The evening times., 1899-07-31
WOMEN FAVOR cURFEw LAW.
A Move in Bridgeport, Conn, to Re-
strain Children.

Bridgeport Conn, July 31.-If the Wo-
mans Christian Temperance Union OF this
city succeeds in its purpose curfew VIII
ring here at O'Clock every night, and az
ter that hour all children less than fifteen
years old found in the streets without an
adult guardian will be subject to detention
by the police and their parents TO a warn
ing or fine The women propose TO convert
into a peremptory house call for all young
sters the fire alarm bells, which, according
70 an ancient Connecticut custom, sound at
o'clock every night
Agitation among the women over nightly
occurrences in the streets has led TO the
proposed ordinance. The presence OF girls
in their teens mingling with men and lott
ering about dark corners has attracted the
attention of the women, who think it is a
growing evil. The police records indicate
an increase in the number of arrests of
young girls and small boys for petty thefts.
burglary. and lesser crimes. The following
petition, addressed to the mayor and COM
mon council, was left with City Clerk a.
E. Lavery yesterday afternoon:
"We the Bridgeport Women's Christian
Temperance Union, do hereby most ear
pestIy petition your honorable body TO
frame and enact a provision termed the
curfew law whereby children under the age
of fifteen years may be restrained from the
habit of being on the public streets or al
Ieys after the ringing of the o'clock bell,
unless accompanied by proper escort
This document is signed by Mrs. J. A.
Hammond, as scribe, and more than 100
officers and members of the Woman :
Christian Temperance Union, including
Mrs H. o. Lund, president; Mrs. c. K.
Sanford, vice president; Mrs. w. E. Wills,
secretary, and Miss Elizabeth Porter, treas
urer.
Mrs. Hammond is deeply interested in
the establishment of curfew law, and
fails to see any funny side to it. She says
the women proposed TO exert their efforts
for the passage Of an ordinance to keep
young girls and boys off the street at
night, and that they have long seen the
need of something to restrain children
from frequenting the streets unattended
until unseemly hours, as 1t leads girls into
bad habits and company. and gradually to
evil practices. and eventually TO the care
of the police.
According to Mrs. Hammond the idea of
| the union is to have a curfew law which
will provide that parents who are neglect
full in this matter shall be warned first.
Then, If their children are found in the
streets after O'Clock, the police shall pick
them I'D and they shall be detained in
some suitable place until the authorities
ascertain whether or not the parents VIII
take care of them. Some of the women
favor imposing a fine upon parents who re-
peatedly permit their children to frequent
| streets late at night
Members of the board of aldermen that
| constitute the common council, are incl1n-
ed to view the matter lightly. They jest
| upon the subject, and all sorts of amend
ments are being suggested by them, from
raising the age to twenty-one years to
| building a place in which to impound the
detained children, with wards for the boys
and girls.
Mayor Sterling is inclined to view the
| matter seriously, and said:
81 don't believe in going back to the
puritanical ways of our forefathers, nor
do 1 want to see our children drift into
| evil ways. Whether We can remedy this
| by legislation is moot question. The last
| legislature had curfew law before it, but
passed one giving municipal and town au-
| thorities the power to make such regula-
tions as they deemed proper to keep young
| children off the streets at night. Bridge
port is no worse than any other live city
! in this respect. 1t is a condition that per-
haps may be remedied by law. Parents
will have to take the individual RESPONSE
bility."
/ Petitioning women will attend the meet
| ing of the board of aldermen on August s.
prepared to back up their request with
strong arguments for the passage and en-
| forcement OF curfew law.