The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-02-18

made q criminal better, though it has
made many more careful; some to the
extent of their behaving themselves
and some to the effect of making them
harder TO catch; and to a few it has
attached such burden that they have
found it impossible to ever stand up
again as honest men,
On the other hand, the honor sys-
tenn has been handicapped by the lack
of competent men to carry it out. The
position of prison guard or overseer
is one that is craved by few that have
the mental and physical ability to be
beth strong and merciful A rare
combination of both virtues is needed,
for there are few convict gangs that
have not some men who do not mis-
understand and impose on merciful
justice, and there are only two ways
of controlling such men-one is the
gun and the club; the other is strong
personality in the manager backed by
good sense in at least strong mi
nority of the convicts. 1t is easier To
find the minority, or even a majority,
in the convicts than the man who
knows how to use it to a good advan-
tage.
Our personal belief is that the honor
system is the best, but it seems yet
in its infancy. and until a much larger
number of men are educated to the
work it will be weak and faulty. There
are of course men-those convicted of
the most heinous crimes-who the
honor system cannot touch. A man
sentenced to death is shut off from it,
and we do not think a man who has a
life sentence should come within its
scope. In fact. we do not believe in
fife sentences. A man who has COM
riitted crime bad enough to shut him
Up for life has been bad enough to
die, and if not put to death by the law
s,iere are seven chances in ten that he
viii be pardoned or escape. The very
construction of the honor system
makes it possible for a man to escape,
and if he is in for life he is foolish
not to try it; it can't make him any
worse of.
What has so strongly aroused pub
lie sentiment against the honor sys-
tenn has been the Mendenhall case.
His application for pardon brought
out many stories to the effect that he
was better off in the penitentiary than
many honest men in their homes.
Coupled with this was stories of lax
discipline at the state prison farm, and
a good many escapes. 1t has been re-
ported that the trucks used for work
or the farm were used lately to haul
most of the men to nearby town to
see ball game. What capped the
climax, in this county at least, were
the events of a few days ago when
negro who had escaped from the farm
appeared here and committed several
evil acts, which terminated in his be-
ing lynched last Saturday.
We believe that ]! S. Bitch, super
intendent of the farm, has honestly
tried to carry out his work and be
just both to the state and the convicts.
But we daresay that the incorrigible
criminal has proven a harder problem
TO solve than he expected, and the
kind of assistants he needed too
scarce. At any rate, we think it likely
that there will be a change in the
management and system of the state
prison farm before many weeks. We
have no expectation of the state prison
becoming a place of signs and groans,
cut undoubtedly steps will be taken to
make it more difficult place to es-
cape from.