The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-09-11
ABOLISH the PEN|TEMTIinY.
HEAD OF PRISON WITHOUT
LOCKS SAYS PLACE ALL
STATE CONVICTS ON
FARM.
Magistrate FOwlcs and Commissioners
Watson Speak and Paper by Cokcr
Read.

II
whitaker. superintendent of the Dis
trict of Columbia prison farm. i'm q
lecture before the Conference OF
Charities and Corrections. Mr.. Whit
taker said that monument ought to
be erected to Superintendent Griffith
of the penitentiary for making the in
stitution self-supporting. The speak
or declared that South Carolina was
I'm an excellent position to do some
thing conservatively toward criminal
reform. since 1t already had the land
on which to work them.
Gov. Manning. Speaker Hoyt, of the
house. and other men Of prominence
were interested listeners to Mr.. Whit
takers lecture, on the District of CO.
iumbia farm, a prison without locks
or bars. on which 900 women convict
ed OF minor crimes are now perform
ing productive labor.
Mr.. Whitaker made 1t clear that he
believed In keeping convicts under
the strictest discipline taking little
stock In placing them under an honor
system. He said though only 30 Der
cent of his guards at the District
prison farm carry revolvers. very few
of his prisoners try to escape. The
punishment for insubordination Is
confinement In a we'll lighted cell o. or
bread and water. until such time as
the prisoner relents for escaping. The
prisoners, after recapture, are confin-
ed In a cell for the remainder of their
term.
Mr.. Whittaker's lecture was pro-
fusely illustrated with screen pic
lures Of his plant; all of the build
ings on the farm were Of wood mex
pensively constructed. He said that 1t
was mistake to erect expensive
buildings of brick and stone at pris.
ons.
An interesting feature of the meet
ing last night was the strong case
made out for the need Of q reforma-
tory In South Carolina for white fe-
male delinquents. The case was made
by speakers from several parts of tn.
state and letters received from judges
ara officers by the State board OH
charities and corrections.
The session or South Carolina Con.
ference of Charities and Corrections
anu the Conference OF the Common
Good this morning was featured by
paper read by James H. Fowles,
magistrate Of Columbia township. In
which he condemned the thirty-day
sentence and advocated the indeter-
inmate sentences; by an inspiring ad-
dress by Commissioner f. j. Watson,
i'm which he traced the benefits cotton
planters had derived from the condi-
tion caused by the war. and by pa
per written by David II. .Coker. and
read by the Rev. Hugh X. Murchison.
In which he announced the results of
some important experiments in seed
selection.
Commissioner Watson made In his
address a clear presentation of the
causes brought about by the Euro
pean war. which had lead the farmers
OF the Southeastern Atlantic coast
States to curtail the use Of commercial
fertilizer and to go back to primary
and natural methods of soil building.
Commercial fertilizer is patent
medicine the farmers administered to
their sick soil In the effort to make
1t do days work." declared MIR.
Watson. This patent medicine was
administered In increasing quantities
until the European war came. The
condition II brought with It made us
come to our senses with jerk. We
are coming on out OF our embarrass.
ment by leaps and bounds. Last year
every farmer was shackled hand and
foot by our long term credit system.
He felt the full weight of his chains
when the European war brought de-
moralization in the money market.
While the farmers chains were CALLING
him we started to preach the doctrine
OF bringing the soil back to fertility
by natural means and the doctrine of
living ut home. AS a result our arti.
iicial fertilizer bill has decreased by
two-thirds and more foodstuffs have
been grown I'm South Carolina than
ever before.
In his paper Mr.. Coker said that
plants were like animals, in which
they bred to type. He declared that
the work OF the plant breeder had
been an exceedingly important contri-
button TO the welfare of the race. He
announced that as n result Of careful
experiments he had made he was