The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-15
NEED OF AN ALMSHoUSE.
.yy1NG VIEWS ON THE; SUBJECT
AND OF A REFORMATORY.

loo FaIIigant and Chairman Dale
nt.cuSs the Suggestion of Mayer
vvers-The Former Is Rather In
tined to Favor the RefOrmatOry
"A Depreciate the AImshOuse,
mile The Latter Takes the OppO-
.tte view Of the Matter-ChairmRn
- the Comfy Commissioners
Tbtpxs Chatham's Juvenile Of
,enders More Likely to Corrupt
Than TO De Corrupted.
,r,era has been no little discussion of
.,. question, suggested by Mayor My
.rs and voiced in an interview with him
- ..osterdav's Morning News, of the ne
-sfr,- for an almshouse for the destitute
-oor If che city and county. There is a
rsDeral concensus of opinion that some
hing should be done, but there is some
.,,,hr as to whether or not the establish
.r+ If an aImshouse would suffice to
r.r,sdy the evil condition that admittedly
exists
The Mayor suggested in the interview
that there should be an adjunct to the
olnsbo,rse in the shape of reformatory
f,r iiyenie criminals, where they could
lo taught that honesty is the best policy
If M higher moral precept could be in
eiIled and that it was to their distinct
and material advantage to dead decent
ond honest lives. On these subjects Judge
Robert Falligant and Chairman Dale of
Tho Board of County Commissioners were
sesn by a Morning News reporter. Meth
or was prepared to give positive and
definite statement of his position, but it
is q matter of note, indicative of the dis
agreement that exists even among those
host informed. that one of them was in
clined 10 favor the reformatory part of
che scheme and discount the wisdom and
advantages of the almshouse, while The
other favored the almshouse, and could
not be induced to enthusiastically indorse
the reformatory.
"The question of the establishment of
an almshouse for the destitute poor of the
citv and county," said Judge F'alligant, 'is
q new one TO me. I have never considered
IT, and hence am not in a position to give
an Intelligent opinion on the subject
SDeaking generally and without particular
consideration, / am not in favor of pro-
,iding for persons who are able to work,
lieve such a system inculcates an un-
healthy feeling of absolute and abject de-
pendence that ID ought to be the duty of
The community to stamp out and suppress
rather than to encourage.
There are, of course, many persons In
the community who are incapable of work
of any kind and it may possibly be that
an amshouse for these would be the best
way in which the city or county could
look after them. But there are also many
others who would be quick to take adj
vantage of charity that they did not need
and thus impose upon the people an ex-
pense that would be inordinate even in the
first instance, and might become unbeara-
BILE II is far BETTER in my opinion to en-
courage those who are capable of some
work to do it. than, by the establishment
of an almshouse, into which all who are
to receive the charity of the community
are to he forced, to put premium on idle
ness. 1t might be that upon more mature
consideration, l should change my mind
on this question, but what have said
about expresses what 1 think of it at pres
emit"
AS to a reformatory, I have always
favored 1t. During my experience on the
bench have noticed the large number of
arrests of small boys for petty larceny and
other offenses OF like grade and character.
They have grown more and more alarm
Ingy frequent, and the positive and cry
ing need for a reformatory has been more
and more forcibly impressed upon my
mind. To let these children grow up in
ideness and crime, without a restraining
influence or a helping hand, is almost a
crime in itself More, 1t is a menace TO
the community, for in permitting this
evil without taking steps to stamp it out,
we are breeding a criminal element that
viii make serious trouble in the future"
AS 1 say, I have always favored the
establishment of reformatory for juve
nile criminals, either by the county or the
state. The best method of establishing
and maintaining the institution may be
and is difficult question, but 1 agree with
the Mayor that it would be well for the
county and city authorities to consider it
and see if they cannot devise a plan that
Will accomplish the desired end. To allow
boys, who have just committed their first
crime, to associate during their confne
mont with hardened criminals, who have
committed a hundred, is an evil to which
an end should be put. This is my posi-
ton on the question generally; as TO ways
end means that must be left for more ma
ture consideration
Chairman j. ]. Dale of the County Com
mlssioners was rather inclined to dis
credit the current belief that the boys
Who are sent to the chain-gang and coun-
" farm. from the Superior and City
Courts, are likely to be further hardened
or corrupted by association with the more
mature criminals. These boys, said Com
missioner Dale, are now sent to the coun-
" farm, and are rather more likely to
corrupt the manners and morals of the
men than the men are likely to corrupt
theirs
They are the most impudent and aban-
doned lot of little reprobates with which it
mas ever been my duty to deal" said the
commissioner. eve have had some of
toem on the county farm, where they as
Sociate only with each other and the fe-
maze and decrepit or crippled convicts, for
me latter half of their lives, with only
such short intermissions as are necessary
ior them to get themselves back into the |
cry and their hands on the property Of
some one else, be arrested. tried and SEN
fenced. The whole operation has often |
o'en performed in a couple of weeks and |
~ me end of such a time We have the |
oounttul pleasure of welcoming again some |
Youthful offender whom we have just
ulScharged The great majority of the |