The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-08

! of life with Changed heart and a
better 1urpohe.
Many acknowledgements attend the
! efforts OF those wlfo work along tlisSe
lines. Some conviots appear imperrl-
Gus to evsry good influence and persist
In their evil ways In spitc OF all en-
oeaYors TO redeem thoni. Sonic arc 80
f, incorrigible az to suggest n mental
! faint, which. while moi amounting 10
Insanity as generally understood, IN at
least mania Tor crime. Yet Ia the
main the kindly though Grm hnndlinis
OF convicts has wherever tried pro-
dliced the best results. y marked In.
proYement has taksn place under the
present superintendent OF our penitcn-
/ uary. and 1t is to be hoped that tho
TINE Will come when the lasn Will be
unn ecessary In enforcing discipline.
IL can never be known how many
men are In the penitent!ary every year
who are wholly Innocent of the crimes
with which they are charged. The pro-
portion is probably greater than ~
generally supposed. Crimes are some
times shifted upon the innocent by the
deliberate and carefully planned per-
Jur! of the guilty. Honest inista tes
are often made by witnesses on the
question OF identity ana in repeating
conversations. The public mind OF d
community may become so aroused by
1t will accept as conclusive deal Of
tragmontary and unreliable evidence.
Tie result in such cases Is not infre-
quently the conviction of an innocent
man.
Others. through inherited tendencies
AID surroundings which blunt thu
moral sense. drift. Into crime fhr
which they are only partially rcspois-
sible. The United Stnt.s government
has gone TO great pains TO collect sta
tstics regarding the influence of he
redity on crime. and tho results are
truly astounding. or course il would
not do to accept the dirtum OF some
sociologtsts that all crime is' the man
ifcsua,ion of species Of insanity.
People must be held accountable Tor
their acts and violations OF law must
be punished, II society is to bc pro-
tcctcd Maudlin sentimcntaiity shouiu
not be allowed to interfere with the
course of justice. Nevertheless, q largo
charity should be manifest ID. as far as
II may be safely done, toward the So
called criminal classes. Harsh and in
human treatment such as was the rr1<
in the prisons nifty years ago will cot
now be tolerated.
II has been charged that the history
of convict labor In many states Is that
1t has resulted III cruel treatment OF
the prisoners; that men nave been over
worked, beaten when they did not
work as much as 1t was thought they
should, denied the opportunity for open
mir exercise and denied paroles that
they might the longer serve tho powers
TO whom they had been hired. In most
cases the prisoners dare not complain.
Usually their complaints would be
disrcSardcd AS n rule they arc with
out iniiu initial friends. SO ii is that
these calamities have been OF so long
life. II is earnestly TO he hoped that
If the Convicts OF this state are to be
hired again every prccaution Will be
taken TO sec that the welfare of the
prisoners Is sufficiently considered.
1t Is generally thought they will be
us I'd IN making clothing, such as shirts
overalls, otc., but ii Is perhaps more
likely they Will be put TO making shoes
as before. AZ any rate. some kind OF
contract seems altogether probabIe
Also It Is more than probable that 1t
Will be the last contract OF the Kind
authorized by the Legislature OF Vir-
glnla