The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-04-04
WOMAN
VIII Make Fight To Keep
Officials
Views Presented About
WeInen'S Prisons

OHIO women are preparing to resis
the apparent defeat of their efforts Il
have the Gid Girls Industrial Schoo
near Delaware and the Women's Re
fornatory now being erected al
Marysville Kept in the control of mem
bers of their sex, says the Columbus
Journal.
Mrs. Harmon, wife of the former
governor; Mrs. Edward Orton, jr.
representing the d. A. r., and lead
ing club women made the fight BY
which the Girls Industrial School was
placed in charge Of a matron. Mrs
Charlotte Dye, as matron, has been
so successful that the women feel
their faith In the plan OF displacine
men as managers Of such institu'
tions has been more than justified.
/, Attorney General Hogan recently
gave an opinion that to place women
in charge of such institutions was a
violation of the constitution. The
boa.d Of administration, however. has
taken no heed of the opinion. Gov
ernor Harmon, himself lawyer OF
high standing. and other attorneys
have said they thought the appoint.
ment OF a matron with full charge of
an institution, did not involve a viola.
tion Of the constitution.
In an interview yesterday, Mrs.
Orton said;
"When the law establishing the
Woman's RefOrmatory was drafted
the word matron was substituted for
the word superintendent with the ex-
press purpose OF meeting the constl.
tutional difficulty.
Social workers, and especial
ly those interested In reformatories
for girls and women, have learned
from actual experience that the best
results are obtained In institutions
where the masculine element Is Ell.
tirely eliminated. In the Massachus.
etts Reforinatory for Women and the
Bedford Reformatory for Women at
no men are employed, either
as officials or laborers, the engine
house employing men being placed
outside tie walls. Now. these two
installations have been notably sue
cessful In their treatment of delin.
quent women and girls. and It was
with hope OF achieving similar results
the Ohio law was drafted
1T Is hardly possible In an inter.
view to give convincing illustrations
Of the bad results following the EN-.
plovment OF men as officials or labor.
ers In womens reformatories, but,
believe me. such results do follow
Last October | had an interview
with a prominent member OF one Of
our Daughters OF American Reyolu.
tion chapters In Ohio This woman
was In n position to have inside
knowledge OF the Girls Industrial
School at Delaware. | nave yerl
high opinion OF her and believe her
implicitly. They told me hprrirying
story OF an accidental meeting OF a
man with some OF the girls there. 1t
was complete illustration OF what
is meant when we say the psychologist.
cal effect or meu on these girls Is bad
THE fact that great reform Is
bio ,ked because women are not elect.
ors has made be a sui'raglst. II came
home to me very Iorcibly when I.
as the representative OF 1000 Ohio
Daughters OF the American RevOlil.
tioa, labored for five years to pass
the womnn's reformatory bill. 1000
women votes would have passed the
bill In one session OF the Legislature
AMI now Attorney General Hogans
opinion threatens TO render all our ef.
forts OF noNayaii.