New-York tribune., 1918-05-26
Former Advocates Of
IronDiscipline" Ap-
prove Fewer Bars
and More Play for
Interned Youths

took 140 of these sea police to guard
ITO prisoners.
Under the system, as in Sing Sing
under the old system, men became
worse instead of better and when their
time was up left to reenter civil
life damning the navy and everything
connected with it, just as men used to
leave Sing Sing, damning everybody
and everything in anyway connected
with their degradation.
Rather than a scrapheap it was
place where men, most of them little
more than mere boys and accused of
nothing civilian would consider very
serious, were scrapped.
To change this Osborne set about
organizing a welfare league, just as in
Auburn and Sing Sing. Some slight
notifications were necessary to meet
different conditions and some conces-
slons were also necessary to navy prac-
tice and prejudice, but the underlying
principle was the same. This was at
first called the Naval Welfare League.
with Mr.. Osborne and Ensign Austin
| Mccormick, who quit teaching at Bow
doin College to become his assistant,
as its guiding spirits
Naturally the prisoners welcomed
the change-prisoners always welcome
anything that at least promises nov
city. The others at the yard adopted
the attitude of men born on the banks
of the muddy Missouri-they wanted a
fair test of the system to decide as to
its value. That is, all except the ma
rines. For once the marines could
not be told. They knew that anything
which tended to restrict the ancient
privilege of marines to lord it over
prisoners could not fail to destroy the
very foundations of the navy, and that.
alas! in time of war
They saw proof of the impending
catastrophe when the prison command
ant showed tendency to talk things
over with the accused before passing
sentence, sometimes taking the posi-
tion that minor rules are as sacred
as the Decalogue. Like other guards
in civil life they agreed that the pris-
oners were being mollycoddled to no
good purpose. They were positive of
this when the rule Of silence was abro-
gated and the men given the unheard of
privilege of playing ball and other
games for hours at time in the open.
However, nothing worse than fewer
/ men on sick call and fewer on report
for violations resulted. Also there was
less work for the marines, though the
prison population was mounting by
leaps and bounds.
1t mounted so fast that the prison
could not accommodate all. To house
them Osborne asked and obtained per
mission to erect new buildings in which
there should be no locks and no bars
just ordinary barracks with the men
on honor (and in the care of officers
selected by themselves from their own
ranks) not to attempt escapes or dis
orderly conduct generally. In these
barracks the older men in the prison
who have shown a desire to go straight
have been quartered, leaving the cells
in the prison proper for the newer
arrivals and those who violate the
rules of the league, now called the
Mutual Welfare League.
Later in the day 1 saw the entire
prison, divided into two groups, swarm
over the parade grounds, playing base
ball, throwing the medicine ball about
or "chinning" under the trees. Again
the only outward sign of authority
was lone marine who did not seem
to take it amiss that officers of the
Mutual Welfare League saw to it that
no one got out of bounds. Most of
the prisoners were mere boys whose
most serious offence was careless in
fraction of rules which in time of war
must be respected.
knew pretty we'll what they thought
of the system, but I did want the opin
ion of one who might qualify as an
expert. I found him in the person of
bluejacket, not prisoner, who will
soon be eligible to retirement.
what do you think of it?" asked
him.
"Well, sir" he answered, ~ think
it's good thing. I'm not so sure
but 'twould be good thing for all
of the youngsters coming into the
service to do bit here before being
assigned to duty. They get for one
thing better idea of what rules and
regulations are, anyway. Then they
learn that if they get into trouble it's
ninety-nine times out of hundred
their own fault and they go back to
duty better men than when they came
here. Not doubt of that, sir"
Don't you think they're coddled too
much ?"
~ haven't seen any coddling, sir,
though there may be. What really
happens to them is that they find
themselves; they are shaken down, you
might say, just as new ship is. I've
seen many a good lad lost to the navy
and himself in the old days that would
have made splendid sailor if he had
been given the chance they now get
here. Not that a boy doesn't get
square show in the navy. I've seen
mighty few officers that weren't dead
squsre, but all of US is likely to get
in a bit of bother and-well, prisons
are always necessary. Only thing is
this one is different now"
The system makes it possible for
more marines to be in on these great
I>:- n-1 -& T.