The Washington times., 1920-09-30
WOMEN WANT
PRISON PROBE
Alice Paul Flags Brownlow and
Declares 0oooquan Is "Na-
tionaI Disgrace"


humiliation to which they were sub
jeeted during the war. suffrage forces
; under the direction of Miss Alice
| Paul, militant leader OF nearly 200
members OF the National Women's
Party sentenced to District penal in
stitutions for picketing the White
, House are organizing for a nation
wide campaign for prison reform.
=. The District prison system will be
the hrst target OF the Nationals Wom-
ems Party, Miss Paul declared today,
characterizing conditions to which
the suffrage pickets were submitted
as disgrace to American institu-
tions"
Charging collusion between former
Commissioner Louis Browniow and
the committee on prison reform and
prison labor, Miss Paul declared that
the women OF her party would de-
mand an investigation OF that COM
mittee's report on prison conditions
in the District of Columbia covering
q period of ten years.
SCORES "wHITEwAsHING."
Commissioner Brownlow got this So
called reform committee to give him
= iwhltewashing before he retired from
office, after turning deaf ear to every
appeal for justice that we made" Miss
Paul declared. 'The investigation was
made at his own invitation, with the
usual result Of all such inyestig ations.
Affidavits were submitted to Oliver
Hoyem, secretary of The Washington
headquarters OF the committee were
returned to us unopened. We were
denied voice, and the true facts
about conditions were deliberately
left out of the report.
III there is any man responsible for
conditions in the District jail and at
Occoquan to which 166 OF our
pickets were compelled to submit,
that man is Louis Brownlow.
PLAN FULL EXPOSE.
1--WE intend to reveal the Congress
the truth about conditions as they
were. We don't intend to let anyone
escape responsibility
Miss Paul did not venture to pre-
dict how far the newly emancipated
women intend to carry their fight for
prison reform, but one thing is cer-
tain. They intend to give Congress no
rest until an investigation of. condi-
tions here and elsewhere is ordered.
Reserving comment on the present
board of District Commissions, Miss
Paul declared, however, that 'the
whitewashing of the Brownlow ad-
ministration is not. likely to serve as
an incentive to the new members of
the board TO take II upon themselves
to investigate conditions with a view
TO remedying them" ..
When Congress convenes in Decem-
Der suffrage leaders will present
, long bill of complaint against the
District institutions and against the
Committee on Prison Reform and
Prison Labor Miss Paul called the
report of that committee which said
that Congress has every, reason to
be proud" of the District of Colum-
bia Jail system, "a blot on the Ma
tional Capital"
COLLECTING AFFIDAyITS.
Under the direction of Miss Gather
inc Flanagan. who served month at
Occoquan, sffidavits are being col
lected from every woman sentenced
here.
FIogging, forcible feeding of seven
ty women, solitary imprisonment,
"man-handling," abuse and gross
neglect, and unclean food, are some
of the counts in their bill of COM
plant. Anidavits already collected
do not conflne themselves entirely to
: conditions affecting the suffrage pris-
oners. .Ea..,.
Unsanitary conditions, lack OF pro-
per medical attention, the quartering
of diseased patients with healthy
ones, and frequent use of handouts
and chains are other conditions which
the suffrage leaders claim they will
bare before they get through with
their campaign
THE whole system in the District
Institutions needs changing" Miss
Flanagan declared. 1T is interesting
to note that the report shows a pioN
ture OF the model dairy at Occoquan.
Despite the fact that there Is an
abundance of pure milk, not drop
is served at the institution. The re-
port does not mention that, of course y
CALL 1T "NATIoNAL DISGRACE"
Further charges were made that the
system that prevails at Occoquan
doesn't give prisoner a chance to
become a better citizen. Instead of
being a model for the country, they
claim the District Jail and workhouse
Is "a national disgrace"
I'VE know of no better way of be-
ginning our crusade for reform than
by starting right here in Washing
ton. where we know OF conditions by
actual experience Miss Flanagan
said
Hundreds OF letters demanding in
yestiRation of prison conditions here
have been received from all parts
of the country, within the last month
after ratification OF the suffrage
amendment. when the national con-
Vention convenes, Miss Paul intends
10 take a Arm stand with regard to
the proposed Congressional investiga-
tion.
.Jf conditions are what Mr. Brown
low declared them to be before he
retired, an investigation by Congress
will bring them out" was all that one
OF the leaders would comment.
PLAN APPROPRIATIONS.
while the Investigation which the
rouen are demanding would deal