The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-29
A CHILDREN's REPUBLIC.
George Junior Republic at Free
willie, n. ", Described by One of the
Board of Directors.


From the Boston Transcript.
A lecture was delivered by James a.
Cruikshank, one of the board of directors
of the George Junior Republican Assoc3a-
ton Of New York city. this afternoon, at
62 Bacon street, entitled Solving the
Stun Problem" This Junior republic Is
! located at Freeville, Thompldns county,
New York. under the superintendent Of
! William r. George and is a most inter-
esting institution. 1t is made up Of boys
and girls taken from tho, sluzns of New
York. who, with few restrictions, govern
themselves, and work at trades and pro-
LESSONS as they would If they were grown
men and women in the outside world.
With regard to the government, Mr.
George holds the position of president
He has the veto power, and the leRlsla-
ture does not have the power to pass
laws over his veto, but, with that ex-
ception, the affairs of the children are
left almost entirely In their own hands.
The code OF laws taken follows as closely
as possible the constitution of the United
States and the local laws of the state Of
New York. The republic is divided into
six states, which are not certain parts of
the territory, but industrial classes, be-
| ing farming, millinery, landscape garden
ing, carpentry, cooking and sewing. From
these classes one representative is elect
ed for every twelve persons TO serve for
the term of a week and each Industrial
class must have one member in the sem
ate. to serve for two weeks.
The senators must be at least 10 years
! old. There is also a judiciary, having a
criminal, civil ana supreme court. me
members Of the industrial classes work
| at their trades from $500 a. m. TO p m,
| receiving pay in paper money issued by
| the republic and redeemable within its
| bounds The workers are divided into
! three grades those in the unskilled grade
! receiving 80 cents a day, in the middle
grade 20 cents a day and in the skilled
| grade 30 cents a day. The requirements for
| attaining the grade of skilled laborer
are most exacting, something like perfec-
/ ton being required. II the children do
| not work, they receive no pay, and as
no provision is made for the support of a
| pauper their lots are hard ones.
one of the most interesting parts Of the
| republic is the police department, which
/ Is an important one, as viii be realized
when it is remembered that the children
/ come from the worst sections of the New
/ York slums. The policemen are strong
/ boys, appointed under civil service rules,
| and as there is a heavy fine for resist
/ ing a policeman, they have great power
/ in the community. The arrested children
are treated as they would be in the real
| world. For a slight offense a small fine
! or short imprisonment is inflicted For
| a criminal offense they are imprisoned
/ for "a period OF from One-half a day to
six days, the Imprisonment being as harsh
as it would be in regular one. They are
| reduced to the grade Of cQnVicts, taken in
charge by a keeper, their civilian clothing
/ is taken from them and they are obliged
| TO don prison stripes (bed ticking with the
stripes running around. They then lose
| their identity as Jimmy, Johnny or Fred
| dy so and 50, and instead are simply
| known by a number, and are obliged to
| work all day instead Of One-half Of that
| time receiving no pay for their labor.
They cannot speak to anyone during their
| term of Imprisonment; have to liveIon the
| plainest fare, and are locked in a cell at
! all times except when the keeper has them
| out at work. The keeper-a good-sized
| boy Of about 16 years Of age-keeps them
! in the lockstep when they are in line. He
wears a distinctive uniform and is arm
/ ed with a gun. OF course, it is not loaded.
| but 1t seems to have the same eeffct on
| the prisoners as a loaded one.
The reason for this severity is that il
gives them pretty good idea Of what the
inside Of a prison is like, and of how little
fun there is likely to be IN a criminal life.
The work Of the republic last year was a
great success, as the children learned bv
practical experience the blessing of labor,
and in the meantime secured the rudiments
of a trade.