Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-25
WAR
To ABOLISH
CHANGING
OPENED
Men and Religion Movement
Unites With Churches and
Penal Reformers in Fight.

Marion NJ. jackson, of the Men
and Religion Forward Movement, ex-
planned Wednesday the stirring
"chaingang bulletin" in Tuesdays
newspapers as the first gun in 90
day warfare on a penal system ''un-
rivaled outside of Russia for re-
voting and demoralizing features"
1t was fred 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 viii
be enlisted in the fight. Sunday. July
6, will be set apart in the churches
throughout Georgia Tor 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
ilisation 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 and insanitary conditions in
which they are forced to live, the
whole system is rotten and demon
said Mr.. Jackson.
IF 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
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-
mails. and by the time they are re-
leased they have received an effective
schooling in all forms of vice and
crime.
zone has only to go to the chain
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 thwarting its own pur-
poses.
No Provision for Women,
Neither has Georgia made any ad-
equate provision for its women
and it's 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 a proper place to i'm
prison a girl or a 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, 1 am confident that much will
be done this year.
We intend to have the changing
abolished We do not mean to take
the men off the roads--work is good
for them-but we shall fight to have
those conditions wiped out which
wreck the health. which destroy the
Continued on Page 2, Column 4,