The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-12-14
FRENSDORF WILL SUP
PORT PRISON PLATFORMS

nothing TO consider, except whether
our most ignorant present conditions
were TO continue, the whole question
would he solved the first day that the
| legislature was in session.
IF the sorrow, grief, and privation,
to say nothing of the reproduction OF
deformed, blind, deaf and dumb,
| feeble-minded and epileptics, were
never considered and was just as
straight financial proposition put up
10 the people as TO whether they
wished TO continue system OF breed
| ing that made the most inferior off.
spring at an annual expense OF AS
600 900 per year in our state. there is
no doubt as to what the people would
demand in the way of legislation.
"This total does not take into &C
count what is expended in private hos
pitfalls and special treatments. IL does
not touch the cost or danger or hay-
ing degenerates at large, contaminat'
ing society and making life miserable
/ for themselves and every one VINO Is
Obliged to come into contact with
them. When hogs are Threatened
with cholera, cattle with the foot and
mouth disease, sheep with grub in
I the head, and poultry with gapes, we
take alarm and after we have ex-
hausted all of the talent in Michigan,
we appeal 10 Washington and get aid
to help us stamp out the various dis
eases. Why? Because II costs too
much 10 maintain the plaques.
IF the public gave as much con-
sideration to the present generation,
and those TO follow, as Is given to
the hogs, we would have little trouble
| in radically reducing the number OF
! inmates in state institutions, instead
of multiplying their number as rapid
! ly as any system could.
THE question is exasperatingly
simple, yet for some reason, most
every public man sidesteps il. In or
der to demonstrate the inadequacy oil
the present system, would ask, how
did they fight the yellow fever in the
south? Did they permit as many
cases TO develop as possible and then
use the taxpayers money to build
I hospitals TO treat the unfortunates
and perhaps erect Jew cures2 No,
they killed the germs" and eradi-
Gated the causes that lead up TO this
awful plague. and this in my opinion
| Is the only way in which the vast
number of degenerates in our state
| institutions can be reduced. Don't
you believe il Is the only reasonable
way? OF course. you will say, treat
the problem the same way as they
handled the yellow fever IN the south,
not try to effect cures after 1t Is too
late and the damage has been done
but kill the germ The danger OF
turning the physically and mentally
unfit upon society to contaminate and
degrade is enough, but when We per-
nit them to reproduce and multiply
! Il is quite incOnceivabfe for an en-
| lightened public to tolerate.
Many muchneeded changes will be
considered by the penology commits
sion before the legislature convenes,'
continued Mr. Frensdorf, land all rec
concentrations In the way 81 legisla-
ton will be- based on well4thought-out,
workable and practical plans. The
ory Is one thing--operatio quite an
other. Plans and ideas are advocated
end almost insisted upon by we'll.
meaning persons They often sound
good but are impracdcable NothinR
or that sort is going to he done by
this commission. you may depend on
that"