Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-11-10

listened last Thursday evening to the
Informal account that Mr. Osborne gave
of his work at Sing Sing came TO the
conference with the notion that the war
den was administering his office under
system OF sentimentalty, the result
must have been thorough disabuBing
of the mind OF all such idea. The warden
Is not built along sentimental lines. His
entire bearing is one OF dignity, which
expressed itself both In what he said and
In the way he said IT, and gave the lie
to any such conception OF him as that he
would seek 20 fulfil his relations to the
convicts by a policy OF coddling.
The point was made by himself and by
others who took part In the conference
that the punitive system that mas been
In vogue I'm Sing Sing. as in other penal
institutions. is convicted OF inefficiency
by the poor quality OF It's results One OF
tho conferees. o Judge I'm the court of
general sessions, stated that of the Grim
mails that came before him for sentence,
30 per cent had been sentenced before at
least once and In some cases twice, three
times and even up to ten times
A system that can show no better work
than that is self-condemnatory II some
different policy can be suggested that
gives even slight promise OF yielding bet
ter results It stands 20 reason that It
should be experimental with and thor
oughly tried out The difference after all
between the policy that Warden Osborne
has adopted and the one which he has
displaced Is far more a matter OF manner
than OF matter
One Of the gentlemen present asked him
IN give hiafnHxy Of
ances. first as things we're under the OLD
regime and then as they are under the
new. The difference between the two 10
far less than good many Of the warden's
critics seem to suppose.
The inmates are allowed 10 talk 10
each other at their meals. In view Of
the unsanitary and altogether contemp-
tible inadequaey OF the cells they are al
lowed the freedom Of the grounds as far
as Is compatible with the requisite disci-
pline Of the institution
Under the old dispensation they were
treated simply as criminals TO be pun
ished. Under the new they are still
treated as criminals 10 be punished, but
also as men 10 be so dealt with that
when they graduate they shall no longer
be a public NUISANCE but become a public
benefit They are recognized as bad and
yet not so altogether bad as TO afford no
residuum Of manly decency TO be dealt
with and fostered
Although no allusion was made 70 the
fact In the warden's address there IA
something In the situation which has not
come 70 open statement and full public
recognition. There is no larger element
OF leniency in Mr.. Osbornes policy than
there Is In that OF Warden Homer in the
Great Meadow State prison at Comstock
In fact. there is not anywhere nearly as
much.
can speak Of Great Meadow from per.
sonal knowledge acquired by HAVING
spent considerable time on the grounds
and In association with the convicts. But
there are no criticisms passed on Grea,
Meadow. Warden Homer Is not beinn
excoriated. The newspapers are not oele.
brating his sentimentality.
There Is an animus in the minds OF
the original authors OF criticism that does
not proceed from any anxiety lest the
convicts should not be dealt with with
sufficient severity. In that fact lies the
real nub OF the situation