New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-24
REFORM FOR POLICE COURTS.
THIS WILL LEAD TO REFORM OF POLICE
FORCE" SAYS MRS. SMITH.
4 WOMAN. ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY
IN LELAND STANFORD UNIVERSITY. TELLS

Organization Society Building is Mrs Mary Roo-
erts Smith. Phi D.. assistant professor OF sociology
in Leland Stanford. Jr. University.
Mrs. Smith is Eastern woman. She look her
degree at Cornell. and for several years was pro-
fessor Of history and economies at WELLESLEY Col
lege from which Institution she resigned TO marry
Professor Smith who holds the chair OF mathe-
r1atical engineering at Stanford University 1t is
one Of the few cases. II not the only case IN "hch
a husband and wife are professors In the same IN
stitution Both now on a years ABSENCE fro-
fessor Smith is travelling and studying in Europe
while Mrs Smith is following with vigor the WORK
Of the Philanthropic School
The East" said Mrs Smith to n Tribune re-
porter. lis. Of course. greatly In advance OF |aii
fornia in these matters find the scnooi most
interesting and suggestive II furnishes me just
the field for investigation that need Tor my lec'-
ures on charities and corrections"
Sociology at Leland Stanford University Is an
elective study but only juniors and seniors are
admitted the lectures. The department Is COW
cred by four professors. The heads are professor
Warner author OF authoritative work on
american Charities" and Professor Ross. while
the assistants are Professor Durant and Mrs
Smith.
The subjects covered by Mrs. Smiths lectures
open 10 both men and women-nclude charity ana
correction, social pathology. immigration, sociology
of the family. crime and penoogy, and household
management In a class OF fifty In household man
dents. one of her pupils is now steward In New
York settlement.
SO clean cut and comprehensive was Mrs. Smith
report on the Police Courts Of New-York city
made 10 the Philanthroplc School last week, that
Il elected high encomum from students Of munic-
ipa government including Colonel George War
ing who wrote for copy OF It. AS many Of the
facts noted IN keeping with statements made
by Miss Annette Fske the woman lawyer, In her
plea In The Tribune for the establishment or a
woman's legal aid society. the extracts given to-
day will doubtless be perused with double interest
by Tribune readers.
Before coming to New-York Mrs. Smith made a
study Of the police courts Of San Francisco: other
wise she asserts. would have been impossible
TO have gathered data here, so meagre are the
facilities for securing Information.
NO person can hope to understand the mazes OF
police procedure" said Mrs. Smith. without a
thorough legal training and then without long
and close connection with the court Itself All po-
lice court procedure is shrouded in such mystery
the docket Is not open TO the public-that It Is not
only impossible to find out what called
given day. but equally difficult to determine
their final disposition Cases come on with such
rapldity-often one a .niaute and sometimes IN
patches although the offences may not have been
committed at the same time place-that the
initiated. with the closes: attention cannot follow
the proceed Ire To this is added the confusion OF a
horde Of police officers. clerks. roundsmen and
lookers-on. moving and talking in the courtroom.
tina, the Magistrate can seldom be heard more
than ten feet away. while witnesses and prisoners
must to the Justices desk to be heard at all"
The old Justices courts abolished In 1885.
and the Board OF city Magistrates substituted The
charter OF Greater New-York provides two police
divisions Mrs. Smith concentrated her study on
the first Observation-Disclosures and The Bronx.
This division has seven districts. with twelve
magistrates and secretary. appointed by the
fOr tern ~ for o. on
Previous 10 1895 the justices elected. and
ceived a salary Of $500. Six clerks stcnog
raphor and one Interpreter comprises the political
patronage Of each magistrate. w1ile the total pat
ronage Of the Board amounts 10 forty-two clerk
ships and fourteen other Offices
AS to tho class Of cases that come into these
courts" said Mrs. Smith. there IS source OF
information save tho yearly report OF the Board OF
city MAGISTRATES which IS incomplete In 1891 In
six magistrates courts there So arrests
OF which 1850 only were held convicted or COM
mtt"d Tn" Magistrate has power Of summary
proceeding in such matters as dsorderly conduct.
intoNication. violation Of corporation ordinances
NtEiANc}. sabbath bro aking. insanity. ungOyern-
don family .iI-ni.ious ncrsors %H-i,, 4, ~
cont Of all tho IN his cour, are for dlsorlerly
rndcr this head come ALI ofrcnces HAT dr f,.r
disturb the peace by noise or indecercy OF this
lntoNication, lad language etc. If we add the
- per cont ~ case' under the head Of ntoxicaton.
havo a total Of - r,r cent atfribn,atIo ~ Iisrr
derry conduct Tor 70 per cent ~ which women are
Responsible. More than one-half Of the work OF
~" court is under this head. and one-eehth OF II
Is attributable - women
CONVICTIONS FOR vAGRANCY.
statistics Of the last ten years show a steady
Increase In the number OF arrests and convictions.
for vagrancy. This is largely due 10 the Chari,,,
Organization Society. which has a special ONCE
detailed to oversee the fourteen policemen whose
duty is to arres. all beegars ami Migrants: one
Ct tnr miserics o. the discharged prisoner is the
TACT that be may be arrested 10y any police officer
ior Thar which would be, in any other person an
There Is no way OF asrcrtalnlng accurately the
numncr or children and young persons who come
iinio me poicc courts as no statistics are pub
l.ncd except OF those who are committed nsti-
49,. This sgss'sts" said Mrs Smith. that the po-
nee ana IN" poiic" court represent the sumptuary
authority and the regulators ~ persona conduct
IN sociriy As society has become more and more
complex the license OF the individual has been pro-
excessively cur,ai.ed. and the police power has pro
srressv, y enlarged. The result IS the elaboration
duct Like al! such machinery. it is ill-aaaptei to
It's pnrpose The polio power is. not trivia,
MINOR matter which society can leave 10 regulate
i,Seli II - an increasing important factor in social
administration yet provided The facts cited faii
who'll 10 make clear The real character and social
poor depend solely for the enforcement and pres
ervaton OF their rights and liberties. Mayor Hew-
III In his message Of ISIS declares that the position
o' police Justice Is more important 70 the COM
munity than ma OF he Judge q the Court OF
former applies ii In the first instance I'm nearly all
cases affecting the life liberty and property OF the
citizen The police magistrate saws Mr. Coakcy
In city Government in tho United States is gen
sraHN an absolute autocrat In the cases that come
before him
SOME PEN PICTURES
Mrs. Smith gave graphic pen pictures OF the
judges. Before judge. she said. appeared a
wife. complaining that her husband had abandoned
her. The husband. called to give his testimony vi
tupcrated the wife. the latter "jawcd" back and
the Magistrate scoded both. much 10 the amuse-
mcnt OF the onookers. Second on,y in Importance
10 the magistrate Is the roundsman. who intro
duces the prisoners 10 the justice. repeats what he
or she has 10 say and acts general Intermediary
The right Kind OF roundsman is invaluable in
securing fair trial 10 the prisoner and "A fun
hearing OF the to the magistrate not TO speak
Of the real missionary kindness which he has op-
pOrtunty TO exercise.
Nncty-siX per cent Of all the cases In the courts
are upon arrest without "process"-that Is with