The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-04


Iment and would relieve all criminals
hy the use Of the pardpning power.
Celorade'a Plan.
Colorado'a plan, In brief. H. to let
ti18 criminal earn 'his~own liberty, In
that State they are given indetermi-
nate sentences OF ten TO twenty years.
for example, and for the first year the
prisoner gets month on for good
behavior; the second year two months.
and no on until tho sixth year. Il his
conduct has been exemplary and bis
work good enc third of his sentence
IL stricken on. He Is then paroied
on COED behavior, and II he offcnds
within the period Is seized and put
back 10. serve the maximum term Al
ter a certain length of service and
good behavior the prisoners become
TRUSTEES. and are put on the road force.
They are put In gangs Of nifty to sixty,
and are absolutely unguarded except
for tn. man who directs the work.
and he is unarmed. In two years
there have been only four escapes.
and Governor Shafroth has only par
,ioned one. The convicts do not wear
stripes. Those who escape and are
recaptured are made to serve out the
maximum sentences and lose all they
earned by good behavior The State
Ia getting some of the finest roads In
the country at cost per diem
of IS Ia cents for each convict. BY
the Colorado system. Governor SHAFT
roth said the exercise OF the pardon
ing power was unnecessary except In
rare cases. He inveighed against the
pardonlng power, because he believed
II lessened TO great extent the infin-
ence OF the executive. When they
applied to him for pardon, he said, he
told them to go ahead and earn their
liberty. AS result when their terms
are up, the men leave the prison
walls physically strong and healthy.
without the prison pallor. and having
been put on their honor. become self
respecting citizens by virtue OF the
self restraint and discipline exercised
,n the system OF earning their free
dom by their work and conduct. Life
termers, are not given this privilege,
Of course, but the other convicts the
governor said, were all anxious 10
become TRUSTEES, and get out on the
road forces. and when they once got
out they were careful TO work hard
and behave themselves for fear that
they would be put back. Lighter SEN
fences. certainty OF punishment, fewer
pardons, and the system Of permitting
prisoners TO earn their liberty he be-
crime itself and a reformation of the
criminal
With Colorado. 1t has worked mar
vciouslv we'll.
Murder. the worst Crime. :.
Governor Baldwin, of Connecticut,
/ entered into learned discussion of
the criminal classes and methods of
/ punishment IN vogue, ancient and
7 modern He thought the indetermi-
II
rot fit all cases. Fiogging was his
faverite method of punishment tor a
good many Lesser crimes. particularly
Wife beating and for the offenses com
1 n,itted by Juveniles. Bodily pain .
he declared. ..'is a strong deterreat TO
crimei 1t is natures penalty.f He
did not believe that the punishment
for criminal assault should be as Sc
I we're as that for murder, but he urged
/ drastic remedies for the former
crime and strongly condemned mob
violence. as did Governor shafroth.
His policy, however. Is that public
Justice demands serious punishment
fer serious crimes.
Governor George w. DonaEhey, Of
Arkansas, declared that he made the
punishment for lynching certain. and
he iilyeighsd against the selling and
carrying Of firearms. He had never
pardoned Il man who carried a pistol
he said, nor one who sold liquor II.
egaily. He was also strongly op-
posod to the convict lease system, and
was Doing all he could to uproot 1t In
his State,
Governor HAdley. Of Missouri. sees
an alarming situation in the fact that
the population of our prisons Is In
creasing three times AS fast as the
population of our country. He had
found the contract labor system in
full control of his State prison when
he took the reins OF office. and he
set forth some of its evils. To grea,
extent 1t had tied his hands In the
effort to improve the penal system
He found in the State prison hun
dreds of young men and boys work.
ing alongside II hardened criminals
He paroled $50 OF these under TWEEN
ty-one years Of age. and only thirty
one of the youths had violated the
parole. The others had become good
| citizens. ANY system. he said which
| obtained in any State must be regu-
lated by the results attained. Pun
| ishment must be both disagreeable
ana Instructive. "If the system o;
| penal servitude doesn't send forth
| better men physically and morally
nj the end OF their terms. there Is
! something wrong with 1t. The great
| trouble with the most Of our systems
Ia that they punish the offense instead
/, OF Furnishing the offenders. We treat
| crime wrong when we treat 1t as an
| abstract proposition,
Crime Not Increasing.
| Governor Eberhart. OF Minnesota,
| does not believe that crime is on the
| Increase as quoted statistics would
seem to show. Personally he opposes
| capital punishment. Mjnnesota's sys-
| ten, makes use OF indeterminate sem
fences AMI the parole and allows con-
ticts to earn SO cents per diem In the
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