The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-04-23
REFORMS
DAUGHERTY'S PET
Attorney-General Seeking
to Restore Prisoners
to Usefulness

wASHINGTON.--Atty.- Gen. Har-
ry NJ. Daugherty has a lot of hob
bles.
He likes TO drag away on rusty
looking pipe. He's pretty fair fish
erman. lie turns wicked tenor In
an impromptu barber-shop' quar-
tette. When not engrossed with Of
ficlal cares he enjoys a card game.
horse race. billiard game. or any
one OF 40 other varieties OF pastim-
ing.
His real hobby. though. Is making
good men out OF bad ones. It's not
a new hobby for him. He's been do
ing IL for years. Taking the helm
as head OF the Justice department
and the presidents right bower In
legal problems, MIR. Daugherty
Jumped into a field OF activity genu-
inely to his liking. Possessing "hu-
man" qualities in rare degree. the
attorney-general within one year has
extended his humanness Into the
darx recesses of the federal prisons.
Within the federal penitentiaries
Mr.. DauRherty has introduced moral
and educational advantages calcu-
lated to make real men out OF the
convicts. 80 that when their terms
end they may go into different
fields OF activity and again become
useful citizens--free from tho temp
tation to repeat their old and dan
gerous ways.
At the three penitentiaries main
talned by the government at Allan
! ta, Leavenworth and Mcneil Island,
Cal, Mr.. Daugherty has seen re-
markable results from the operation
OF prison schools. In Atlanta prison
| over 200 illiterates. some native and
some foreign born. after few
months study were able last Christ
mas 20 write intelligent letters TO
friends and relatives.
Prisoners Make Good.
More than 1000 prisoners were
| paroled, and their earnings were
about 100000. The attorney
general gave that number another
chance to make good. and they are
making good. Besides, they are con-
| trlbuting their share to the coun-
try's productive output-production
that would be lost IL they remained
in prison.
The success OF Industrial enter
prises at Atlanta. so conducted that
there Is profit both for the govern
ment and for the prisoners them
| selves on n bonus basis, according to
their output, had led Attorney-Gen-
eral Daugherty to urge congress to
pass n bill authorizing the installa-
tion of similar industrial features in
the prisons at Leavenworth and Nc
Nell Island.
A cotton duck mill operated at
Atlanta prison brought net profit
to the government of s1S5,000 and
earned for the prisoners. in bonuses
| OF cents a yard on their output,
| about $4,000. About $50 prisoners
are employed in the Atlanta prison
cotton mill. The product Is not sold
in open market, but is disposed of
to government departments needing
such supplies.
'Idlencss Pcrnicious."
Because of Industrial methods
and other measures to establish
prison reform, the Encouragement
said recently that, although there
are now 645 more inmates at the
three prisons named. the expenses
OF operating them will be about s7O,-
coo below the amount appropriated
by congress.
Mr.. Daugherty's opinion is that
idleness Is dangerous both to the
idle and to society.
"ldleness is pernicious,' he said--
"pernicious both morally and physi-
cally to all men, especially to pris-
oners. If men in prison are to again
Till places of usefulness in society It
Is imperative that constructive labor
be furnished them during their con-
finement.
NO record OF merely material ac-
complishment can give such salts
faction as comes from the re-estnb-
lishment of man as a useful mem
Der OF society. The period of a mans
Incarceration for an offense against
the state need not necessarily be de.
structive of the mans present or fu-
ture worth to society nor of his self
respect or immediate earning ca
| papityp