The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-13

nent Of the dependent. defective and
classes. We base rms be-
lief on the following considerations
First. The taiI ~ the city 81 Rich
memd, Ike all other tafis Of Its
kfnd. y antiauated. Inefficient apd
Has absolutely mot one redeemsng
feature nor reftrRfng fnduenee
upon the men and wonen confined
there. There. In the close. Initiated
atmoAphere, naen and women are
eenAnea vvfthout nny proper ciassi-
acnffent the tubereu1ous and dfs-
essea prisosers befnk often corr
Anea In ~the same cell With those
N gocA health. The inebrfnfe, who
also n diseased man md not
necessarily . eriminal, II commit
ted and recommittea again and
again. These reporters Number
about 90 per cent Of our jail pop
ulation ranging from two to TWEEN
ty-foar commitments In two years.
In this jau the hrst offender n Of
ten confined In the most intsmnte
Relationship with the hardened
criminal and the institution be-
comes q seminary OF crime and
vice. These prisoners MI spend
their dime In idleness and are
Lodged. fed. clothed and given med-
fcal attention nj the cost of the
state.
wonId Correct the EVIL.
The proposed municipal farm woult
correct this evil and relieve the city
Of guilt against poor, misguided. mis-.
The city should act upor
the pricfple that II is the duty o.
every man to make his own living and
these men and women should be sent
to the farm and given work. hard
work, In the open air with good, clean
sanitary quarters.
The City OF Washington. d. c.. hat
model farm of this char
acter at Occoquan, Virginia, where tht
prisoners themselves erected the neces
sary buildings, constructed six miles
OF good roadway, cleared FIVE hun
bred acres Of land and reclaimed then
them by using ten thousand tons ol
fertilizer from the government stable.
ut Washington. cut more than mil
lion feet of lumber. built pens to &C
$50 hogs and made hot
beds to raise ten thousand plants, bull
a brick plant with a capacity for forty.
thousand bricks day. This plant now
supplies the city with brick. partition
and sewer tile. They, have also erected
a stone crusher completed last year
that will furnish the city with tw,
yards OF crushed stone daily
These two plants have an earning ca,
pacity of one hundred thousand dollars
The superintendent of thii
declares that ninety per cen
of the normal men and boys com
mitted to this institution can be saved
Another Pressing Need.
Second Another pressing need car
be. provided for on this farm in |
separate. independent unit and that Il
a detention home and school for incor,
rigihle boys. There passes through
our Juvenile Court every week boyi
who are not yet vicious, nor criminal
They are delinquent. because of feeble
or their home condition.
to their delinquency. The,
are not bad enough TO be sent to |
and yet they ought no
TO be put on probation and returne'
to their homes because these homel
lack proper environment and parenta
restraint Unless the city builds this
home and school by this same labor
these boys will become dope nends
criminals and parasites o
the future.
Third. In another separate and in
unit we cap provide for tn
INDECENT poor and make them Target.
self -supporting and self-respecting b,
working them In the gardens raisin'
vegetables and small fruit and caring
for poultry yards. etc.
Fourth. The tuburcuious could her
be segregated and possibly cured. o
at least taught to care for themselve
so as not to spread the White Plagu
among the healthy. The city has on1,
just provided for few colWed tn