“The women of the National Civic Federation also take this advanced stand, but the first prison work that women find at hand is the investigation of actual conditions in penal institutions. If political graft is eliminated from prison management, many reforms may at once be carried into effect.
“Good sanitary conditions should be imperative in every public institution. Already it is found that Federal prisons, being practically free from graft, are the best from a hygienic point of view. County almshouses and jails nearly always reveal ghastly abuses. The reason is not far to seek. The latter class of institutions are at the mercy of the lowest type of political manipulators.
“The moment women begin to investigate, reforms are forthcoming. Already the women of the Civic Federation have immensely improved the deplorable state of the jail of the District of Columbia. An awful condition of affairs had existed there for years, right under the eye of the legislators of the Nation. They simply did not take the trouble to acquaint themselves with the facts. That, as usual, was left for the women to do.
“In a score of States club women have succeeded in improving conditions of prisons and in some cases they have secured the appointment of women on the visiting boards of prisons and reformatories.
“With the intelligent women of the Nation working together we may expect to see great advances in prison management in the next two years.
“This is not sentimentalism. It is good, practical logic. It is literally an economy to reform our prisoners and send them back to freedom as useful citizens.”
The Charge Against the Atlanta Federal Prison.—Grave charges have been, in recent months, brought against the United States Federal Penitentiary at Atlanta by Julian Hawthorne, who was released in October, 1913. The Washington (D. C.) Herald of January 22d, 1914, prints the following:
The report of Dr. A. J. McKelway, special agent of the Department of Justice, who investigated the charges against the administration of the Federal prison at Atlanta gathered by Representative W. Schley Howard, of Georgia, and submitted to Attorney General McReynolds, exonerates Warden Moyer and his subordinates and concludes with the declaration that a satisfactory condition exists at the penitentiary.
As far as the Attorney General is concerned the receipt of the report from Dr. McKelway ends the situation created by the submission of the Howard data. No change in the personnel of the present administration of the affairs of the prison will be made. No change will be ordered immediately in the management of the institution.
Mr. McKelway began his investigation soon after the publication of the charges made by Julian Hawthorne. He was instructed to look into these as well as other charges and statements that had been made from time to time with regard to the prison. He was in the midst of this investigation when the Howard data was submitted to the department. Summaries of the charges included in this data were forwarded to him by the Attorney General with instructions that they be inquired into carefully.
The Attorney General did not think it wise to give publicity to the entire report for the reason that many sections of it contained information which he thought should be withheld in the interest of the efficient administration of the prison.
Dr. McKelway, Mr. McReynolds said, had made an extended series of observations upon the treatment of the prisoners in the penitentiary. He had examined the food served them; had sought to inform himself upon whether they are treated humanely, and whether the guards and prisoners have been subjected to a system of favoritism as had been charged. Efforts had been made to ascertain if the business affairs of the prison were administered by the authorities conscientiously and honestly.
The investigator finally was convinced that Warden Moyer’s administration should be praised instead of blamed. He believes the prison is operated in a manner creditable to the government.
Subsequently Representative Howard expressed himself as satisfied with the results of Dr. McKelway’s investigation.