The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-04
WANT A LAW FOR PROBATION.
THE ALTERNATIVE PLAN, OF, PUN
IsHMENT MEETS WITH GEN
% ERALsFAvOR,
It's Passage las suggestehs Secre-
tary Wellington I'm the In
terest of Youth.

ton held its second quarterly meeting
j yesterday afternoon in the probate
court room. Judge Willrich, the presi-
Gent OF the association, occupied the
chair. After the reading of the Sec
/ retarys report which is published
herewith, the association discussed the
desirabiiity of inaugurating what is
known as the probation system In
order to accomplish this, the legisla-
ture must enact a law empowering the
courts of the state to place convicted
persons under probation, instead of
sentencing them to prison. The system
/ has been adopted in some states and is
reported to have been attended with
| good results in the line of reformation.
| The association decided to appoint a
committee with instructions to draft a
| bill establishing the probation system,
| to be submitted to the legislature.
! The members of the association were
| unanimous as to the necessity of a cur
| few ordinance IN st. Paul, and it was
voted to ask the associated charities
| to discuss at one of it's parlor confer
ences, to be held soon, the desirability
Of such measure.
| The association decided to ally itself
with the associated charities, and &C
cordingly appointed Rev. DR.. j. w.
! Conley and D. T. Wellington to repre-
sent it on the board of the latter organ
ization The association will also take
| immediate steps to become incorpo-
| rated.
HI. Knox Taylor was elected treas
urer, vice w. A.IMiller resigned.
Secretary Wellington's report is as
follows:
The work of the quarter ending Oct
I seth, exceeded that done in the pre-
ceding three months by far more than
the tabulated statement accompany
! ing will show, inasmuch as the in
creased interest that the people have
shown in it has brought the secretary
into acquaintance with a number of
! difficult private cases of parents
neglect or childrens' delinquency, In
volving much work and lavish use
/ Of time in their prosecution The labor
and the time necessary to arrange for
| the open meeting at the Central Pres
| byterian church October %, was con-
siderable. This meeting was success,
and of value to us, in that 1t brought
| together the real friends of human
! 1tarlan efforts for soul saving, and had
the result of setting the associations
| plan of work fairly before those in
terested ones, and also before our fell
| low citizens generally. by reason Of
| the liberal announcement of. the meet
| ing by our local press, and full report
of proceedings in. issues following its
| date. Pledges were taken of sums
from one to. ten dollars, for the sup
port of the work, which aggregated
1 a nice amount.
In connection with this our solicitor
and myself eorresponded or visited
| with nearly all of the clergymen OF
| the city with a view to urging them
to observe Prison Sunday, October rs,
| Closely preaching or speaking upon
work with prisoners and the office of
/ our association in relation to them;
also asking them to take up coll
! lection on that Sunday for the benefit
of our work
Many responded favorably to our
desires, but the majority of them did
not, apparently take any notice Of
our request as no replies were re-
ceived to our communica tons, and no
| special service held in observance of
Prison Sunday; collections were taken
| in four churches and amounts sent
| to our treasurer.
The finance committee conceived a
4 plan for obtaining financial support
| for our work and in pursuance of it
4 engaged the services OF j. S. Dodge,
/ an experiences person in such bust
| ness, who set to work at once and by
his efforts materially added to the in
| did not continue in the work longer
| than a period of about three weeks;
| he was followed by a lady solicitor
who has also given up the work Your
| secretary desires to suggest that it is
| important that articles of incOrpora-g
ton should be taken out, and would
recommend the immediate appoints
ment of two members as delegates to
| the membership of the Board of As
ISOLATED charities of our city; a COM
Il
next legislature to authorize judges of
! district and municipal courts to ap-
point probation officers for duty In
aforesaid courts; committee to con-
fer, with power to act, with the mayor
and council as to the deSirability of
having an ordinance passed prohibit
ing children under sixteen years from
being on the streets of the city after
the hours of 8 o'clock in winter and
1 8 O'Clock in summer. in the evening.
1t is plain that the inadequacy of
proper places of detention for the
4 youthful delinQuents from the criminal
courts is operating directly against our
efforts to- save boys and girls just
starting in career of vice and crime
and it should be one of our first duties
to see that some place is provided the
county for reformatory processes to be
tried ON such youthful criminals as do
not merit Incarceration in either the
Jail OF workhouse. "a rescue home or
girls refuge is demanded for incorrigi-
BILE and unchaste young girls, the more
since we are deprived of-legal commit
ment of such cases to the House Of the
Good Shepherd. 1i
If we are to do the work for which
we are organized, we must plan to do
those things which will make the work
successful and commend itself to the
public from whom it derives It's fnan-
cial support. The secretary should
have the Individual and. collective en-
thusiasm and action of his board Of
directors.
I attended the annual conference of
charities and corrections at Red Wing,
Nov. IL to 10, and participated in the
sessions of the .lprison association sec
ton meeting, from which much profit
and satisfaction was derived.
The work for: the quarter is shown In
the following figures:
The police court cases inquired into
included 4 of seduction; of incorrigi-
bility, SO of larceny. II of assault, 10 of
vagrancy, rs drunk or disorderly, Z
dissolute girls, II neglectful husbands,
2 forgers and two cases of saloonists
who had sold liquor to minors.
The society has booked after 70 fallen
women; secured employment for
children; placed 2 Fboys in homes, be-
sides a variety of other work falling
within the same lines generally.