The passage of this bill will do much toward meeting this standard for the District of Columbia prisoners. Furthermore, we feel that the passage of this legislation by Congress will encourage the State legislatures to pass similar legislation and therefore assist in the movement for more practical and at the same time more scientific methods of dealing with prisoners. We realize the many and urgent affairs which are engrossing the attention of Congress, but we believe that should the District Affairs Committee of the Senate take favorable and speedy action on this legislation, there is good chance of its passage even by this busy Congress. Sincerely yours, (Mrs.) MARY FRAIM, Chairman Department of Legislation. Resolved, That the District of Columbia Federation of Women's Clubs reaffirms its previous indorsement of the legislation now embodied in S. 1155 introduced by Senator Capper to establish a board of indeterminate sentence and parole for the District of Columbia; and be it further Resolved, That copies of this resolution be sent to the Senate and House Committees on the District of Columbia, and to the Commissioners of the District of Columbia. Presented to the District of Columbia Federation of Women's Clubs by the department of legislation. Adopted January 25, 1932. EDITH L. PHELPS, Chairman of Legislation. WOMEN'S CITY CLUB, Washington, D. C., March 5, 1932. Senator ARTHur Capper, Chairman Senate District Committee, United States Senate, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR SENATOR CAPPER: The Women's City Club at its regular monthly business meeting on March 2 voted to indorse in principle a bill for the establishment of an indeterminate sentence and parole system in the District of Columbia. Very sincerely yours, (Mrs.) ETHEL OLIN CORBIN, President. JOINT STATEMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LEGISLATION AND DIVISION OF CORRECTION, GENERAL FEDERATION OF WOMEN'S CLUBS, IN SUPPORT OF CAPPER-BLACK BILL (S. 1155, H. R. 10273) The General Federation of Women's Clubs is supporting the bill to establish a board of indeterminate sentence and parole for the District of Columbia for the following reasons: 1. The federation at a convention at Chautauqua June, 1922, adopted a resolution which contained the following provision: "The examination of every person convicted of crime, physical, mental, and according to work record and previous experience in life; the distribution of such persons to institutions fitted to give them the treatment and training they require; and the provision for their release only when ready and able to assume the responsibilities of freedom." The passage of this bill will do much to apply this standard to the prisoners of the District of Columbia. 2. The general and State federations are working to improve prison conditions in the several States and should Congress pass this progressive legislation it will encourage State legislatures to pass similar legislation and give impetus to the movement for better and saner methods of dealing with prisoners. We, therefore, respectfully request the Congress to act favorably upon this bill at the present session. (Mrs.) MARY C. FRAIM, Chairman Department of Legislation. Chairman Division of Correction. STATEMENT OF NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON PRISONS AND PRISON LABOR IN SUPPORT OF CAPPER-BLACK BILL (S. 1155, H. R. 10273) MARCH 22, 1932. The release of prisoners without work, money, or friends is particularly dangerous in this time of unemployment and rampant crime. The prisoners of the District of Columbia come at present under the jurisdiction of the Federal parole board but that board is overburdened with the task of supervising the large number of Federal prisoners who must be released each year and returned to their homes, which are scattered throughout the United States. The parole of District prisoners presents a different problem, as it is concentrated within the District. An excellent opportunity is afforded for the development of a parole system which will be a model for many of the States and cities. The National Committee on Prisons and Prison Labor is particularly interested in the development of the District of Columbia penal system. We cooperated with Hon. John Joy Edson, former chairman of the District of Columbia Penal Commission at the time when the District of Columbia penal colony at Occoquan, Va., was planned, the first institution of this type for misdemeanant prisoners in America. We made a thorough study and report on the District of Columbia institutions at the request of Mr. Edson in 1919-20 and reached the decision that establishment of a board of indeterminate sentence and parole was necessary to put into action adequate machinery for the rehabilitation of the prisoners. At the time of our study we cooperated in the drafting of a bill to establish a board of indeterminate sentence and parole for the District of Columbia which has served as a basis for the present bill. We have carefully studied the present bill and believe that with the amendment extending the jurisdiction of the board to misdemeanant prisoners it is a model bill. We believe the passage of this bill will give a strong and practical agency to the government of the District of Columbia which can be of immeasurable value in curbing crime in the District. GEORGE GORDON BATTLE, President. E. STAGG WHITIER, Chairman Executive Council. 72D CONGRESS 1st Session } SENATE { No. 451 REPORT BRIDGE ACROSS MONONGAHELA RIVER AT OR NEAR FAYETTE CITY, PA. MARCH 23 (calendar day, MARCH 24), 1932.-Ordered to be printed Mr. VANDENBERG, from the Committee on Commerce, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 4040] The Committee on Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (S. 4040) granting the consent of Congress to the counties of Fayette and Washington, Pa., either jointly or severally, to construct, maintain, and operate a toll bridge across the Monongahela River at or near Fayette City, Pa., having considered the same, report favorably thereon and recommend that the bill do pass without amendment. The bill has the approval of the Departments of War and Agriculture, as will appear by the annexed communications, which are made a part of this report. Hon. HIRAM W. JOHNSON, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Chairman Committee on Commerce, United States Senate. DEAR SENATOR: Receipt is acknowledged of your letter of March 12, transmitting a copy of a bill (S. 4040) with the request that the committee be furnished with such suggestions touching its merits and the propriety of its passage as the department might deem appropriate. This bill would authorize Fayette and Washington Counties, Pa., or either of them, their successors or assigns, to construct, maintain, and operate a bridge and approaches thereto across the Monongahela River at or near Fayette City. The bill would authorize the collection of tolls for passage over the bridge, but would require the rates of toll to be so fixed as to pay reasonable annual maintenance, repair, and operation cost, and provide a sinking fund sufficient to amortize the cost of the bridge and its approaches within a period of not to exceed 20 years from date of its completion. Thereafter the bridge would be maintained and operated free of tolls, or the rates of toll would have to be so adjusted as to yield only the amount necessary for annual maintenance, repair, and operation costs. The location indicated for the bridge is not on the system of Federal-aid highways approved for the State of Pennsylvania. The bill is without objection so far as this department is concerned. Sincerely, R. W. DUNLAP, Acting Secretary. WAR DEPARTMENT, March 15, 1932. Respectfully returned to the chairman Committee on Commerce, United States Senate. So far as the interests committed to this department are concerned, I know of no objection to the favorable consideration of the accompanying bill, S. 4040, Seventy-second Congress, first session, granting the consent of Congress to the counties of Fayette and Washington, Pa., either jointly or severally, to construct a toll bridge across the Monongahela River at or near Fayette City, Pa. О PATRICK J. HURLEY, |