Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-04-01
Investigating the workhouse.

Tho mOvo fOf tOIWA IuVSeti8AeiOu
into conditions at tho New Castle County
Workhouse was started before the Legs
lature at Dover, this week. by the pres
entation TO House committee OF
report prepared by committee OF tho
Central Labor Union Of this city the result
of an inquiry. The statements contained
in this report include ed matters observed
by the committee, and testimony mainly
gathered from those who had been IN
mates of tho institution. This testimony
was very startling, some of it SO lurid as
to excite natural incredulity. The as
sertion that a brutal guard fired six shots
into the body OF Negro prisoner and
then boasted of his bloody deed will not
be generally believed without substantial
tion by unomstioned proof. The work.
house is not such a closed cell as TO allow
the perpetration of a cnme OF this magni-
tude without outside knowledge and
prompt investigation and action by tine
State authorities.
While the intentions Of the members OF
the Central Labor Union Committee
which conducted ahis investigation are
praiseworthy and undoubtedly honest, II
must be borne in mind that the investi-
CATION they conducted was entirely OK
parte. Also, il was not buttressed by the
legal authority necessary to clothe the
committee with the power to summon
witnesses and compel their attendance,
and to take testimony under cath OF
affirmation. They had TO rely upon un-
sworn and unsupported statements by
men whose influence was naturally ana
| propcrlv discounted from the outset by
| the fact that they were convicts who had
undergone imprisonment Tor vioiauohs
of the law That the mental processes
Of such men naturally run counter To
the management of all reformatory IN
| stitutions, and incline TO make them bitter
in their hostility to prison ofhclais' u
well-known. Also, it is well established
that most Of them enjoy the notoriety That
attaches TO them in such situations. ana
are not averse to making their stories as
lurid as the limits of their imaglnations
and the intensity of their hatreds VIII
extend. for the effect they may produce
It would not do. therefore, to accept at
| face value such testimony. taken under
no legal restrictions, and in the absence
Of the usual safeguards that attend legally
authorized and legally conducted invosti-
CATION of public institutions. No matter
! how sound NAV be the motives behino
such Investigations their conclusions must
inevitably be received with hesltatlons
and coubt, and cannot be accepted as
truthful before being subjected to striet
ANALYSIS and crcss-examinatlon.
Still. it is fact beyond dispute tha'
conditions at the New Castle County
Workhousc have not been of the most
assuring character for a long time to
say tho least Enough has been known
bv facts and circumstances coming To
| light at times-thc sale Of tuhcrcuious
cattle bv the trustees instead ot dlsposai
bv slaughter and incincration: the various
evidences Of lax discipline. and loose
supervision that reached startling Gilman
in the amazingly easy escape oi Price
the condemned murderer, short time
before the dav set for his cXecuton-ail
went 10 show there was not the efficiency
and care in the management OF the work
house that such institutions should alwaNS
have. And the vcryful, report OF the Nc"
! Castle county grand jury, following MS
investigation Of the escape Of Price. was
plain evidence that things were not as
they should be.
That a thorough, efficient and searching
/ investigation into conditions at the work
house should be made is the opinion OF
MANY of our citizens. and il is spparent
that such an investigation can only De
had under legislative authority. Inc
members of the Legislature cannot ahord
TO accent the ex parte report submitted oy
the labor committee. based largely On the
unsworn and unsupported testimony oi
| ex-conyicts. II cannot even afford TO
unouestioningly accept the report OF the
grand jury, which also was OK pAi' anu
conducted in secret But it can afford
to appoint a commission composed oi
able and fairminded citizens. clothed with
ample authority to summon witnesses
compel their attendance, require the pro-
ductiop ofbooks and records, and admins
ter oath OF affirmation to all witnesses. 1t
can also provide for public soss.cns by the
commission, with ample opportunity Tor
hearing both sides of the controversy.
And this the Legislature should do.
Thereby all the facts of the workhouse
situation would be made known, and the
way to reform and the inauguration oil
such system of supervision and admins
tration as the institution needs clearly
pointed out.
Admiral Mayo tells the Senate ccmmt-