St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-20
AS AN ACT OF MERCY
The Globe Will Have Intro
dueed in This Legislature
q Bill
To Protect Infant Children
From the Horrors of Baby
Farms
And to Punish Inhuman Par
ents for the Desertion Of
Infants.
A Measure That Will Appeal
to the Humanity of
Men.

In the interests of humanity, in the
cause of mercy and for the defense and
better protection of the innocent, help
less babes of the state, the GLOBE Will
have introduced to-day in the legislature
a bill aimed to punish the abandonment
of infants and to protect them from the
horrors of the baby farm. In recent
issuess the GLOBE has given a full
expose of the evils of baby farming in
st. Paul, and as possible check upon
them had drawn the bill mentioned.
The law covers with its broad mantle
the adult and shadows the steps of the
minor, but hitherto its folds have given
scant shelter for the helpless babe. The
daintiest. most helpless thing of human
life, prattling at the feet of blind Justice,
may raise its chubby hands ever so ap-
pealingly-Justice stoops not to so weak
although pitiful an appeal. This is not
as it should be. Inhuman parents ought
not to pass unpunished for abandonment
of their young. The law should,
not strained, reach out its strongest arm
to the hovel of the baby-farmer, wrest
the child from its deathly confines and
fall with crushing force upon those
who deserted it. Day after day, week
after week, the columns of the press
contain abandonment notices. Private
charities. public hospitals, find it i'm
possible to care for the endless number
of forsaken children left at their doors.
And unless the law makes it a serious
and criminal offense for parents to
abandon or cast off the children of ten
der years. a remedy for the wrong done
will be difficult to find. 1t is believed
that the provisions of the GLOBES bill,
which will be introduced by Mr.. Nor
gan. will go a long way toward awaken
ing heartless parents to the dangers
they incur by abandonment. If the
measure should become law and be
inscribed in the statute books, the
GLOBE will feel that its labors for the
protection of the little ones have not
been in vain.
A certain prince of Arabia. noted in
the olden days for the severity of the
justice he administered, had brought
before him slave who had committed
some offense.
''Death! ~ was the sentence passed.
Mercy" cried voice.
ssWho dareS to aSk?" thundered the
prince.
"This," replied the wife of the pris-
OH0i, ~aoFaiciHS diu HoiulnS diolG d
babe who crowed and cuckooed at the
stern face looking down upon it.
''It is granted" said the prince, and
thus the story ends. The legislature of
Minnesota can do no greater act than
to grant, as he did, ,ithis to the babykins
of the commonwealth.
The provisions of the bill are:
ga bill for an act entitled .An act to
protect infants under the age of three
years, and to punish their abandon
ment.'
''Section 1. If any parent of any IN
FAINT child under the age of three years,
whether said child be legitimate or lille
gitimate, shall knowingly or willfully
abandon such child, or wlllfully fail to
provide for its proper support or main
tenance, such parent so abandoning
such child, or wiilfully failing to pro-
vide for its proper support and MAIN
tenance, shall be guilty Of misde-
meanor, and, upon conviction, shall be
punished by fine not exceeding 81, 900,
or by Imprisonment in the county jail
not more than one year, or by both, in
the discretion of the court.
''Sec. 2. Ii any person to whom has
been entrusted the care and custody of
any infant child under the age of three
years, or who has assumed such care Or
custody of such infant child, or in
whose possession such infant child may
be,shall knowingly or willfully abandon
such infant child, or expose or cause or
permit such child to be exposed upon
any street, highway, inclosed or unir-
closed grounds, or in the vicinity of any
dwelling house or other structure, with
the intent that said child shall thereby
come into the hands or custody or con-
troll OF some person or persons un-
known, and with intent upon the part
OF such person SO abandoning said
child to relieve himself from the fur
ther care, custody OF responsibility of
such child, he shall be guilty of misde-
meanor, and upon conviction thereof
shall be punished by fine not exceed
ing 5000 or by imprisonment in the
county Jail not exceeding two years, or
both, in the discretion of the court.
''Sec. 8. Any person, not being the
parent of any infant child under the
age of three years, who, being in pos
session and custody of such child, shall
give OF offer to give such child away, or
who shall place such child in the care
or custody of any private person other
than domestic servants and nurses in
the employ of such person, or who shall
for hire or reward undertake to keep
and thereafter dispose of such infant
child, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor,
and upon conviction thereof shall be
punished by fine of not more than ST.
600 or by Imprisonment in the county
Jail not more than one year, or both, in
the discretion of the court.
''Sec 4. Any person other than domes-
tic servants in the employ of the parent,
guardian or lawful custodian of an in
fant child under the age of three years,
who shall for hire or reward receive or
take the care. custody or control of such
child shall be guilty of misdemeanor,
and upon conviction shall be punished
by fine not exceeding $500, or by i'm
prisonment in the county Jail not ex-
ceedlng six months, or both, at the dis
cretion of the court; provided that the
provisions of this section shall not ex-
tend to any one adopting an infant child
of any age according to the statutes of
the state of Minnesota, or to one being
related to said child by consanguinity
within the ninth degree.
"Sec. 5. The provisions of this act
shall not apply to any public or private
orphan asylum. foundling hospital or
organized charity of any description;
nor shall any of its provisions apply to
or interfere with the adoption of infant
children cOnformably to the laws of this
state; nor shall the same apply to the 4
official act or conduct of any public
official charged with the administration
of public charities or corrections. or
with the care OF custody of paupers."
Legislative Notes.
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