When Governor West inaugurated his guardless, outside policy he sent for a fifteen-year convict. “Put him on the street car, give him car fare; don’t send a guard, and tell him to come to my office,” the governor ’phoned the astonished warden. The man came, and went into executive conference with the governor. The plan was outlined, the honor system worked out, and the man went back to the prison on the next car and spread the news through the 450 men behind the walls. Once the governor sent half a dozen long-term men to town to see the sights for half a day and report back to the warden by sundown. They had a good time and reported back to the minute, sober and contented.
When the convicts were first sent out to work alone on the roads the farmers protested loudly. But the men soon proved that they were human, were living up to their honor pledge and were making better roads for the farmers than the farmers could make for themselves. The farmers of Marion county, where the prison is, are now the heartiest supporters of the new policy.
Is it safe to let convicts out without a guard? From January to July this year, with 150 men working outside, without guard, but three have escaped, and all three were “weak in the head,” and should have been in the asylum. During the same period two years ago, some ten men escaped, though under heavy guard all the time. During the latter part of 1909 an attempt was made to work prisoners outside under heavy guard. In a few months eighteen escaped, and on October 6, 1909, six overpowered their guards, took their guns away from them and fled to the hills. Four were recaptured, wounded. Two were killed. Then the cry went up that prisoners couldn’t be worked outside the penitentiary because it would take more guards than there were prisoners.
Governor West solved this problem by doing away with the guards. All there is to the new prison policy of Governor West’s is this: “Give the men a chance. If they don’t take it you have done your part.” But they do take it.
Convicts May Raise Trees.—It is not illegal for convicts to be employed in reforestation as planned by the conservation commission, according to Attorney General Carmody of New York State, nor is it illegal to sell trees raised by convict labor for the reforestation of private lands.
A Candidate’s Proclamation.—E. C. O’Rear, a gubernatorial candidate in Kentucky, has stated his convictions on prison labor thus:
“If elected Governor I will recommend the submission to the people of an amendment to the constitution allowing convict labor to be used in building and repairing the public highways and for no other purpose, outside the walls. It is best for the prisoners themselves to be so employed and until such an amendment to the constitution can be secured, my contention is that they should be employed, whatever they do, at the same wage that is paid the same character of labor outside the prison walls; and that the profit of their labor be applied by the State to the maintenance of the families of the convicts instead of going to and enriching the contractors.”
Judge O’Rear also agrees with the following plank in the Republican platform: