Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-06

one month to three months. Laws against
trespassing, disorderly conduct and talk
ing to prisoners have also been enacted.
The carrying out of these laws is a most
important part of the work. Holger Han
son is the Judge while Gilbert Jackson is
the chief of police. Court sits every week,
and the prisoners, if there are any, are
brought in and tried and sentenced in the
regular way. well-equipped Jail, with
five cells, forms a part Of the republic,
and the sentences are carried out with due
strictness. Prisoners are made to work for
the republic. They wear Jail clothes, and
they are not allowed to hold communication
with any one. One Jail sentence Is usually
all that any boy wants, and the lesson he
gets gives him a distaste for that sort Of
thing That lasts nm all his life. He nndS
out at once that it is not considered smart
or bright at the republic to be bad. Public
sentiment is against it. The citizens are
working every day for themselves and are
getting paid for it. and they have no sym
pathy or admiration for people who do not
work. a tax has been provided to carry on
governmental expenses. payment of sal
aries to officials, &c. The republic has
currency and banking system Of its own.
Aluminium coin is used. which circulates in
the republic, and which the boys receive
for their work and pay out for their meals
and for their clothes. The boys get II
cents per per hour in republic currency for
their work. Some Of them work on the
farm, under the direction of the farmer
who pays them their wages. Some of them
cook. The boys work well, too. They pay
for their meals, lodging and buy what
clothes they need from the republic store.
A strong effort is now under way to Sc
cure the necessary funds to erect new
building at the republic, which shall in
ciude Offices for the government, bank
school room and library and court and
assembly room, with the upper rooms given
up to dormitories. Marsh & Peters, the
weii-known architects of this city, have
drawn the plans for this building, and work
short time.
Some idea of the boys and their work
can be obtained from some extracts, just
as they We're penned, from letters written
to the paper published by the boys of St
Johns parish. The chief of police of the
republic, Gilbert Jackson, writes of the re-
public:
The object of a Junior Republic.
THE main object is to teach young boys
to be good citizens. In order to do this
they must learn self government. The
National Junior Republic at Annapolis
junction is place of this kind. There the
boys make their own laws. elect their own
officers and model their government after
tinted States, and they lead a happy and
independent and useful life.
THE boys are furnished work, paid for it
in Junior Republic currency; they have
to pay for their meals, lodging and clothes
Work is furnished in grades, common labor
and skill labor, common labor II cents
per hour and skill labor 10 cents per hour
There are two resta urants-15 cents and p
cents per meal If boy does not work he
does not eat, and after a while hunger
compels him. If he does not have money
for lodging he is arrested for vagrancy and
put in jail; has a trial by the judge and
sentenced; if sentenced to the workhouse
he has to work for the government; if fine
he has to work for cents per hour. IL
shows that II boy is industrious he keeps
out of Jail and works for II cents per
hour instead of working for nothing. The
citizens have town meetings once a week.
and put laws before the house to be de-
cided upon by majority. Open meeting
nominate chairman, read minutes of last
meeting and proceed to business. When
laws pass town meeting the clerk takes
them and brings them to president. and he
signs them if he thinks they good ones.
THE citizens have made laws against
smoking. profanity, dsorderly conduct.
gambling, vagrancy, trespassing, stealing.
speaking to prisoners, laws for commits
sions. for police and their duties and value
of currency and quite a few other laws
that are needed to make a good govern
ment. If a boy is arrested he is brought
before chief of police, given a hearing,
name placed in book, given his bonds If
he has bondsman he is to have his lib
erty until court; if no citizen goes his bail
he is put in jail till court. If he is bailed
out and does not appear in court his bonds
man forfeits his bonds and the money goes
to the government. He is brought before
court, given a trial by judge or jury. If
ne Is found guilty ne Is sentenced: If not.
discharged. 1t learns the boys how to be
self governing and law-abidng citizens,
and learns them the value of time and
money and nothing without labor. Liberty
eXalts labor.
Another citizen, Henry Burgess, writes:
What the National Junior Republic Is
II suppose you have all heard about the
National Junior Republic. If you haven't
I will tell you about it. 1t is a place to
train boys to be honest. truthful. Iaw-abfd-
ing citizens when they enter manhood The
boys here make their own laws and enforce
hem. We have court every Saturday ana
Try the prisoners who have broken the avs
during the week. If the boy has no money
to pay his fine he is put in Jail. which is
little ways from the rear of the house.
There are four cells in this jail, with iron
bars and locks. The unfortunate boy who
gets put in jail has no pleasure. He has
the hardest and dirtiest work and receives
no pay. The time he isn't working he is
locked up. He has no soft bed like the
others, but rests his weary bones on the
bench in his cell. The rest of the boys,
after the work is done. have all the fun
hey want till O'clock then all hands
Jump in bed. Last one in bed puts out the
light. Then we tell him the ghost Is coming
and he runs and gets in bed, covers up head
and heels half frightened to death. On
Halloween night We had the o~eatH~+ re
fun. We got into the cooks flour barrel
and made the flour hy,' filling each other
full. One of the boys got a big pan of
water and pal:~some apples in. Each had
a turn biting at the apples. One would
get his nose and eyes full of water end
he was forced to give up. Then the others
would laugh a. him. telling him he would
not make good diver, and others passed
funny Jokes on him. When Christmas
comes we expect to have greater fun"
Still another citizen-Frank Eberle-has
this description:
The National Junior Republic.
ssThe Junior republic is my home, for ]