Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-11-07
TO REMAKE MEN.

n joint resolution introduced ny
Senator Darling of Orange county is
likely to bring the oft-suggested !
State detention farm, or farm for
inebriates. sQuarely to the attention
OF Vermont Legislators. The resolu
ton provides for the appointment Of a
Joint committee of two senators and
three representatives ito investigate
as to the need of a State detention
farm for the care of criminals whose
offences are not punishable by death
or confinement in the State prison or
house Of correction" This is legisla-
ton OF the new type. which aims not
So much to punish or restrain as TO
remedy. Vermont may we'll cons' Ter
It,
The chIef merit of the farm sug.
gested by the resolution. would not be
the saving which It migat mean to the
cities which would come of having
certain notorious incumbents of park
hcnches and recliners against corner
lamp-posts provided with a work IN
He. Its real merit would lie in the
90. nge it would imply. in the fact
''.at that such an institution would
mean that the State was doing its hes,
toward putting men on their feet
cleaning them up and CRYING them an
other start whereas the State Is now
inadvertently doing about all that
could be done to confirm the drunkard
in his drunkenness
man ioes not start out deliberate
ly to get trunk and disorderly as he
might start out to pick pockets or to
crack a safe. lie starts as often as
not BY feeling discouraged empty.
weak, or merely lored by lack Of
something to do These things make
him suddenly desire some kind OF
hilarity. even an artificial kind When
such man. having a more or less well
formed habit is locked UP for a time to
serve out fine and comes out with
MS muscles f1abby. his system adjust
ed to a state Of idleness, and that
shrinking OF the wIll at thought of
work which We all experience when
we come back to toll after a vacation.
the most natural thing for that man
to do is to repeat the former escapade
and land In court II possible more
dilapiaatcd than before In this way.
granted man makes his own start
On the road to drunkenness, the Stat,
VIII do the rest. 1t Ts to replace the
present process by which the State
works against Its own interests. trains
drunkards and makes their families
paupers, that the State farm for
nebr ties Is proposed
Along with the State farm should
90 the indeterminate sentence, and
inier the combined influence of these
'wo the problems of minor crime
might be grapplei in manner which
at least would not make a bad matter
worse. The experience of tae drunk
md disorderly would then be some
thing as follows; He would be set at
work In the open out of the way Of tempta-
ton. He would be repaying his own
board and possibly earning something
for hrs family. He woull have tho
self-respect which hard work induces.
The softness and distemper would be
sweatted out Of his system. Habits Of
inertia would be broken up. Under
the indeterminate sentence. he could
be kept there until In the opinion of
an expert IN such cases he was ready
to govern himself sanely. And at the
end of his sentence he would be, phys.
'cally at least. a better man.
II the state OF Vermont can remakr
men by It's penal system, Instead of
lnmaking them, that Is reason enough
Tor any moderate appropriation. Tn
der the circumstances tho fat tina,
SUCH a s%st"' would save the Stlts
money Is irrelevant