The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-08-04
FREE SCHOOLS FOR CRIME.

Professor Charles X. Henderson,
the American member of the inter-
national prison commission, recently
said in the report of an investigation
which he conducted that the county
iails in the country are free schools
for crime"
According to Lewis T.. Palmer, a
writer on criminology, the proportion
of accommod ations in county jails to
the accommo dations of reformatories
in America is far from being right.
He claims that there are too many
prisoners ,anguishing in idleness in
the jails while serving short sentences.
The value of the short sentences is
questionable. and the effect of the
residence i'm Jail may be all bad.
Statistics bear out his statements.
According to the latest figures about
one-half of Americas offenders are
between the ages of 10 and 80. The
number between 20 and "a is given as
26.9S3, and there were 1886 boys be-
tween Is and 10 at the time the
count was made. Yet only 20 per
cent of the total prison population is
confined in reformatories.
Drunkenness accounts for 23 per
cent of the prison population, vagran-
cy for 30 per cent and disorderly con-
duct for II per cent-54 per cent in
all. Jail is not the place for most
of the offenders who come within this
group. and yet it is clear that nearly
all of them are there. The only hope
of retaining many of them lies in re-
formatory treatment, and large num-
bers would better be released under
the care of probation officers.
In spite of the opposition of stu
dents of criminology to the short sem
tenCe the statistics show that over 2S
per cent of the prisoners in this coun-
try were sentenced for less than one
month, about 10 per cent for one
month, rs per cent for two months
and II per cent for three months.
The threatened fight against irrica-
ton which numerous reports declare
will be made at the National trriSa-
ton Congress at Spokane next week
may not materialize. There is no
question, however, that such thing
is contemplated by the interests OPP
IrScd to the policy of conservation.
Th"re is every reason why such Il
fight should be made 81. this time
Tie clarge in the national alminis-
tration is one potent reason. That
is a reason for aggressive action on
the part OF the interests who wish to
gct control of the water power Of
the country which the reclamation
service needs 70 carry IL, It's work
Another reason, and perhaps 4
stronger one. is found ia the fact that
this year the people Interested in deep
water ways throughout the country
take d part in the irrigation congress
for the first time and VIII e:dc With
the irrigation forces. II IS said to he
the plan of the General Electric com
pany and its allies to have the rrca-
nation act declared unC onStitttiGnal
thereby preventing the government
from carrying out irrigation projects
If this were accomplished il would
tane away from the government its
chief excuse for wanting he control
of all the remaining water power of
country 1t would place these in the
hands of the corporate interests who
would Use it as they saw fit and not IN
the interests of irrigation
The entire Yakima valley is inter-
eStcd in this matter. The govern
ment has undertaken to reclaim thou
lands Of acres in this valley and The
interests IF the people here demand
tiat these IIojects be carried out by
the government. Yakima can do
much to this end by sending a fun
delegation to Spokane and fighting for
the interests of irrigation against the
greed of the large corporations. We
are entitled to 80 votes in the con-
gress and should see that every vote
Is there to cast if it be necessary.