The Washington times., 1921-07-24
LEAGUE
Turns TO STAGE
PROPAGANDA
"The Penalty" Presented at
Oarrick. Is Plea Against
Capital Punishment.

What does Washington think OF
"The Penalty" the propaganda play
for the abolition OF the death penalty,
which was presented at special per-
Torrance OF the Garrick Players Sun
day evening. July II. at the Shubert-
Garrick Theater?
Oliver Hoyem. the author. who is
also executive secretary of the Wash
ington bureau OF the national com
mittee on prisons and prison labor.
the organization which shouldcred the
expenses Of the performance. Ia princi.
pally Interested In whether the propa.
ganda got across to the audience and
stood the object Of the play. others
grasped it completely. while some
were convinced by only one line or
one argument that the death penalty
should be abolished. All the criticisms,
all the MISUNDERSTANDING, and all
other comments are being assembled
by Mr.. Hoyem, and will be considered
in revising the play 80 as to make II
even more effective as a vehicle for
the propaganda against the death pen
atty.
No speech seems to have struck
deeper into the consciousness Of some
Of the audience than that OF the pris
oner in his talk to the chaplain in
the death cell. which reads:
Suppose / did kill man. Nobody
will benefit by my death. My family
will be thrown on charity or they may
resort to dishonest means of earning
a livelihood. IL l were allowed to
live and work in prison my family
would. get my wages. The family OF
the murdered man might also bene.
fit by my labor. Maybe / could give
some restitution, be Of some use %
the world. When a horse bites some
body you don't kill him. You pay for
the damages and muzzle the morse.
He is worth something. Isn't man
worth anything? Am / no worthless:
Maybe I am not as valuable as a
horse?
Wage for the prisoners at Occoquan
and Lorton Is one Of tho aims Of the
national committee on prisons and
prison labor. Productive Industries
have been established. but 1t II con-
tended that the prisoners will never be
fully efficient without the payment of
wage.
One of the lines Of 1.-The Penalty
aimed directly at members of Con-
gress. who attended the sketch by
invitation, reads:
Legislators dbn't seem to worry
much about who does their killing
and its effect on them, do they?"
This remark of the warden to the
assistant electrician In Scene II
brings out the fact that large
part of tho play Is q plea for con-
sideration by those In charage of
our prisons who are charged with
the additional job Of being State exc
cutioners.
Tho work of the national commit
tee on prisons and prison labor Is
not restricted to propaganda, and It's
interest in the abolition of the death
penalty is incidental to its general
work. In brief. IT Is trying to bring
about rational handling Of prisoners.
Obsolete methods, anuquated build
ings, brutal punishments and indus
trial exploita ton are being challeng-
ed and superseded by common-sense
methods Of administration. the appli-
cation of modern architecture and
hygiene. the application of psychoi-
ogy and psychiatry and Of productive
industry.
The general offices Of the commit
tee are in New York city. The Of
ficers and trustees are Adolph Lew
isohn. president; ID. 4. Stagg Within,
chairman. executive council; Perley
Morse, treasurer; Frederick A.
Goetze, Col. John H. Wigmore, Hugh
Frayne, trustees.