PRISONERS ALL IDLE AND TITUS MEAD

Prisoners at Auburn Penitentiary.

Cortland Evening Standard, Friday, January 8, 1897.

PRISONERS ALL IDLE.

GROWING SOUR AND UNEASY, KEEPERS FEAR TROUBLE.

Various Plans Suggested to Keep Them Busy—Prison Legislation Probable This Year—Prison Commission May be Reduced in Numbers.

(Bureau of The Standard)

   ALBANY, Jan. 8.—The session of the state prison commission here during the early part of the week was one of the most important in the history of the commission and the work that it had under consideration was of the gravest import to the entire state. The principal and in reality about the only question that the commissioners wrestled with during their three days' session was the question of employing the convicts of the various penal institutions of the state. The late constitutional convention, unfortunately in many ways, saw fit to incorporate in their constitution provision abolishing prison labor save for the state institutions. It was the well intended purpose of the framers of the constitution to do away with convict competition with free labor, but it has caused already a deal of trouble in all of the penal institutions of the state and, unless some remedy is hit upon by the prison authorities at an early date that will be sufficient to keep all of the convicts employed as regularly as formerly, it is anticipated that trouble will be experienced in all of the state prisons and penitentiaries growing out of the enforced idleness of the convicts.

   This constitutional provision referred to above went into full effect with the new year and at this time in all of the state institutions convicts are absolutely without employment from the morning till night. Under the constitution these convicts can be employed on any work for the state such as road-making or manufacturing materials or supplies for any state institution. However, it has been very difficult to adjust matters to this change of circumstances and in any event the advisability and expediency of the change has not been demonstrated, although the provision is in the constitution beyond reclaim and cannot be altered in any manner for years. In addition to all this the large number of requests and anxious applications that have been received by various penal institutions, stating that unless something was done quickly to keep their men employed, trouble was feared has aggravated the case and kept the prison commissioners and the prison officials on edge. Warden Stout of Auburn, Warden Thayer of Dannemora and Warden Sage of Sing Sing all reported sullenness on the part of their prisoners and a general unsettled disposition that made those in charge uneasy for the future. The members were fairly bombarded with requests for apportionment of work under the law of last year in compliance with the constitution, but that appears to be inadequate and with that constitutional stone wall before them the members are almost at a loss to give anything like enough work to the state convicts.

   The meeting on this question was long and tiresome in its indefiniteness. Plan after plan was suggested, but only to be found not feasible till the commissioners about gave up the task. Nothing definite has been done to this time and the prospects are not encouraging by any means. The members of the commission are extremely reticent on the subject and beg to be excused from talking till decided action has been taken. The question of delegating all power of apportionment of the industries to the superintendent of prisons, General Austin Lathrop, was suggested but on this also matters were left indefinite at adjournment. Another session will have to be held shortly.

   Along the line of this matter Superintendent Lathrop prepared a list of the articles that the prisons could furnish to the other state institutions under the constitution and the Wilcox law demanded by the former instrument and states that he is ready to receive requisitions for these articles and materials. The lists of articles furnished by him includes all articles of clothing and furnishing for the inmates and buildings of institutions and Gen. Lathrop states that looms are being placed at Auburn prison to weave blankets for the hospitals and to manufacture cloth. The manufacture of mats and matting is also to be tried. The iron hollow ware industry at Auburn is to be utilized as far as possible in making this ware for the stat, while at Dannemora the lands will receive attention when the tilling season again arrives. Canning may also be adopted as one of the new industries, while at Sing Sing the breaking of stone for road-making is contemplated. A new classification that has been under consideration for weeks is about completed and will soon be in operation, but this refers to the state prisons only and not to penitentiaries. Wheel-barrows, barrels and pails may also be manufactured for the department of public works. However the great trouble so far has been in adapting these industries to the prisons where in many cases the buildings have required entire refitting. However the work is going along fairly well in the prisons, but in the penitentiaries but little can be done and with the unsettled state of affairs another meeting of the commission will shortly he held, probably early in the coming week.

   Legislation will be pushed this winter to relieve the situation as much as possible and along the lines desired by the prison commission and by the superintendent of prisons. When the organization of the legislature cabled the members here on Wednesday Senator Benjamin M. Wilcox of Auburn, chairman of the senate prisons committee, and Assemblyman Hobbie of Washington county, chairman of the assembly prisons committee, stated that they did not know just what would be the nature of prison legislation and that nothing could be done with the prison labor question till after the prison commission had taken some action.

   Senator Wilcox is in favor of enacting a law reducing the number of members of the prison commission from eight as at present to five or even to three. This reorganization meets with the approval of the senator and it may be that when he returns for the session on Wednesday next will introduce a bill to that effect. It has been the general idea for some time that the present commission is unwieldy because of its size and that a reduction of numbers would materially assist in its usefulness and this Senator Wilcox heartily endorses and will urge before the senate. The present commission is divided in this matter, about the only one being really desirous of reducing the number however being the president, Hon. Lispenard Stewart of New York. It is said on authority that he has had reason during the past year to feel the force of the criticism as to the unwieldiness of the commission as at present constituted.

   In the meantime the convicts in all institutions are idle and discontent is growing every day. Various places where penitentiaries are located have entered petitions that the state work in the respective counties be given to the penitentiary as well as city and county, where there is a city. This has been the case in regard to the Erie county penitentiary and also with the Onondaga and Albany county institutions, there not being sufficient county and city work in these places to employ all of the convicts there.

   The end is not yet with this matter, though already is the folly to be seen of forcing such a provision into the constitution as was put in by the constitutional convention of 1894.

   C. N. A.

Titus Mead Wedded at Last.

   Titus Mead of Locke, with whose mysterious disappearance on the eve of his wedding newspaper readers are already familiar, was married Wednesday to the young lady from whom he was so cruelly separated seven months ago. Miss Nellie White was the happy bride and the ceremony was performed at the home of her grandfather, Porter White, Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock by the Rev. L. W. Jackson of Locke. Everybody will join in wishing the young couple many happy days after the vicissitudes through which they have passed.

Cortland Men at Buffalo.

   School Commissioner Nathan L. Miller, ex-Commissioner L. F. Stillman and Superintendent F. E. Smith have been in Niagara Falls this week attending the annual meeting of the New York State association of School Commissioners and City Superintendents, and the convention of the New York State association of School Boards. Superintendent Smith is one of the secretaries of the former association, and upon the opening of the convention Commissioner Miller responded to the address of welcome, of which response the Buffalo Courier says:

   The response was made by School Commissioner Nathan L. Miller of Cortland county. He is a young man and an unusually good speaker. He spoke briefly of Supt. Welch's remarks and said that after such a welcome the association could proceed with its deliberations with ease. He referred especially to the kind hospitality of the people of Niagara Falls, and said that the scenery here is an exhaustless mine of treasure for minds to explore. His address was of some length and very instructive as well as interesting. The rural schools received considerable attention and he said that they needed more care than others. The address was followed by pronounced applause.

   At the Wednesday evening session of the convention of school boards L. F. Stillman made an address upon "Duties of Board of Education to Superintendent and Teachers."

BREVITIES.

   —New advertisements to-day are—H. Banks, Barbering, page 6.

   —All Sons of Veterans should remember the meeting of the camp this evening at 7:30 o'clock.

   —The house committee at the Tioughnioga club this month is W. E. Wood, Albert Allen and Edward D. Blodgett.

   —Rev. W. P. Coddington, D. D. of Syracuse university will preach at the First M. E. church on Sunday morning and evening.

   —The Lehigh Valley pay car will pay on the Auburn division January 21, and on the Elmira & Cortland division the day following.

   —An Ithaca newspaper says that Prof. B. I. Wheeler of Cornell university will give his illustrated lecture on the "Revived Olympic Games in 1896, at Athens, Greece" in the First Baptist church on Jan. 14. All who know Prof. Wheeler will be assured that this lecture will be both entertaining and instructive. It seems as though some society organization would confer a favor upon this community and probably enrich their treasury if they would make an attempt to get Prof. Wheeler to deliver that lecture in Cortland.