Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-12-02
Contends That Even a Jail
Should Be Tolerably Decent

You recently published letter from John
F. Needham in which he seemed to approve
of bad conditions in the Montgomery County
Jail at Rockville because, as he COMMENDED,
unpleasant and painful jail conditions tend
to deter crime. He argued that II people
wanted to avoid being subjected to such
situation. they ought not to do anything to
get into jail.
This is the time -honored argument which
has delayed intelligent approach to the prob
lem of crime control. We and our English
forebears have tried Punishment, the rack
and other forms of torture without avail.
But most people have abandoned the theory
that those who come in conflict with the
law do so of their own free will or deliber-
ately choose courses of action which lead
them to prison. That theory hardly is In
accord with present-day knowledge OF the
causes of crime.
Who actually is responsible for the actions
of the unwanted young boy, from home
broken by alcoholism, who steals from q
parked car? Do only bad" people violate
the traffic laws? Can any Christian hazard
the health and morals of the destitute
mother who raises the value Of a check
sufficiently to meet some pressing need?
have no doubt that today the Rockville
Jail contains several examples of these types.
Moreover. 1T should be remembered that jails
hold people who presumably are innocent
but unable to pay the exorbitant prices
demanded by bail bondsmen. And, of course,
there always are people in jail who are
known to be, innocent and are held merely
as witnesses. Are they to be tortured because
they are poor or victims of the laws delay?
Mr.. Needham is all for helping the i'll and
the DID, but if the community, as he seems
to suggest, may neglect one group of unfor-
Inmates, he can be pretty sure 1t Will neglect
them all.
No. tolerating deplorable Jail conditions
will not prevent crime. There is minimum
of decency to which even a man in jail is
entitled. OF course, jails should not be
country clubs or cater to the whims Of their
inmates On the other hand, they should
not brutalize and degrade. The all-import-
ant question is: Does the Montgomery
County Jail measure up to reasonable stand
ards and does it reflect the humanity Of
the people of Montgomery County? It is
up to the sheriff and the County Council
to see that it does.
MRS. VIRGINIA G. HANSON
Praises "Blue Serge Suit" Editorial
And the Tranquility to Which 1t Referred
To the Editor Of The Star:
Thanks for your splendid editorial, Peace
and Blue Serge Suits" The underlying
thought of the article that world peace can
only follow individuals achieving peace with
themselves first, then with their neighbors,
and eventually reaching out over the entire
globe. is in line with lecture given this
past week in Washington, and 1t Is in accord
with my own thinking about what the indi-
vidual can do to help bring about peace
on earth.
Forty years ago. the Sunday suit was
real symbol of tranquility. The head Of the
family was proud to wear it to church on
Sunday morning, but rebelled at removing
1t after the heavy noon meal and was in
clined to take nap on the sofa with only
the coat removed. His modern counterpart
does not eat so heavily and has q variety
OF leisure garments to choose from.
None Of us would want to see every family
head decked out In blue serge to the exclu-
sion of everything else. but I am sure we
would welcome q change in thought about
Sunday, that at least part Of the day should
be given all of the dignity possible. Tran
guilty would follow. and all the world would
be better off. P. FREDERICK DRYER.
Readers Discuss Mr.. Browns Articles q
On Franco Spain r." }'s '9T"7f7
To the Editor Of The Star .: re f,,1. 4,...s
In recent letter to The Star, the Rev.
H. S. Southgate. quoting from Lowell
Mellett, brought up some interesting points
on the ever-controversial matter of recogni-
ton OF Spain. I have followed each of
Constantine Browns articles with consider
able interest. taking them, as do the ar
ticles OF all colun1nists, with a grain Of salt.
Nonetheless, have found them, unlike most
OF those which have recently appeared. to be
an intelligent approach to the whole prob
lem.
However, the Reputation Of Mr.. Melletts
article in order to refute those written by
Constantine ho oil IN
pass unnoticed. Perhaps "the brutal des-
polish. fastened on the (Spanish) people
by his Francos) army, supported by Italian
and German air power still remains" Is
true, but what Of the far more brutal des-
potism fastened on the people of Poland,
Czechoslovakia, Hungary and the other ma
| tons behind the Iron Curtain by the Russian
armies? Can we logically extend recogni-
ton to one totalitarian state and not to
another? Did not We at the beginning Of
the Roosevelt Administration extend recog-
milton to the most totalitarian Of totalitarian
nations-the Soviet Union?
Mr.. Mellett's statement that nations, like
people. are apt to be judged by the company
they keep" obviously is erroneous. Diplo-
matte recognition Of any country does not
imply acceptance or approval Of its form Of
government. Recognition Is extended mere
ly to facilitate tie daily International trans
actions and trade OF nations; it no more
implies approval Of a government than does
the presence Of Republican congressman in
a Democrat Congress imply that they will
vote for Fair Deal legislation.
Equally fallacious is the argument that
recognition of Spain would be a "blow to
democracy" To re-extend recognition to
Spain would be no more Of blow to
democracy than it was to extend recognition
to the Soviet Union and It's vassals behind
the Iron Curtain. nor will it be any greater
blow to democracy or the prestige Of the
United States than the soon-to-be-granted
recognition to Communist China.
Disagrees With illogical Approach"
I cannot help but disagree with MIR. South
gates view that: mfr. Brown is not giving
true picture of Franco Spain" and his
obviously illogical approach to the whole
question is excellently demonstrated by his
somewhat historical and sure-to-get-all-