Evening star., 1933-10-26
West Coast Island Prison
Hailed as Curb on Criminals

Announcement Of the Federal Gov
ernment's plan to isolate the most des-
perate type of criminals on Alcatraz
Island, in San Francisco Bay, is re-
ceived by the country with general ap-
proval. There is some objection from
California to such use of the island
prison, but the plan 10 Segregate hard.
ened life-termers is welcomed nearly
everywhere as necessary step toward
solution of unrest and unsatisfactory
conditions in the penitentiaries.
Seen from the shore a mile away"
says the Cincinnati Times-Star, the
rocky island looks like battleship an
chored in the swift tides of San Fran
cisco Bay. Credulous visitors at the
Panama Pacific Exposition in 1915 de-
clared it was good of the Federal Gov
ernment to set it up there as an added
attraction to an exceedingly colorful
fair The Charlotte Observer recalls
that "the old fortress dates back to tbs
reign of the Spaniards, and that "the
main feature is stone building with
600 individual cells, structure which
has been modernized.' The Observer
concludes that 1T is good idea to es-
tabliSh a particular prison to meet the
requirements of gangsters Of the kind
the Government has been recently deal
ing with
San Francisco's outcry against the
conversion of AlcatraZ" is declared by
the Des MoineS Tribune to be pure
piffle." with the argument that it has
never heard that the communities next
to these penitentiarieS we're overrun by
hordes of criminals, conniving to free
their companions inside the walls"
The Tribune feels that desperate and
irreformable murderers and kidnapers
ought to be placed in such prison, for
the protection both of society and Of
reformable term prisoners with whom
they come in contact elsewhere" Judg-
ment of the effect of the plan is offered
by the Newark Evening News with the
statement: "Scheming Of Criminals at
liberty for the liberation of prisoners
will be made more difficult, if not i'm
possible. AS measure for more secur-
ity and for isolating the irreclaimable
where they cannot exert their vicious
influence on fellows for whom there is
hope, this plan appears TO have every
thing in its favor"
IF desperate criminals knew they
riSked being transported to remote
island where they would have to spend
the remainder of their lives" thinks the
Little Rock Arkansas Gazette, the law
might take on terror for them which
it obviously lacks at present" The To-
ledo Blade feels that 1.-The vicious Of
tenders sent there will stay put" while
the Baltimore Sun points out that be-
fore the rigors of our present system
can be abated for the ordinary Offend
ers, the utterly vicious elements will
have to be segregated, for they present
a problem quite different from that Of
the average prisoner sent up for a short
term and after but single offenSe."
THE Department of Justice" advises
the Roanoke Times, "is fortunate to
have secured Alcatraz, for 1t seems to be
ideally located for the purpose Of iso-
lating desperate criminals and keeping
them securely locked up. From the way
the Attorney General describes it, the
whole Japanese Navy couldn't get
Bailey and Kelly off AlcatraZ Island, let
alone the criminal associates Of the
pair. The time for molly -coddling
criminals has passed. The country now
recognizes them for what they are, and
the authorities will be backed by public
sentiment in treating them accord
ingly'
Perhaps the chief purpose served"
in the opinion of the New York Sun,
"is to rivet popular attention to the
work of the Federal Government in its
warfare on kidnapping Attorney Cen
eral Cummings evidently believes in
striking the iron while it is hot. His
Office has shown what 1t can do round
ing up gangs scattered through many
States. 1t now seeks to impress the
'-"hI'r With the idea tret capture end
.onv.ct.oA are but the beginning OF