New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-19
WHITMAN IN PLOT,
OSBORNE SAYS
Ex-Warden Cheered as He
Calls Prison Department
Political Football

Before one Of the strangest audi
ences which ever assembled at a poll
teal meeting, one that packed Cooper
Union to capacity and left crowds out
side struggling for admission, Thomas
Mott Osborne. former warden of Sing
Sing, last night opened his public at
tack on Governor Whitman. James NJ.
Carter. superintendent of prisons, was
strong second as target for Mr..
Osborne's criticism.
Ex-convicts reformed criminals
from every walk of underworld life
turned out in force to hear the former
warden. They greeted his remarks with
sslvos Of applause when Mr.. Osborne
charged Governor Whitman with har-
RAISING and hampering efforts at
effectual prison reform in Sing Sing
and seeking TO create a political foot
ball of the prison department.
Osborne Asks Questions.
81 want to ask the Governor a few
questions" declared Mr.. Osborne in
conclusion after he had reviewed III
detail what he charges were Mr.. whit
mans deliberate efforts to discredit
the Sing Sing honor system.
what do you mean, Mr.. Governor,
by prison reform? Do you stand Tor
the Clinton, Great Meadows or the
Sing Sing standard OF prison Ideals !;
You never stood for the Mutual
Welfare League at Sing Sing. Do you
contend your promise to me that there
would be no politics in the prison has
been kept?
"If the Governor will answer those
questions | will ask him some more
Mr.. Osborne charged the Governor
With n distortion of facts when, he
said. Mr.. Whitman had stated he had
hacked up the former warden in his
prison reform ideas.
"Goyernor Whitman is not right or
truthful when he says he backed me
up. He believes in the old idea OF re-
taliatory measures on prisoner. lie
is antagonistic to the system at Auburn
and at Sing Sing because he doesn't
believe in it."
Mr.. Osborne assailed the treatment
of prisoners at Clinton prison as bar
barous and inhumane," and styled the
Great Meadows "honor" methods moth
ing but the sentimental extreme OF the
old prison system" The warden, he
asserted, boasts of his complete stool
pigeon system and trusts nothing to
= the prisoners honor.
The speaker read extracts from
speeches and articles by Governor
/ Whitman praising the Great Meadows
/ system as the highest attainment in
prison reform.
The former warden assailed Mr.. Car
ter as working hand in hand with the
Governor to destroy real prison reform,
and addressed publicly these questions
to the Prison Superintendent:
"Do you believe. Superintendent
/ Carter. in the system at Clinton, or
do you believe in the system at Great
Meadow, or do you believe in the sys-
tenn at Sing Sing? Which? You can't
believe in all three. You can't believe
in two, any more than man can be-
lieve in a lie and the truth at the same
time. You can't say that q thing is
both black and white. 1t must be
either one or the other; II can't be
/ both.
"Now, Superintendent Carter, which
system do you believe in? | demand
an answer in the name Of the people
| Of the State of New York.
81 demand to know what you mean
when you say that the workable and
practicable phases of the league should
/ be continued? What are the workable
and practicable phases of the league
And do you mean, will be continued OF
simply they ought TO be continued, but
will not be7"
While Mr. Osborne was speaking
Spencer Miller, q former deputy war
den Of Sing Sing, addressed an over
flow meeting outside the hall. He ex'
tolled the work Of Mr.. Osborne in the
prison and added confirmation to the
former warden's charges of political
interference with his convict welfare
plans.