The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-04-01
ON SECOND THOUGHT
By JAT E.eHousEa
lFron Philsdslphia Psblie LedEsr.)

2 we cannot weep Win SornlAn Hap
good over the plight of 100 Political
ting in American jaiIs." Ordinarily,
when Norman spreads his fokum up
on the printed page we SWIVEL at its
touch. But the. suggestion that pris.
oners are rotting In Americas ;aitss
finds Us stony and dry-eyed. "a man
would have fl chance to rot in an
American prison. He neYer is there
long. enough at any one time ito be,
finoculated with the fungi which pro-
duoe rot. if that is what it is. If he
should come in contact with such
fungi. they'd send him to the seaside
until the chance of being iHocuf4ted
with it had become entirely Negligible.
The only onerous thing about prison
life nowadays is the rule which re
auires all prisoners to be in by %: 80
o'clock in the evening. To. one who
has been accustomed to- staying out
until nidni ght. or lateF. this is an an
moving II perhaps. p necessary rule.
But the average prisoner is better
cared for than the average citizen.
The citizen must purchase his talking
machine. his books and magazines and
pay his golf and tennis dues. He must
buy his lecture and theatre tickets and
pay his way to the various athaetiE.
events which enlist his interest Or in
trigue his fancy. For the prisoner the
-
and without price We have a. friend
who. for the time being, is an inmate
of federal penitentiary. On the,
whole, we should say he lives more
comfortably than dc we In the Phi1az
delphia apartment for which we pay
s125 month: And he doesn't have
to worry about next Tuesdays dime :
he knows he is going to get it.
Pa - - ~ .
We. have made some casual study of
the prison problem. The only case OF
oppression with which we have come
in contact is one existing in the. peri-
tertiary of a western state. The IN
mates of that prison. are forbidden to
play baseball on Sunday They are
entirely freeSto play baseball on week
days; but the wardeHis a very re-
ltgious marl.-who will not stand for
notwithstanding of any kind.
OF course Mr.. Hapgood may have
been the victim of poor proofreading.
He may have intended To refer To the
$50 political prisoners who are ntut-
ting in American jails.s T354t H6Hfds
fbe really plausible conieetuFss{ ~ s
Reference made on CDR return from
Washington some weeks ago to THE
fact that we had secured therecip6 for.
congressional home brew has put4us
to no end of trouble. We are deiuged
| with requests to print II. Since the
recipe was sgiven under the seaa 8of
secrecy, We are doubtfuia as, to the pro-;
priety of doing SO; but the pressure is
such we can no longer Withstand it..
The incident has taught us one thing.
we shall never boast again.
The recipe for congressional home
brew as revealed to us is appended:
"One bushel of cornmeal; leo pounds
offsugar, two boxes of I've. four plugs
Of tobacco; four pounds of pokeroot
berries, two pounds of soda. Water
to measure and distill." The recipe
provides fourteen and one-hatf gallons
of liquor, or enough for two ordinary
parties. :
OF course, we may have been inn
i-posed upon. 1t may not be the con-
gressiona1 home-brew recipe at all, but
we give it as we get it.
Grover Cleveland Bergdo1l's belief
"got off too lightly is shared by
many Thesidea of sending a man to
prison five; months for that effeHse is
q travesty on justice.
In this country. where officers have
sending slackers and conscientious OBJ
jectors to Jail, We order things much
better.
We trust we do not misintespret Mrs
Clara Smith lannon's motives, but
upon the fact that she joined the
church before going into the pictures?
What was the construction? We
didn't say.