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Show GOV. WEST TRUSTS CONVICTS "The only honor lacking in the avei age criminal is that which is wrenched from him by incivility, distrust and inhumanity. Extend to a convict the courtesy, confidence and trust due him as a man and he will respond with more honor than the average person who has ne'ver seen the bars, the dungeon dun-geon or tlie 'dismal gray walls of a penitentiary' Basing his action on this bit of philosophy, Gov. Oswald West of Oregon Ore-gon recently threw open the barred doors of the Oregon state penitentiary and turned more than 200 convicts out into the inviting forests and fields to serve the remainder of their terms without guards, stripes, chains or stockades. With one sweep the dungeon, the dark cell, the striped suits, the hall and chain and the gallows were wiped out as unnecessary parts of the institution insti-tution and in their stead was established estab-lished a unique and revolutionary. honor system. Since the first wholesale liberation convicts have been added to the list as they have proven eligible until the total number today is about 500. Honor is the only guard over fifteen convict camps which are maintained permanently In various parts of the state, In some cases many miles from the dingy walls of the prison, and in all cases in the forests where the only effort required to make an escape is to leisurely disappear. The men are engaged in building roads, oprating rock quarries and clearing land. |