Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-27
JUDGE WARNER WAS
 SPEAKER AT NEW BRITAIN.
Advocated Establishment of State
 Farm For inebrates.

In New Britain on Tuesday evening, Judge F. M. Warner of Putnam was the speaker at a banquet given by the New Britain C. E. union and had for his subject a matter of public in tereEt of which he has long been an advocate, a State Farm for Inebriates. In part he said:
 ''I~ feel sometimes that the public does not fully understand the drunk ard. To be sure he is wilfully wicked and deliberately indulges Q, bad apTe- t1te but he is also 3, willing victim of bad system of law. Our absurd po- lice court and jail procedure educates him to become a Founder" He from himself He must quit drinking.
 Tn prose and poetry jails are dreaded; they are summed and any one would suppose that all people would try to keep out of them, but all this is changed so far as the "round- er'' is concerned The jail is his most comfortable home, and he likes to be there and frequently commits some offense on purpose to be sent up for a short term and be taken care of by sober men. Our jails are not Man Sions Of the Broken Hearted, they are Palace Hotels for lazy loafers and drunkards. The County Jail in Con- necticut with a few exceptions cannot prove that it is useful or profitable either to the state or to the convict. l tIS SIJ d1I ONST IIlS C01I6u E0LdIGS just now is Safety First This cry needs an additional phrase, Sober First. The public never will be safe until all hands are sober.
 From the best information can get there are 200O prosecutions for drunk enness a month, 24,000 a year, at cost of s10 each, making s24O,000: board paid by the state, $125,000; loss in wages 1000 inmates of jail at $500, to- tai S865,00Q, worse than wasted annu- ally.
 This police court system raises up a distinct class of Founders" The worst case I know is a man confined in a Connecticut County jail on re peated sentences since May, 1878. Thirty five years in jail for drunken ness! !
 But money loss is not the worst feature Of our jail system. The worst feature Is that the system does not and cannot in any way reform the inn prisOne0 man. No attempt is made to get him to change his mind, to make him determine to keep sober and earn hlS own living by steady work. There IS a way to save both men and money and the proposition I favor is to esta,b- fish a state farm for these ''drunkards'' to which they can be committed for a long term, say three or five years. with possible parole at the end of a year. Locate this farm in the vicinity of some large city which will furnish a market for the farm produce and enable the authorities to obtain trade teachers who could easily devote a small part of their day to teaching at the state farm.
 Let the institution be built and man. aged on the cottage system, say 20 or p in a cottage, and in these sur roundings, with plenty of outdoor la bOr, the drunkaTd can get on to his feet. Parole him and if he violates his parole bring him back, and keep him till he will decide to remain sober outside. If there are some of the in mates who cannot do farm work, then indoor labor could be provided.
 Some such plan has been success fuuy tried in Massachusetts and, other states.
 This measure is advocated by the board of charities and correction, by judges of police court, by many of our prosecuting attorneys, by a report of recent special commissioners, and by a large number of clergy of alll denom- nations. It has been most generously advocated by various newspapers of the state, who realize the failure of the present system and believe in the possibility of improvement.
 \ bill similar 10 the one to be intro duced was passed unanimously by both houses in 1913, but failed to re- ceive the governors signature. The only objection to the bill is the eX-
 
 raised for both good reasons and bad
 presume the bill will call for not more than $50, 900. and surely that will be a small sum to risk for such a wor- thy object, considering the inmTnse waste of the present system.
 Supreme Court Decision.
 Among three decisions handed down Tuesday at New Haven by the su- prene court of errors, in two of which error was found. the only New London county case was in the suit of the Washington Trust company Vs. the Norwich and Westerly Traction com pany. No error was found.
 Skating at Mohsaan Park.
 There was ice at the 0Iohegan park pond on Tuesday, but Supt. John Duff considered it advisable to keep the skaters off till the next day They Will be allowed to skate today.