Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-25
GIRLS REFORM SCHOOL
BILL FIXING THE AGE LIMIT OF An.
MISSION AT SEVENTEEN YEARS.
Report of the House District Conn
mittec as to the Objection of
the Comm ssiOners

The report of the House District commit
tee on the bill liking the age limit of ad-
mission to the girls reform school at
seventeen years has been drawn by Rep
resentative Jenkins, and says:
1T will be observed that the only obiec-
ton offered by the learned Commissioners
of the District of Columbia is based upon
the objections of the board of charities: :
that is, as far as they are concerned they
make no objection independent of the board
of charities, but they say that the board of
charities is making a special study of the
work for dependent and delinquent children
in the District of Columbia, and express
the opinion that pending the completion
of that investigation the enactment of
fragmentary legislation, as contemplat ed
by the bill, is unWse.
Mistaken in the Statement.
Now, in the judgment of the commit
tee the learned Commissioners are very
much mistaken in making this statement
How can it be unwise for Con gress to do
for poor unfortunate girls what they
have already done, without the disapproval
of the Commissioners, in favor of un-
fortunate boys? In the judgment of those
Interested this beneficial legislation should
be extended to unfortunate girls seven
teen years of age. While these very learn
ed members of the board of charities are
making a special study some poor, unfor-
tunate girl Of seventeen years of age may
be forever ruined.
'They have not seen fit to tell Con-
gress when they will be through with
their study of this question or what sug-
gestions they can make to Congress show
ing the proposed Legislation to be unwise,
or what suggestions they contemplate max
ing, and the learned Commissioners are
certainly mistaken when they say that the
ta lish ta
agency for the commitment of de.inquents.
There is not single word or line in the
bill to justify any such statement. The
board of charities have no power to COM
init. The poor unfortunates are committed
by the courts, or in a single other case the
president Of the board of trustees may
also commit in cases not bad enough to re
quire the Intervention of a court, so that
there is no duplicate agency for the COM
mitment of delinquents.
Opinion of the Trustees.
'The board Of charities is unquestionably
composed of gentlemen of high character,
and it can we'll be said of the board Of
trustees of the reform school for girls that
there are no better or finer people III the
District of Columbia than go to make up
this board. They are ladies and gentlemen
Of high character and large experience, de-
voting their time, without compensation, to
the Improvement of poor unfortunate girls.
Their judgment is that it will tend to save
many an unfortunate girl II the age limit
cali BE changed from sixteen 20 seventeen
years, and that is practically the only
material change suggested. The other two
changes hereinbefore referred to are mere
incidents.
Nov. with all due respect to the objec-
tions of the board Of charities, your COM
mittee are Of the opinion that Congress can
and ought to legislate in this particular.
and when the good people composing the
board of charities have their suggestions
to make to Congress, If it be found that
any error has been committed, 1t can be
rectified by subsequent legislation; but GER
tainly this very needy change in the law
ought not to be held in abeyance while the
board of charities are making a special
study Of their work, without any sugges-
tioh that they intend at any length of time
to make any recommendations to Congress.
Your committee, who have very care
fully examined this question, both for the
boys reform school and for the girls
school as We'll can see no possible objec-
ton to placing the boys school and that
Of the girls school on the same footing