Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-12-03
LEGISLATURES
PREPARED BILL
MAY HITSNAGS
Representative Gill Censures
Commission for RefOrma-
tory Removal.
SAYS SITE DECIDED

removal of the refOrmdlory from JET
/ fersonville through the Legislature when
/ it meets in special session Dec. II, is
becoming increasingly evident The latest
/ note of opposition comes from Represent
alive W. Z. Gill of Cloverdale, who has
made a detailed statement setting out his
view that the institution should be re-
moval commission to locating the Re
was planned. Mr.. Gill also criticized the
action of the Governor in selling the
property before it was learned whether
the law could be carried out.
At the same time there comes state
ment from Senator Oliver Kline of Hunt
| ington in which he advocates keeping the
institution at Jacksonville. 1t is not i'm
probable that this stand will meet with
| the approval of some other members OF
| the assembly.
REFORMATION REMOVAL
AND LOCATION DISCUSSED.
In discussing the objections Of the re-
moval commissions to locating the Re
formatory in Putnam County, Mr.. Gill
says, in part:
THE. report submitted by this COM
mission recites that they visited the
RefOrmatOry and unanimously agreed
that it ought to be removed. But they
were not charged, under the law, with
this question at all. This had already
been decided by the Legislature itself.
THE commission then repaired 20 Put
namville to make q thorough investigation
as to whether it should be removed there
or elsewhere. This question also had
been decided in these plain words, The
indiana Reformatory, now located at
GAINESVILLE shall be removed to Putnam
Vile. Putnam County, Indiana.
The only point In the law left to the
discretion of this commission was as to
Oh hp cd n
jacent to the penal farm. as to whether
all the land should be taken from the
farm now owned Iy the State. or addi-
tional land should be bought adjacent 10
question whether it should be on or ad-
jacent to they were to take into con-
sideration the water supply. railway IA
ciIities ETC. not in determining as be-
tween Putuamville and some more distant
site. This question had not only been
settled by the 1921 session. but the 1918
session had appointed similar commits
sion for the selection Of site for the
n consideration of the same facilities and
were not limited as to location. The
State OF Indiana was the field from
which they were to select 4 site, ana
after a careful consideration of many
available sites, with the concurrence OF
the State board OF charities. selected
Putnamville AS TO whether they acted
wisely Is best answered by the results. In
than
only one in the State, is not only paying
all its own expenses, but handsome
profit on every dollar invested. To the
burdened taxpayer Of Indiana this an
swer is sufficient to meet every objection
offered by this commission TO the site
selected V the Legislature. Yet, notwith-
standing all this. they report that they
adopted unanimously the following mo-
ton: That no available site for the To-
cation of the Indiana RefOrmatory could
he ha n
the Indiana State Farm
REVIEWS ATTITUDES
OF SENATOR DUNCAN.
where was Senator Duncan when this
motion was adopted? Where was the
location he must have had In mind when
he introduced the measure providing Tor
its removal to Putnamville: When was
he rendering intelligent service to the
people? When he introduced the bill or
| when as a member of this commission ne
voted TO repudiate his own measured
THE Senator In public meeting In
1 his own home being pressed for the rea :
son of this sudden reversal Of himself
replied that be had discovered on his
| trip to the eastern reformatories that II
J the two institutions were too near each
other the guards mot the pTisonersl
! would become Jealous of each other. 1t
I is presumed that the extra session IL be
/ ing called IN the hope that this new light
/ will have the same effect on his fellow
I legislators who voted for his measure.
This commission gives five other rea-
sons Why the location should be aban-
4. A lack Of water supply: Yet
the farm is located on a stream fed ny
: large springs that were never known 10
20 dry There have been from loo TO
/ ! 200 prisoners in :he driest times ana
never thought Of a lack Of water. The
commission in 1913 believed that the
farm would be an institution Of such
magnitude that they purchased nearly
! 1000 acres Of land fully satisfied on this
matter Besides, IL the unexpected
should come. there is barely two miles
away a much larger stream that could
/ be used at q moderate cost.
- There is no available outlet Tor
! sewage. In view Of the answer to The ne
/ first and all modern septic facilities this
! objection viii disappear at once.
"3. A lack of railway facilities. This
I is very strange objection in view OF
/ the fact that the farm is in close prox
/ unity with two of the finest steam roads
/ in the world running east and west,
and another running North and South,
/ besides one of the best traction lines in
Il. 4 total lack Of housing for of
/ ficiaIs The houses now occupied by the
| officers Of the farm for the most part
were built by the convicts with material
/ furnished by the same labor. There al
\ ways have been some objections to plac-
ing the product Of prison labor on the
/ open market. What better employment
/ with less objections to competing inter
| ests could be found than building these
houses as we'll as the buildings for their
| own use?
| .. An insufficient amount of fertile
| land Admitting that the soil is not the
/ best yet the fact remains that the penal
! farm on this very land is self-sustaining,
/ does not cost the State one dollar, but
| is actually yielding a profit. The boys
| school at Plainfeld has as fine body
of fertile land as there is in the State,
yet It is not paying its way. but every
/ year must draw on the treasury for help.
! Let the people and the members Of
/ the Legislature remember that, nOtwith-
standing the soil Of the penal farm is not
the best. yet the natural resources of
/ this location selected by the Legislature
but rejected by this commission have
/ made this institution stand out in class
/ by itself
"Can any man give n consistent reason
| why the reformatory shall not be put in
| the same conspicuous class?
1T has been publicly admitted by a
very prominent member Of this commits
sion that the rejection of the Putnam
Vile location Will increase the cost Of