Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1911-10-27
WEST s HONOR POLICY.

No one dOuDtS Tor one mOmeH
that Governor West was thorough!
sincere in his prison policy of pa
rolling the criminal classes. HaC
he consulted the sheriffs and tht
prosecuting attorneys, men who
have to deal with the capture anC
conviction of criminals, we think
that he would have adopted a to.
tally different prison policy turning
criminals loose after taking so much
money to catch and convict them
Tillamook Headlight.
The above is a fair sample of the
arguments" being used by ultra
partisan newspapers in attacks upon
Governor Vests prison ideas and is
so unfair and misleading that The
Observer feels called upon to take
up the defense of the governors pol
icy.
First, and foremost, The Observer
is in favor of Governor Vests sys-
TEN, that fact should be understood
at the outset, and a great majority
of the people who are abusing him
for it, would change their minds, if
they knew more about it. But, the
trouble appears to be, that a great
majority of the people confuse the
duties Of the prison board with the
actions of the governor. As we un-
derstand it, paroles are issued by the
prison board, or ON their recon-
mendation, while the "hOnOr sys-
tenn extends only to such inmates
of the penitentiary as the governor
believes worthy of clemency, and
never to desperate criminal. The
primary object of all prisons, or
penitentiaries, is to reform bad men
but, it must be admitted, that in the
majority of instances, they have tall-
ed in this regard. Modern thought
has injected modern methods into
the government of penal institutions
aud the care of prisoners, and the
inhuman methods of torture in vogue
in all prisons of the country a few
years ago, and which were supposed
TO be necessary to the proper "ref-
ormation" of criminal, have been
dispensed with. Experts in the man
agement of prisoners have adopted
less harsh means, and today some
of the largest prisons in the country
and the most successful, also, are
noted for the advanced methods
which prevail behind their stone
walls and barred windows. Ii has
been found that il is impossible to
pound goodness into a man by means
of the whipping post, neither can
YOU change a man at heart by the
iniquitous "water cure. =" cor the
dozen other toriwcs devised by in
human jaiiors TO keep their charges
in leash.
All men are not criminals at heart
and there are today thousands IN
our penal institutions Who are there
by reason Of some moment Of weak /
ness which they have regretted a \
thousand tunes. But, As oar peui- !
teniianes were formerly run. aud as
many ot them are operated today /
more S the pty--if man WASH e /
a criminal when he entered their
doors he was sure 10 De by the ums
he came ont A long system of /
abuse and inhuman treatment had
scared BIZ, soul with hate and De imar-
med taat every mans hand was
turned against him. lie entered a I
nan-he came out an auimal-and /
yenerally found his way back with /
IN a few weeks.
Criminals who have escaped frum /
he salem peuiteutiary are not hon /
'r meu' As the rahid partisan OF
'oncuts OF Governor West would 4
ave Us heiieve-hut Paroled msn I
nth whose liberty the Governor had 4
oihius % da But that uate noI
iiewnoe II convict escapes