Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-25
OPENS
50-DAY WAR ON
CHAINGANGS
Churches of Georgia Are Allied
With Prison Reformers in
Great Crusade.


planned Wednesday the stirring
''cnaingang bulletin" in Tuesdays
newspapers as the first gun in a 80
day warfare on penal system "un-
rivaled outside of Russia for re-
voting and demoralizing features"
It was fired as the members of the
Legislature were gathering for the
opening of the session, and the cam
paign will be continued determinedly
and unremittingly until the last bill is
introduced and the last vote taken.
No such plan of battle ever has
been mapped out against Georgia's
notorious chaingangs. It's strength is
due to an alliance between the forces
of the Men and Religion Forward
Movement, which represents all of
the evangelical churches of Atlanta,
and the Prison Association OF Geor-
gia, which has Philip Weltner as its
secretary and moving spirit.
Every Church Is Enlisted.
Every church and every penal re-
form organization in the State will
be enlisted in the fight. Sunday, July
s, win be set apart in the churches
throughout Georgia for sermons and
addresses to acquaint people with the
conditions which are described by
those who have Investigated them as
a disgraceful commentary on the civ
tlization and humanity of the South's
foremost Commonwealth
And this year Mr. Weltner and Mr..
Jackson and their aides are assured
of victory, They are confident that
the great wave of horror that will
sweep over the State at the shocking
revelations will force the legislators
to submit to the unmistakable senti-
ment of their constituents, If, indeed,
they do not inaugurate a movement
for reform on their own account.
A dark picture of the environment
of Georgia's changing convicts was
painted by Mr.. Jackson in his open
ing bulletin. He said Wednesday that
he had not dared portray half the
horrors and demoralizing features.
He declared that the conditions were
a shame and a disgrace to any en-
lightened people.
Brands System as Rotten.
Outside the actual physical suf-
fering visited upon the men and the
repulsive ana insanitary conditions in
which they are forced to live, the
whole system is rotten and demon
alizing,' said Mr.. Jackson.
If a man goes into the changing
with any manhood and goodness in
his makeup he is pretty likely to be
rid of these qualities by the time he
has passed through his dark -age i'm
prisOnment Boys and first offenders
many of whom are not really bad
but who have made a mistake a slip,
are chained to the hardened crimi-
nails, and by the time they are re-
leased they have received an effective
schooling in all forms of vice and
crime
tsnvo hos o~I,- - 90 - - -.
gangs in some of the counties to see
boys in their teens chained next to
some beast who has been guilty of
the most vicious and heinous Of
crimes. Such an outrageous system,
instead of acting as a reformatory
has exactly the opposite effect The
State is thus thwarttng it's own pur-
poses.
No Provision for Women.
Neither has Georgia made any ad-
equate provision for its women
wrongdoers and its delinquent girls
The stockade is the only place that
Fulton County has to send its female
offenders, and no one will attempt 10
say that this is proper place to i'm
prison a girl or woman.
The Prison Association of Georgia,
enlisting the support of the Men and
Religion Forward Movement, pro-
poses to change these Conditions-at
this session of the Legislature if pos
sible. / am confident that much will
be done this year.
I'VE intend to have the chaingang
abolished. We do not mean to take
the men off the roads-wor< is good
for them-but we shall fight to have
those conditions wiped out which
wreck the health, which destroy the
moral fiber which blunt the sensibili-
ties and which make habitual crimi-
mails out of boys and first offenders
I'VE want to do away with the
stripes and the chains and the in
sanitary, disgusting conditions.
Compensation for Families.
We will advocate some sort of
compensation for the wives and chill
dren of the men who are serving
time. AS it is at present the families
of the conviCts are made to suffer al
most as much as the prisoners them
selves
1T will be our suggestion that a
parole or probation system be intro
duced with the indeterminate SEN
tence. Accompanying this will be the
grades and classification of prison
ers, with merits and dement's.
THE boys and first offenders should
be segregated from the vicious and
habitual criminals.
"A State industrial school for girls
should be established and more ade-
quate provision made for the boys
and the women
I'VE will propose that stripes be
abolished except for the lowest grade
of prisoners and that the others be
clothed so as not to make them ride
ulous.
Would Teach lIliterate.
obstruction during short period
of the day viii be suggested for the
illiterate prisoners.
This is only an incomplete outline
Of some of the reforms that will be
submitted for the approval of the
Legislature. In brief we will com
bat everything in the present system
that initiates against the reclama-
ton of the prisoner or which threat
ems his health or lowers his self-re-
speCt
Several bills already have been
drafted and others are in preparation.
We expect that the Legislature this
year will be impressed by their ne
cessity and will pass them without
opposition"
IL -.z -