Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-03-04
IONES' AID HITS
REGIME Of ORD
Governor Harrington Presented
Summary OF House OF Cor
rection Hearing
CONTROL BOARD SCORED

troll have failed 20 meet their Obliga-
tons ID the state and that Warden
William Lankford mas made material
improvements In the way Of paint.
whitewash and heating. but .has lit
tie idea Of improving human beings, Z
are two declarations made In sum
mary Of the proceedings OF the In
ouiry into the conduct OF the House Of
Correction presented TO Governor
Harrington by the Prisoners Aid So
ciety.
Tie investigation of the House oi
Correction was stsrted by d report on
The conditions at that institution made
.by the September grand jury The
grand jury made no effort TO follow
up the case and were not represented
at the hearings after the first session
when the three committeeman, who
made the inspection apan which tn
report WIS based. gave thsir tsstI-
mpny. The matter of prosecuting the
case was taken up bv the Prisoners
Aid society. which was represented
By Raymond s. Williams as counsel
President John n. Carey. liz the So
ciety, vas also La daily attendance.
Puts 1t Up no Governor
Calling attention first to the law OF
1916, creating the Board Of Prison Con
troll. and which, 1t ls claimed, was de
signed to secure reforms III the con.
duct Of the states penal Institutions.
the report then puts the matter
squarely up to the governor The
Ioard has large powers under II tfhe
Act OF 19161, says the report, sufiic-
lent fn the hands Of high minded. pub
Iic-spirited men, interested In the ref
ormation Of the erriHg 20 bring about
d new era In the prisons Of Maryland
You, sir. we're the governor upot
whom deyolved the responsibility and
To whom came the opportunity 10 ap
point the men who should have tho
privilege OF performing this fine piece
of public service and putting the pris-
ons of Maryland III the van of modern
progress. You appointed Mr. Charles
Il. Crane, who became chairman. Or,
J. Hubert Wade, who became treas
nrer. and Frank Metzerott as the mi
nority member
Mr.. Crane, II ne has had any par
ticular interest in the welfare Of the
weaker members Of society. the only
known evidence of Il ID the fact Of his
long connection with the Weyler ad-
ministration or the penitentiary. q
regime Of which one dare not use q
more charitable expression than that
1t was thoroughly archaic and dis
credited, d relic Of the past DR.. Wade
of Washington county. had previously
been appointed on the Advisory Board
of Parole By virtue Of his name being
one Of the three inserted by the legis-
1ature. He Was one Of the less active
members og the board.
Mr.. Metzsrott has been Interested
in institutional management and the
welfare of the unfortunate for twenty
years, but We have Mr. Cranes word
that Mr. Metzerott has differed from
the majority of the board from the
start, This was the grolp which you
chose, sort of combination very fa-
miIiar to students og administrative
methods Of the previous century,
Its Opinion of Lankford
of Warden Lankford the report
says
..'rhe majority Of the board prompt
ii selected for warden William E.
l.ankford, the man who was dis
charged by the House of Correction
board appointed BY Governor Colds
borough and who had been taken care
Of meanwhile by the Advisory Board
Of Parole
Here ID position which calls for
the highest sort OF skill in dealing
with the most puzzling forms of dis
ease, mental and physical dealing
with down-and-out' men and women.
where the finest intelligence and iudg-
ment are required to determine where
stern Justice Is called for and where
Kindness ond trust reposed will bring
results Ia reformation and rehabiIita-
ton. Ii would Be q bold man who
would claim that Mr. LankEord ii such
al administrators.
There lis abundant evidence. con-
tinues the report '.that extreme cruel
III does not generally prevail, but such
Incidents as the brutal blow given q
young ccloged Kiri by ) club II the
hand oE i guard. the dragging of .
viri across 1nB bridge and the Gun
ing up. I I. which vas testified to indi-
cate j continuance Of the theory Of
forcs contested VII hths more hu-
nane no6ern methods
grasses 0mR Csnp ehensionS
~One 81 the most slgnIncalnt mat
tors hr0uehs ont was the transfer d
0ysr 81 wpmsa prisoners, with thear
rnasrun, from shp penitenttasy 70 TIE
EEonaa 0f cuFrecgI ID. 's.ss nuiaber oi
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