The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-10-01
IS GUILTY
| when IT ALLOWS
WRONG To GO ON
indianapolis Jurist Hits At
titude of Society Toward
Criminals.

LAPORTE, Ind, Oct. speaking
before the state conference Of Charities
and Corrections today. Judge James
A. Collins of the Marion Criminal
Court, at Indianapolis. explained In
what way the state has become great
offender against thhe persons convict
ed of crime, and their dependents.
He declared that whenever state
permits wrongs and abuses to exist
within its borders then the state Itself
becomes an offender, and that in spite
of the old legal maxim that ''the state
can do no wrong" In the course OF his
address he said:
The Jail was never intended to
serve as a prison, and so long as the
state permits its jails to be used as
prisons, so long will she continue to be
an offender And the jail problem will
remain with us SO long as the state
countenances the piece of petty polit-
ical graft-paying sheriffs forty cents
day for feeding prisoners" The
speaker advocated the state furnishing
the food instead of the sheriff doing
SO
Contract Labor" Hit.
The system of contract labor" in
Inns and he declared it never had been
the intention of the writer's of the
Indiana constitution that corporations
and individuals should wax rich on
the labor OF the states delinquents."
Continuing he said that poverty and
misery should never be increased by
depriving the dependents of convicts
of their only means of support, leav-
fr10 oh al mil
ance.
The uses of labor at the Indiana
prisons to repair, and if necessary
build railroad cars was suggested by
Judge Collins as possible useful occu
patton for persons sent to the prisons
He argued that the regular factories
and foundries in that work would be
relieved to a certain extent Of the
present pressure upon them.
Comparing forward steps in care Of
prisoners, taken in Indiana and other
states, Judge Collins said:
I'VE in Indiana are not so far be-
hind our sister states in working out
the problem of inmate labor, but the
weakness in our system Is failure to
provide for either the inmate or his
family to enjoy little of the fruit of
his labor"
Butler IL Speaker.
Another speaker at today's session
of the conference was Amos w But
Ter. secretary of the State Board of
Charities and Corrections. He dis
cussed the demands which will be
made on the social agencies because
of the war According to his view
many extraordinary situations and de-
mands will have to be met.
Call the lines of human activity will
have to be recast," he said. There
will be different perspective. There
is little out of our experience we can
call our aid. The work Of the Red
Cross in Canada and Europe will af-
ford the best guide"
Mr.. Butler declared there must be
an army of mercy to fight at home and
in the hospitals the pitiable battles of
life and death against disease and the
tendency toward lax moral condition
due in both public and private even
NOR vigorously than before the war
The best possible organization of the
agencies which carry on such work,
both at home and abroad. must be at
tanned. Mr.. Butler said He made
number of suggestions as to how the
Nork IN view might De assisted.
The program for today included
number of other addresses Among
the speakers were DR. Paul F. Bowers,
in charge of the Indiana colony of
Criminal Insane: Charles f. Talking
ton. superintendent of the Indiana
State Farm; DR.. Alfred f. Henry, pres
fdent of the Indiana Society of the
Study and Prevention of tuberculosis,
and ". Frank Parsons. director of civ
ilian relief American Red Cross.
Washington
The convention will close tomorrow
evening