendations of
that board are worthy of your hearty
approval, namely:
% That all TRUSTEES in and around
the penitentiary be allowed the same
reduction in time, on their sentences,
that is now granted to prisoners work
ing on the public highway.
(2) That prisoner who is released
on parole from the State Penitentiary
shall be given the same outfit of
clothes, transportation and money,
that is now given to a prisoner who
receives his final discharge.
go That adequate additions shall be
made to the appropriations for the
penitentiary and the reformatory to
make it possible to employ scientific
method of Identification
(4) That law be enacted provld-
ing state Institutions with power to
bring condemnation proceedings for
land needed by such institutions, and
especially where the land adjoins that
owned by the state.
(5) That the charter under which
the State Home for Dependent Chill
dren operates, be so amended as to al
low this home to receive manned or
crippled children.
90 That provision shall be made for
the appointment of state agents for
the general supervision of the boys
and girls paroled from the Industrial
schools.
State Insane AsyIum.-For many
years we have had one of the first
alienists in America in charge of our
State Insane Asylum. The thoughts
of DIR. Busey at all times are with the
afflicted people who are committed to
his care. He has never allowed that
institution to be used as a political as
set That suited my ideas exactly
about such institutions so have made
choice of commissioners for that great
charity who would not permit the in
stitution to be used as a political as
set. All the recommendations of the
commissioners and superintendent
should be granted in full. They never
ask for anything which is not actually
needed. We are always some hun
dreds behind in the demands which are
made upon the state for the care of
the insane OF course the state will