Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 February 1887 — THE SOUTHERN PRISON. [ARTICLE]

THE SOUTHERN PRISON.

In the Senate, on Tuesday, Mr. Barrett called ud his bill providing for the government of the Prisons South and North, it being the special order for the hour.— Republican members antagonized the measure, wnen Mr. Trippett took the floor in favor of immediate action on the bill, and sai i:

I am opposed to postponing the consideration of this bill because I think we ought to act promptly and turn the rascals out. The Prison South has been rott-m for twenty-five Colonel Shuler, the predecessor of Howard, was as corrupt as he. It comes with bad grace from the Republicans to charge that the Democratic party is responsible for the mismanagement of this institution. The Republicans are as culpable as the Democrats. Schuler, a Republican, was a defaulter to the tune of $70,000, and was one of the guilty men to escape. I want to say to the advocates of a non-partisan board that all this mismanagement is directly attributed to a nonpartisan board. Under the corrupt Shuler the Democrats had a minority on the board, and under the corrupt Howard the Republicans have always, until very recently, had a majority or a minority on the board. Howard has secured his election each time by the vote of a Republican. The board that elected Howard were Hill, Republican; Keigwin, now one of the Republican satelites, and Kirk, Democrat. Major Finney, from the Republican stronghold of Wayne, as black a republican as can be found in the State succeeded Hill. John Linck, a n an whom the republicans have honored by electing him to the present House of Representatives, and who, I am informed, is regarded as a leader in the Housa, held for a full term the office of director of this prison, and helped Howard to cover up his naked villainy; and aided Howard to assume a virtue, though he had it not. From 1882 to 1884 the republicans had a majority on the board, and they have had a minority until Horn recently succeeded h'inney. As 1 have said before, Howard Las alwa.s been elected by a vote a republican, aud I Lave heard he has sometimes boasted he was able to corrupt the republics’ i the 1 card his advancest. The eg’islative committee- t: at have visi+ed this prison ha o beer unanimous in whitewash. ‘' g this institution. Sometimes those committees have had a majority republican, and the republicans have always had a minority on the committees who have signed the r ports. The distinguished chairman of the republican state central committee one time visited the prison as a member of a legislative committee, ai d permitted a favorable report without a protest. 1 find the following in the report of House committee last year: “We also find, from a careful examination, the books in excellent order, all accounts in tabulated form, proving very satisfactory, and great credit to the book-keeper.” This report was signed b the following distinguished republicans: Frazee,‘Mosier, Haworth and Mcßroome. At least three of these gentlemen, I am told, are preachers, I do not know whether they got any of Jack’s good whisky or not. There is no doubt but what he always furnished the committees plenty. Be it said in honor <tf the present Senate committee, that Howard 'said they drank less ■whisky than .any other committee that wa&ever there. In view-of the fact that the boards have always been nonpartisan, and all the legislative committees have been non-partisan lit is nonsense to say we ought to | create another non-partisan board. ■ Let the Foard be of one party, and ‘ let that party be responsible. It j has been said in republican quart--1 ers that some of the present Senate committee were in favor of j whitewashing the institution. I i say that it is not so. The committee were unanimous for a thorough

investigation and exposition. The Democrats on the committee asked Senator Davis to take Senatoi Moon’s place, so that the committee might be more nearly equallydivided in politics; and the committee thank Senator Davis for his services. I say it in honor of the Senate committee, though I am a member myself, that to them is due the ferreting out and exposition of the rottenness of this inThe only’ sympathy Howard got was from h republican member of the committee, and the report would have been more severe had it not been for the efforts of this republican. The investigation and exposition of the Senate committee made it possible for the House committee to do what it did;"and I repeat that the honor of exposing these frauds is due the Senate ccmrihittce. I hope (his Senate wifi act promptly ard pass this bill. Senator Barrett said that the Senator i.rom Dubois, when ho spoko of Colonel Shuler, might well have gone back farther to Warden Merriwethv r. H was a Republican, and was charged with dishonesty, and crimes worse than dishonesty.

The IndionapolisSentinel says: Warden Howard is guilty. There are others who are guilty, and they, too, must go. The Democratic Senate discovered their guilt, and the Southern Prison, which for twenty-five yeais under Republican and Democratic wardens has reeked with corruption, will be reformed ~oot and branch. I\ e crimes there committed have been the crimes of individuals. The iniquities just discov red were first disveloped when Republicans v. ere in chergp. The responsibility for their continuance lies at the do. r of past Legislatures. It remained for the present Legislature to show due fidelity to the interests of the people, ; nd tc secure t e distinction of exposing a villainy to w hich its predecessors had been lamentably blind.

' o what extent WardenJHoward and his underlings have been guilty of embezzlement, inhumanity and jobbery we do not yet know, and we confess that we are not prepared to accept without a ques'on, of Mr. John W. (Joons, expert though he be in figures, his statement of the State’s financial loss; for Mr. Coons’ partisanship has more than once been revealed in his figures. But enough is cert only known to justify instant and heroic measures.

Clean out the prison! Let there no be left a single hanger-on of the old regime. Let the people see that the work of reform, begun so courageously, is prosecuted to the furthermost end. There will not be a Democrat in Indiana who will ask that Warden Howard shall be protected by his party affiiliation. The crime is nis own and the penalty his own. The Democratic Senate has served its party well in serving the peo lego faithfully. It has been the lirst to turn the waters into this pestilential Augean stable. For that the people honor it. We ask for Warden Howard simply a fair trial. JVIr. Coons says his defalcation will amount certainly to $60,000 or $70,000, and may reach $150,000. This is absurd. It is probably not onetenth that amount. It is not necessary to heed the exaggerations of partisan malice. But it is not a question of extent or degree. The statement of his friends isi sufficient to convict him and his em- : ployes of offenses whi h can nbtbe. i even if they be no more !. serious than ca elessness and blindness and incompetencyThe whole kit and posse must go.

At one of the stations in entral Dakota the agent had bhx patience exhausted by inqiuries about ti ains during the late blockade and put up a bulletin: “The next train will be in in sixty-four hoars if there is. not another blizzard.”