Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-12-14
A REFORM SCHOOL.
Propossd for the Site Of the Court
House
When the Latter is Removed to the Capi-
toI---Some Of the Reasons Urged
for This important
Step.

The article in yesterdays REarsrEE, IN
relation to the purchase, by the county, Of q
half interest in the Capitol building at.
tracted great deal Of attention and 70
ceived much favorable comment. What
viii you do with the present Court HouseY'
was a frequent enquiry. The answer to
this was one of the potential reasons, re-
ferred to yesterday, for the change. The
idea, then, is to remove the Court Houie
and on the spacious site erect q reiormatory
institution. The exact character Of this in
stitution might be determined ,Pon later,
but the idea will present itself with force, as
a good one, to every thinking mind in the
country. There are two primal questions
to be considered:
First, is q reformatory institution desira-
bic.
Second, is the plan mentioned feasible
ANY one who is in the least familiar with
the. criminal annals of the city and county
will at once recognize the importance of
some such institution as that suggested.
The city is overun, frequently, with crimi-
mails, of mild type and tender years and
courts have frequently been at a. loss to
know how to treat them. The want OF
reform school has made itself so .forcibly felt
that on several occasions the Board of Com.
missioners has considered the advisability
of erecting something Of the kind near the
Poor House On three several occasions
has this question been M and after receiv-
ing q favorable endorsement each time, was
postponed simply because an enabling act
Of the Legislature was necessary and Asses
sion quite distant.
Humanitarians of the county have agreed
that neither the penitentiary nor the work
house was the proper training school for a
boy, as both turned him out with blasted
life What is wanted is an institution at
which good morals and a good trade are
taught at the same time and from which
boy may be turned out prepared to win his
way to good citizenship and a place in the
world. The first question is sufficiently
answered. A Reiormatory Institution is high
ly desirable and this scarcely admits of con-
trovertipg argument.
The second question Is not a difficult
one The proposed scheme is to tear down
the court house and on the site erect such
building as would be suitable for the pur-
pose. The lot is large and splendidly
located and the building would be an orua.
ment in place OF the present an,ixuated
structure Legislation could readily be
procured, comforting on the Judges of our
Circuit and Municipal Courts the power to
sentence criminals to the reform school and
this could be embodied in the bill to remove
the court house, as indicated, yesterday.
The REGIsrER's article on this, double
subject, yesterday, gave it the desired pub.
licity and caused discussions in sll official
circles. The plans we're so generally com
mended, that the outlook now is that action
looking to their consumation will be taken
before many days. At the last meeting of
the Board of Commissioners, Mr.. Boring
presented resolution directing the appoint
ment of committee to consider the matter,
and he will probably bring it up again.