Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-03-05
TEE HOUSE OF coKREcrIoN.
some Views or the Iastituti0n Csntem.
plated BY the County Beard.

some views Of the Iu6tttuti0n CoMteu1.
plated BY the County Beard.
At the meeting of the county Board Of
Commissioners on Monday, writes CORE
spondent a resolution was adopted appoint
ing committee for the purpose of gather
ing information and facts as to the neces-
sity, expediency, utility, justice end
humanity of building q house Of refuge
and correction for young offenders against
our laws in this county. No one having
the feelings of man will oppose this good
move, its humane object, and deny its great
benefits to our community.
But the Board has started wrong at the
first step it has made. Nothing can be
done by the Board, or anyone else, until
we get specisl legislation in the premises
We have no authority to build such q
house. We have no authority for the
Board to convert itself into a crimina'
court. We have DO authority for our Cir
cult Judges or Police Judge, to sentence
anyone to such place. Nov, we have no
law whatever spplIcable to the object con-
ttmplated By The Board.
TIE first thing 10 be done is 10 secure
whatever OF legislation We need to pat the
institution in legal shape.
1t is pert city certain that the Boari has
TO jurisdiction 10 the matter. only 50 far
IS il may DO disposed to collect important
data and lay before the Legislature TO
act on. THIS would be praiseworthy and
creditable to the Board, and aid much, no
doubt, IN facilitating the acquisition OF
an institution, so long needed in our State.
| hope that the Board will take this view
of the project and exert its influence Tor
the contamination OF so desirable an OBJ
Ject.
Noe county in this State is abe to
build an institution OF this. kind a II
should be built. 1t will require MANY
tEoussud dollars to build and equip il, and
to keep it in the condition it should be
Kept in for efficiency. II such an institu-
ton can be secured, il should be for the
State, and not for any particular county, as
enc county alone could not support and
keep it up, and especially if it is to be
huilt for ne purpose Oh teaching offenders
;"G6es.
In some of the Eastern cities, Philldel
phis, for instance, the inmates OF both
sexes number nearly two thousand some
times, and so complete is the system OF
management that everything works like
clock work. The sexes are not permitted
70 mix or collide with each other They
are kept, as they should be, in separate
apartments, and are not allowed to know
of the presence OF each other. Anything
10 reclaim our children from exposure to
neral and social ruin, and to elevate them
IN the scale OF virtue. Crime among the
young is slarming indeed, and if there is
ANYTHING to reclaim the young boys and
girls in this city, and throughout our
State, the institution proposed by our
Beard on Monday is, in my judg pent, the
Gully method | know Of, and the only one
outside OF cur churches mat sin o?eratiou
IN his country, and many countries in
Europe AS state, we nFed slch en- IN.
s,i'ulion, and the S att a'o2s shoull build
II and not sirSte comfy or city. hope
he committee viii a?ke . lI"-C I!eql ct
iurt by TIE time tie l.egis'a'u ;r@e's, 50
as to have everything in such s5i)eu'
rhcra vii be no ditfi"uty in iHdGciH NE
Lrgisla NE I9 take rniU Of the malt" ~ :.
sGOlId Go do, aud haiti rs the inS'j'u 10
Al once, so that We may save Oar young
tDvs ard girls from lives O. TIT an
shane ard make useful men and women.