The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-01-27

State institutions is additional lands
and the erection Of new buildings
Some Changes In the Law.
Under the present law counties are
charged $4,000 per annum for eachboy
sent TO the West Virginia Reform
school and for each idiot and epileDtic
sent to the West Virginia Asylum a.
Huntington, but no charge Is made for
girl sent to the West Virginia Girls
industrial Home or for an insane per.
son committed TO the West Virginia
Hospital at Weston or 10 the Second
Hospital for the Insane at Spencer. !
recommend that a charge of $4,000 be
made against the county committing
person to either of the hospitals for
the insane, the West Virginia Reform
school or the Virginia Industrial
Home for Girls.
Sterilization.
1t is matter OF concern to every
Icitizen or this State that the number
of insane, idiots, mbeclles and degen'
erates is increasing ard that our char
liable and penal Institutions will have
10 be enlarged or something done to
prevent the increase in the humber OF
our wards, and would >ot have you
believe that the matter OF expense is
the only thing TO- be considered. On
1.-The contrary the Influence on society
lis the more serious aspect OF the case.
The superintendehts In charge Of our
2sylums recommend proper steriza.
ton law so safegUarded as TO IRtIict
no wrong upon any, but which will pro.
Itect the rest against such impurities
As one superintendent has well said,
1--we call it humane to assemble In gu!
asylums and care for these people but
lit is certainly the very antithesis 0!
humanity TO permit them TO propagate
their kind The superintendent Of
the hospital at Weston reports that
461 patients were admitted TO his in
stitut'on during the years 1911 and
1912 and of this number 1@9, Or a little
lover 81 per cent, had history OF
hereditary insanity.
Penitentiary.
The warden OF the penitent'aY re
ports that during the last biennial pc
iriod the Parole Board considered 81
applications for parole and made ia
vorable recommendation in 143 cases
or this last number | released ibi ant
it may be interesting TO know that thu
conduct of paroled prisoners has Deei
. such "a to require the return Of onl!
, about six per cent. 1t seems 10 nj
that this is strong argument in lavo
of our parole law. The warden alst
reports that the paroling OF prisoner
it a great factor toward securing goo'
discipline in the prison because unles
they make good prison records the
are not considered eligible for parole
recommend nm amendment to OH
rarole law to extend to inmates q
tails; of our reform school for boy
and our Industrial home for girls.
Capital Punishment.
want to go on record as opposed t
capital punishment. Five States
namely, Michigan, Wisconsin, Rhod
Island. Maine and Kansas have aIread
taken this advanced step. know
is argued by a great many that nnI
ders will be increased if capital pull
ishment is abolished, but the record
are against any such argument. 70
Instance: Iowa has probably the low
est per centage Qf illteracy of an,
Estate in the Union and yet according
to the records two murders are CON
mitted in Iowa to every one In Wis
consin where capital punishment ha
been abolished; and 1t Is also tru'
that three murders are committed IL
Ohio to every onei n Cichigaa, anoth
er state where capital punishment ha
Ibeen abolished. in the year 1915 ther'
we're 5000 murders committed In Thu
country, only three Of which occurred
in the state of Maine, another State Il
(which capital punishment has beef
abolished. 5,;
Labor at West Virginia Penltsntlary
1 The following is "a condensed .1i state ia
mept showing the price ct which cor
l;vst LABOR at zee lpe1iyA l gs q9n
lraet sSSss;s 81. ri M y. q
yyhensthe board Of eonstol cant Z Y Int,