The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-13
TO SAVE The BOYS
COMMISSIONERS TO CONSIDER
ELECTION FOR REFORMATORY.
MUST ORDER ONE SOON.
RECOMMENDATION OF GRAND JURY
MAKES 1T THEIR DUTY.

Under the Terms of the Law the
Election Will Have to He Held BE-
fore the Last of April-NOt Prob
able IT VIII he Ordered To-day, AS
Matters of Detail Remain to Be
COnsidered-InabiIit of Courts to
Pronounce Indeterminate Sem
fences in the Way of RefOrmatO-
RVS Success-How This Obstacle Is
Surnounted i'm Atlanta, Where In
dustriaI Farm Is Operated.
The March meeting of the Board of
County Commissioners will be held
this afternoon. The commissioners
will consider the question of calling
an election to determine if reforma-
tory prison for the reclamation of jul
venile offenders shall be established
in this county.
The grand jury of the last term OF
the court recommended that such an
election be held, and under the provi-
sions of the state law, as it is inter
preted by Judge Barrow and other
well-known lawyers, this requires the
commissioners to order an election to
be held within sixty days of the time
the recommendation was made. The
commissioners compliance with this
law will mean that the election will
be held about the last of April, or at
any rate not later than that date.
The commissioners have already ex-
pressed themselves as favoring the
establishment of a reformatory and it
is not apprehended that they will place
any obstacles in it's way.
1t is scarcely probable, however, that
the election will be finally ordered this
afternoon. The county attorney will
be asked for an opinion and though the
law is so clear and explicit that Col.
Cam can hardly do anything other
than advise the commissioners it is
their duty to call the election, there
are other questions that remain to be
considered. These include the man
agement of the election, the qualifica-
ton of voters and the like. The pro-
liability is that the county attorney
will be asked to submit his report 10
a special meeting and that when this
meeting is held the election will be
called.
Even in the event of the establish
ment of a reformatory, Savannah and
Chatham county must labor under a
disadvantage that is apparent to those
who have considered the question. This
is the fact that sentences cannot be
made indeterninate or during the mi
nority of the youthful criminal. An
amendment to law pasesd at the last
session of the General Assembly, so as
to make it applicable to counties haV-
ing the population of Chatham, would
cure this evil.
The reformatory established in Full
ton county a few weeks ago for juve-
nile criminals, or rather the industrial
farm, as it is known. operates under a
law passed at the last session of the
Legislature-a law general in its
terms but local in it's application.
The people of Fulton county long
discussed the question of a reforma-
tory and about eighteen months ago
voted to establish one under the act
of 1893 The difficulty in the way was
that this law does not permit the sem
fencing of youthful criminal to such
an institution for longer term than
is prescribed for the crime which he
has committed. To get around this diff
fculty and make the reformatory of
some practical value, the passage was
secured at the 1901 session of the Leg
in all counties of 100000 inhabitants
or more, having industrial farms or
similar institutions, the sentence of
youthful criminals to these institutions
shall be for and during minority I'M
less sooner discharged by the authori-
ties.
The authorities in this case are the
County Commissioners. They have
full power and control, and may not
only discharge such youthful criminals
from the industrial farm when they
deem proper but may parole them and
may even bind them out during their
minority. This authority is also given
in the recent law.
Under the rules established by the
Fulton County Commissioners only
white boys are received at the indus
trial farm there. No females are taken
at all. There are now eight boys in
the institution. all having been SEN
fenced from different courts since the
opening for their reception about a
month ago. The commissioners wait
ed for the new law before putting the
reformatorY into operation.