Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1909-06-10
NEW PENAL METHOD
Chicago Woman's Plan to Shield
Families of Criminals.
FAVORS INDUSTRY IN PRISONS

wage.
The speedy disappearance of wife
beaters, home deserters and tramps
and the alienation of some of the in
justices of the present penal system
are the objects aimed at in an idea
being worked out by Mrs. Mary e.
Ide, 1858 Kenmore avenue. Chicago,
member of the North End Woman's
club and of the League of Cook Coun-
ty Clubs. who Is busily engaged in de-
veloping the details of her scheme and
enlisting others in its support,
Mrs. lde has long seen a great injus-
tice In the modern prison in that the
heaviest burden entailed by the sen
fencing of a criminal to a term be-
hind the bars falls often not on the
culprit himself, but on his family. The
man goes to jail and may or may not
be put Mt hard labor, but his family is
left out in the world and must shift
for itself
why. | have even heard OF criminal
husbands" said Mrs. Ide in explaining
her plans. who held their wives in
submission by the threat that they
would 20 to Jail for a rest and leave
them without any support at all"
But all this would be changed IL
Mrs. Ide could have her way, and jail
would be far too serious a proposition
! and too much like prosaic, everyday
working for a living to be considered
for moment by the leisurely inclined.
The gist of the proposed plan is this;
Let the criminal, when sent to jail be
put at his trade or labor and paid a
regular union wage. Then let his
board and lodging be deducted and the
balance be sent to his family. so leav-
| ing the burdens of a Jail sentence to
fall where they are intended to fall.
To carry out the plan it would be
necessary. according TO the originator,
to change the prisons about so as TO
give them less of the present day as
pect of houses Of correction" and TO
give them more of the nature of houses
of trades" Mrs. Ide would prefer
that they be made in reality colonies
or virtual little towns, with all sorts
of factories and industries and oppor-
tunities to put each man to work at
the trade or labor for which he is
most fitted. If he is not fitted for any,
let him learn one and go to work.
There would be shoe factories. mat
! tress factories. furniture shops, car
! pentry shops, printing offices, stonecut-
ting sheds, brickyards. tile manufac-
turing plants. and the products of all
would be placed on the market and no
! loss entailed to the state, for Mrs. Ide
sees in her plan the elimination of one
of the greatest objections to prison
made articles
Pay is the keynote to my plan,"
said she. 'lf we can pay the prisoner
the regular union wage believe that
the greatest obstacle, the opposition
of the trade unions. will be overcome.
Now the prison made articles are man.
ufactured by free labor. Let the men
be paid wages and their product put
on the market. | think that this wage
and the consequent justice to the prls.
oners' dependents should obviate the
objections of unions, though l haven't
yet consulted labor leaders.
The expressions of opinion which
Ai'' 'N iNNNAfIb hdf an btth WY Ia
vorable to my idea. Superintendent
Whitman of the house of correction
said that It IS just the thing we are
coming to, and we may as well take
1t UP now as later. and Judge Cleland
said that the plan had many good
ideas. | spoke to Judge Mack about
1t also and asked him If my plan was
impractlcable. lie told me | was on
exactly the right track and urged me
to hold to it,
Mrs. lde intends to enlist the aid of
prominent judges and lawyers through
expressions of opinion from each and
then start the work of raising popular
subscriptions through personal can.
vassing for funds to carry on the cam.
paign Of publicity. As the club sea.
son is over and the aid OF womcuS or
carnations cannot be enlisted, Mrs.
lde intends to carry on her work pri.
vately through the summer and have
the plan well developed by the time
the women's clubs can take it up In
the fall. She has been promised the
floor at the first meeting of the League
Of Cook County Clubs
Make the criminal dread the jail
sentence less and crowd the prisons?
Not in the least!" said Mrs. Ide in dc.
Tending her plan The criminal is not
the man who will look on the oppor-
tunity to support his family under
compuision rs an inducement to 20 to
jail.
Il have had the idea in my mind for
many years and hope to see 1t in prac-
tice. believe there is remedy for
every evil II we can ofi1--43s,d it,
Chicago Post.
Winning a Violin.
The way NJ Ysaye, the great violin.
ist became the owner Of a Guarnerius
violin dated 1742 was thus quantity
told by himself:
THE Guarnerius was bought In Par
Is by pupil of mine, a charming
young woman. | envied her the vio-
lin, and fate gave 1t to me. l teach
this pupil. and by and by meet hel
sister. most lovely young woman,
with whom fall in love straightway
and marry. Soon go to my sister-in-
law, who was my pupil, and say to
her:
"It is time you stop fooling with
violin. You will never learn how to
play it, l take the liberty of big
brother, but she do not like 1t for long
tfmn last oh cucorr,h 20 ,,,,,