The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1912-08-22
SYSTEM !
MAKES NEW MEN
OF THE CONWCTS
THE MAN IN PRISON SHOULD BE
BE GIVEN JUST AS MUCH LIB
ERTY AS HE CAN STAND.


, many OF them-who endanger democ.
racy by jeopardizing her free insti-
buttons. A great many good men and
true want to limit the suffrage and
yet the people will not hear it. And
the people are right How in the
name OF common sense does a baby
learn to walk but by the painful pro-
cess of humping his shins? How can
the apprentice acquire skill except
by using his tools? How can this
man whom many would exclude from
the suffrage acquire intelligence in
casting his ballot except by voting
and thus, through an enlivened inter-
est, learn of his country's needs. This
all illustrates a principles and this
principle has direct bearing on the
problem of prison control. Convicts
are shut off from the rest of the
community, because they have not
learned to use their liberty and at
the same time respect the rights of
their neighbors. To confine them is
eminently sensible. Who would be
at ease with fellow about who be-
lieves the world owes him living
and who resents 1t because the world
don't agree with him. This man will
eventually steal what he can't hon
estly earn. He is ignorant of the art
of using his liberty in conformity
with the rights of others. And yet
how can he ever acquire that art if
he is locked up without the slightest
chance of ever understanding its prin-
ciples. And what chance has he
without being trusted to use correct
ly a little liberty? Remember the
baby, the apprentice and the fgnor-
ant voter. 1t is all one and the same
proposition, as simple as two and two
make four. We don't begin teaching
a boy arithmetic by beginning at frac-
tons. Neither is the convict to be
taught the right use of freedom by
being allowed complete liberty He
must be gradually dosed, or, as War
den Nash of the Coweta camps puts
it, given only so much liberty as he
can stand. The great essential Is
that opportunity be afforded the con-
yict to achieve his redemption. There
is no molly-coddle sentimental1sm In
this. What we want is to keep the
community we live in free from mo-
lestation by vicious folk who rob,
steal and kill. We hope to accom-
plish this by locking up everybody
who does rob, steal and kill. This is
their punishment, inflicted always in
the hope that it will protect us from
being bothered any more. But II they
serve their time and return bent on
plumber, rapine and blood, haven't we
merely STAYED off the evil day? A pro
gram of punishment which does not
include reformation appears there
fore to be a very short-sighted policy.
Out in Colorado they work the con,
victs on the roads as in Georgia. war
den John Cleghorn teaches his prls,
oners the right use of freedom by
habituating the men to live up to
the trust he reposes in them. On May
70. 1908, he shipped eighty men from
the penitentiary at Canon City to a
construction road camp in the toot-
hills between Trinidad and the New
Mexico line, about $50 miles from the
prison. The camp had been prepared
-, tto .str,sties' under the direction
~ one prison officer. This gave the
camp a population of 80 prisoners
IN addition to the captain" in charge
If the camp and two other officers
who acted as overseers Of the road
construction.
These prisoners ate and slept in
tents. There were no armed guards;
there was no stockade of any kind;
NOR had a fence been built around
the group of tents.
The effect of the "trusty' system,
as employed by Colorado penitentiary
officials, has had very wholesome
effect upon the discipline of the in
stitution. Only those whose conduct
has commended them can expect ad-
mission to this class. Mere conform
itv to posted rules so easy to the old
"rounder" does not suffice. The prison
atmosphere is impregnated with the
sentiment of the square deal"-from
prisoner to prisoner, from prisoner to
officer from officer to prisoner. Fifty
70 one hundred men see the warden
in "audience" after chapel Sunday
mornings; and about three-fourths OF
tbe requests are for 'trusty" jobs.
The prisoners are not dismissed with
s, -[ or mo" The pros and cons
orc discussed by warden and prison
~ length of term and time already
served are taken into consideration
as well as the general conduct OF the
70 there be a place where the man
oon he employed outside the prison
walls and the warden is convinced
tb . prisoner is ION the square, the
T ro will ask him to raise his
riSbt hand to take an oath to keep
the faith. In several instances men
~ hove run away have voluntarily
WIZ -i bach to make good their plight
90 w., W. old system only brushes men
=. 4ho level of the confirmed crimi-
~ 'H The modern spirit points to
ndl- zorontfou. II is up to