The record-union., 1899-07-22
THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN.

THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN.
The conviction in the Superior Court
of this county yesterday of bestial
fellow for criminal assault upon a fe-
male child under the age of 16 years,
was triumph of justice. But it was
especially significant because the as
sauited girl is of very humble origin,
has no influential friends and her cir
: Gle in life is of the lowly The de-
fendant himself is an inconsequential
fellow.
prosecution in the name of the people
and aiding the willing and earnest Off
GERS, of the court, which knows neither
high nor low, rich nor poor as such. 1t
deals with the rights of children, how
ever humble and friendless, and in
vokes the protection Of the law for
every human being coming within the
line of its privileges under the law. The
-debasement and brutal disregard of
human right, than any every tried in a
California court. It's shocking and pitt
ful details staggered even yellow jour-
nalism. whose correspondents are ever
alert for the sensational with small re-
gard for the sensitiveness of readers.
So that no more than hint of the
crime has been given forth, since decent
H.
tails at all.
After long and patient trial a
speedy verdict of guilty came from a
panel of intelligent jurors, who have
thus stamped the law with the seal of
their approval which declares that for
the protection of our female children no
man shall plead consent or invitation
to lewdness who hampers with child
protecting her.
The case has probably mot had its
parallel in the annals of such crimes
Very few cases under the statute have
ever been tried: probably two or three
is the limit. But a Sacramento jury
has given emphatic warning to the
fiends who lie in wait for children, that
justice shall reach them, though the
victim is, as in this case, an obscure,
poor and almost friendless little girl.
The Sacramento County Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
and its vigilant and fearless officer, are
daSaryipc of n,,1,lic oo,,,,,,oyc n a t;n, fo,.
the faithfulness with which they follow
up such offenses as invade the sacred
rights Of children. The society has
never, we believe, faltered in the doing
of good. or the discharge of the most
disagreeable duty.
1t may be thought not creditable to
civilization that societies are neces-
sary to secure human beings the quick
and full protection of the law, but such
is the fact and we find that from asso-
Citations for the protection of game and
fish, to those for the assertion of the
rights of dumb beasts; from societies
for the conservation of cleanliness and
good order to those for the extension
OF the protecting arm of the law over
defenseless children, it is necessary to
band together. In a state of society
in which the law officials were fully
equipped with the means, and moved
by the highest promptings Of aggressive
duty, active and instant for the en-
forcement of the laws and the detec-
tion Of crime, it would seem that there
would be no need of outside aid organi-
cations.
However the law officers of the
country may do quite as well as they
can under the conditions prevailing
and after all it is essential and al
ways will be, to have special agencies
alert in given directions to bring to
notice Of the law officers the cases in
which interposition is called for, since
individual members of society will
unite In the strength OF organization
and. act, where as mere individuals
they would hesitate to become detec-
tives and prosecutors of crime. At
least here is an open door for profitable
thought and suggestion.