Evening star., 1933-07-09
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

Prison reform legislation is contem-
plated IN the next session Of Congress
The House Judiciary Committee has
been considering this subject and has
sought the cooperation of Representa-
tive Francis H. Shoemaker of Red
Wing, MINI, the self-styled Convict
in Congress" who came to the national
legislative chamber out Of LeavenWortn
Penitentiary A week ago Convict
Representative Shoemaker made a trip
to the penitentiary at Lewisburg, Pa.
to address a gathering of restive III
mates, and on Friday night delivered II
similar address at the Lorton RefoTma-
tory-advising the convicts as one OF
them not to turn sentiment against
themselves and their fellows behind the
bars throughout the country by being
disorderly and rebellious. Mr.. Shoe
maker announced that he will visit his
old home, the Leavenworth Peniten-
tiary, and other penal institutions with
the same plea and the promise that
reforms
Not only is Mr.. Shoemaker frank tc
admit his penitentiary record, but ne
has made a fellow-convict, Owen M
Lamb of Dilworth, MINI, his secre-
tary. They were sentenced on the same
day, December % 1929. by the SAME
Federal Judge, John B. Sanborn OF
Minnesota. Shoemaker was given one
year and day, while Lamb, whose
case followed. was given four years
They became friends on the train going
to Leavenworth and spent their: time
in the quarantine war in the same cell
They worked together during the en-
tire time of Shoemaker's confinement
7 O uroc 10 Shoe
maker secretary to the chaplain, sc
their work in the penitentiary cooper
ated all the time. Lamb checked-uI
commitment papers to see whether OF
not their commitments were proper
and Shoemaker's job was to try tC
place every man in his right place
He was the prison psychoanalist and
wrote up the history of each prisoner
covering his birth, early environment
religion the work which he did. his
education, how far he went in school
the work he did after leaving school
the various trades he followed, abou,
his relatives. 1t was Shoemaker who
made recommendations to the deputy
warden as to where he thought eacr
man would best fit into the prison cur
riculum.
This man Shoemaker only went tt
school 81 days in his life. He taught
in the University Of California at Berk-
/ ley. IN the Universities of Wisconsin
and Minnesota-"and was fired from al
OF them," he says. He taught politica
economy, general economics and public
speaking He taught also in Gronin.
gen, Holland, and in the University E
de Medical in Spain; the Potsdan
| University, Germany. and in the st
Petersburg University which is nov
| Petrograd. and in 1914 to 1920 chal-
lenged every winner Of every debate ir
every university in America and claim.
TO have defeated them in their owr
home town by vote of the audience
on any debate they had ever won" HI
is proudest of his win over Theo-
dore Brazeau. the silver r-tongued ora.
tor Of the Wisconsin legislative lobbying
who was in Washington for % years HI
says he defeated Brazeau in his owr
home town. Grand Rapids Wis. by 6
vote OF 3 to l. during the World Wal
on the subject Of Socialism.
Emphasizing that "the love OF the
chase is inborn in all virile people.
and seeking adequate conservation oi
the Nations wild life resources. Rep.
resentative A. Willis Robertson of Vir.
I
dented number of devotees of fishing
| and hunting in the new Congress he
VIII urge in the next session the crea-
| ton of new House committee to han
die all legislation pertaining to fish
and game, matching UP with the Sen.
/ ate's special committee on conserya
| ton OF wild life resources He argue,
that any civilization that crowds out
| or attempts to crush, the instinct O,
the chase will do so at the expense OF
those qualities of body, heart anc
/ mind SO pronounced in those who
| founded the Government.
Representative Robertson quote.
James Oliver Curwood thus:
| The world loves the man who love.
/ to fish. You do not find him in iail
/ You don't find him in the hospital
/ You don't find him dying young. HI
/ is the man who, without Haunting hi.
! religion from the housetops. sees Coo
! forever in the blue skies, in the forest
! in the glimmer of the stars. and tn,
! rising Of the moon-in everything thai
{ is part Of his beloved streams anc
lakes. Fishing is not only pastim,
which man has created for himself
1t Is the greatest character -buildirs
/ activity under the sun for human
| hearts and souls. It is the man wht
! Ap'So w VIII llelpS 10 keep Lnf
! world at its best, who is the Creates
fighter for its beauties, and its ideals
! and all because he has come to re.
alize and understand the glorious thrill
! OF that intimate contact with natur,
which one finds when he has a rod il
hand"
Representative Robertson also con.
| tributes valuable summary of tht
| cooperative efforts of American citi.
zens from the earliest years to encour
| age and develop such sports and tt
work for proper conservation of wilc
| life.
The cavaliers, who settled and de.
veloped the Old Dominion" he point
out. brought with them from tn,
mother country the love for outdoor
sports. The Pilgrim Fathers may hav,
esteemed hunting and fishing as
necessity rather than a virtue, bu
Judging them by some of their splen.
did descendants no one could make
me believe that they were SO sterr
and austere as not to find the sam,
| joy in the chase that we do today
The early settlers, of course, founc
that nature had emptied her horn Of
plenty into the lap of this new coun.
try in all matters pertaining to fish
game and forests. Consequently, a
nrSt there was no thought given Il
wild life conservation, and no neec
for organized effort. However, as earl,
as 1913 We find the Fowling and Fish.
ing Association of the township O.
Cape May organized in New Jersey
in 1874 a Statewide association ii
New York known as the New Yorl
Sporting Association, which is still
in existence. and known as tn,
| New York Association for the Protec.
ton Of Game. In 1886 the Audubon
Society, father of the present Nation.
wide organization, was formed. Tht
following year the Boone and Crocketr
| Club came into existence In 1885,
the New York Geological Society wa.
organized and three years later thu
League of American Sportsmen. Ir
1905 we had the American Bison So.
ciety. and in 1911 there was organized
the American Game Protective Asso.
citation, which latter association ha,
probably done more for the cause o
wild life conservation in America thar