New-York tribune., 1922-10-11
Pledges Better Education
of Children and Pay
for Convicts After Shops
Have Been Reorganized
Denies Smith Taunt
He Lacks Sympathy
Promises Full Hospitali-
cation Aid to Veterans i'm
54th Birthday Address
From a sta1 correspondcn.

l. AUBURN, Oct. 10.--The difference
between the administration that nc.
cedes to requests merely because they
are made by special group and the
administration that considers on its
merits every problem that special
group presents is illustrated in the
record of the present administration as
compared with that of it's predecessor
In the matter CT prison reform and
hospitalization of ex-service men, Gov
ernor Miller declared tonight.
To-day was the Governors fifty
fourth birthday, and he celebrated it
by the most forceful speech of the
campaign. 1t met the most enthusiastic
reception of any yet rendered, the sub
1ect of prisons being, Of course, of
| special interest to the people of
Auburn. At the same time, while dis
cussing the problem of executive elem
ency in this connection, the Governor
warmly repudiated the taunt Of for
mer Governor Smith, who charged him
and understanding" when he asserted,
with visible show of emotion:
MY heart strings have been tried
as severely as his ever were, but have
placed the performance of my official
duties above personal qualification.
ITO Protect Society"
II have undertaken to exercise the
pardoning power not to please myself,
not to please those to whom clemency
might be extended and their friends,
but to protect society"
Touching on prison legislation the
Governor remarked:
Mr. Smith says that the women in
terested in the welfare of the people
in our penal institutions called on him,
and that he appointed a committee of
tions. He also said that when this
interest called on the present Governor
sss. told them that the prisoners were
stoo well off. He did, believe, appoint
a committee to make survey to please
those who called on him, and that is
all that was ever done. He did what
was needed to please, and then he
stopped.
There are very many worthy groups
OF people working for causes dear to
their hearts, and usually a worthy
cause, but either from lack of proper
perspective or because they really do
not understand the problem they often
present means to an end which in itself
Is worthy, but which never would be
gained 1t the means suggested were
pursued. If government is run by such
groups the result is an inevitable waste
Of money to exploit impracticable the
orles. That does not mean that the
aim that these people have in mind
should be ignored.
Maudlin Sentiment
"We have gone through a period in
this state in which there has been a
great deal Of maudlin sentiment de-
veloped in reference to the penal in
stitutions. The thought has been that
the prisons should be made more at
tractlve, that means should be pro-
vlded to entertain the prisoners, and
some, # they had their way, would
make the prisons so attractive that
men would commit crimes to 90 into
them. 1t must be considered that the
classes OF men who commit crime are
as rule those who do not have the
most comfortable ways of living out
side Of the prisons.
Men commit crimes by mistake,
from weakness, who are not really
criminals, but the main class of Grim
lnals is recruited from those who
either from neglect in early years
neglect, perhaps, to remove some phys-
ical or mental handicap, or neglect Of
proper training to start them along
the right lines, instead of in evil ways
are led into criminal paths. Many
OF them can be made as comfortable
inside as outside of prisons, though. of
course, all like their liberty.
Attacking at Source
eve are attacking the problem In
two ways. In the first place, we are
undertaking to attack it at its source.
We are undertaking to discover and
remove the physical and mental handi
caps. of children. We are undertaking
to improve the methods of teaching
backward children. We are undertak-
ing to develop ways Of starting boys
and girls who might otherwise fall into
evil habits into useful and other en-
ployment and proper associations. And
we are also undertaking to establish a
different standard Of treating the men
in the prisons themselves, though not |
with the view Of making the prison
life so attractive that it is not a
because the purpose of a
prison sentence is the protection of
society. Men are sent to prison as
punishment for crime and TO deter
others from committing crimes. And |
while 1t would be much easier for the |
one having the authority to listen to
every plea for executive clemency and |
to grant every, plea Of executive Glenn !