The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1914-12-12
By ]. R. HILDEBRAND.

Three vital needs OF any system OF
corrections Washington now lacks. in
the estimation of DR.. Katherine B.
DAVIS. commissioner OF corrections for
New York city. These are:
4 home for the feeble minded.
An institution for treatment OF in
ebriates.
Provision for paroles and indetsrrlin-
ate sentences.
But in one respect Washington is far
ahead Of New York, in DR.. Davis opin-
ion. and that Is in its work house az
Occoquan. where modern methods OF
treating short-term prisoners have been
installed, where all cells, bars, and
guards have been eliminated, and where
work i provided for every inmate.
These statements were made by IpT.
Davis in an interview following her
address last night before the Monday
Evening Club. the Consumers League,
and tine Woman's Department OF the
National Civic Federation.
In her address. Mrs. Davis took issue
with those va criticised her Tor hot
introducing fTnmediatelg systems o.
seIt-eoveTnment at BlackweiIs lslC>ad
and at other institutions under her care
Test of the Plan.
she also made it apparent that she
was not in entire sympathy with Thom-
at Mott Osborne's efforts to introduce
systems of self-government at Auburn
state prison. where he spent a week as
a prisoner. and at Sing Sing. where he
recently was made warden. DR.. Davis
said:
EVER one in New York State
knows Sing Sing as one of our
worst prisons, from the standpoint
OF bad discipline, inefficient manage
nsnt, and actual graft: II Mr.. Os-
borne can introduce even a partial
system of self-governInent there II
will prove his point.
When / was at Bedford Reforma-
tory | made some experiments with
self-goveTnment. Our girls were
permitted to run their various
houses in part by an honor system:
When / became commissioner Of
corrections under Mayor Mitchell.
every one thought 7 was going to
try 20 bring the millennium over at
Blac6uelEs Island by establishing a
complete system Of self-government
over there.
Mrs. Davis then drew a parallel be
tween self-Soyernment in prisons, at
colleges. and in New York State. She
continued:
After l heard a group Of men crit
ic'se me for not trying the plan
wholesale, went over TO the girls
reformatory. and at what | call my
Sunday school class. and others
term my class in sociology. I put
the questions squarely before the
girls: do YOU wish self-govern-
ment?"
The answers were highly illumi-
mating Those girls in one or two
Of the houses, where it had been
tried. were in favor OF Il. those
where it had been partially attempt
cd were divided, and those where il
had not been tried did not wish It
And these answers. under such cir
cymstances. formed the best sort OF
sufrrase argument I had heard for
some time.
Here Are Their Reasons.
Now those who did not want 1t
stated their reasons. Some said:
"Omcers are paid to govern US; why
should We bother" Others an
swered: We don't think women
should govern women: II doesn't
seem natural Another group ana
a large one, said: We are so oc-
cupied with thinking OF what We
Will CO when we get out that We
haven't time 10 experiment hore.~
And many sad: we can't trust
CtheT girls. Fhey T4ll show partial
ity." Thereby proving that things
happen inside prison which some
ZINES occur in attempts at govern
mcnt NOn the outside.
Well, ] thought perhaps the fact
that women had not been trained
to govern, anyway. might play a
part in these replies. So put the
same questions up to the men And
got the same sort OF ansTers; ex-
cept. of course. that they didn't dis
claim the right Of their sex 90 gov
crn II they wished.
4 little later | was 1T Nassar Col
lcge where I am member q the
alumuae directors. The question Of
SELF government, you know. IL beng
aSitated there. ] was cSIled TO con
fer with 2 group Of faculty and stu
dent about the subject. Some OF the
girls favored student government.
Bat many OF them did not wish IT,
because teachers were paid for that
sort of thing. because they hadn't
time TO bother with 1t, because girls
might be partial, in short. FOR the