The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-07
THE LAW AND MIGRANTS.
Rev. Bascom Anthony Deals With
Minors and Gamblers,
Prince. and the Coliseum.


Minors and Gamblers.
Prince aud the Coliseum.
Editor Morning News: Some days
ago you made editorial comment upon
the case of the 12-year-old negro boy
who was sent to the chaingang for a
year upon the charge of vagrancy. In
that editorial you wisely and humanely
advocated the establishment of re-
formatory.
/ think, however, that you are mis-
taken in supposing that our law as it
now stands makes it necessary to send
that boy to the Jail or chaingang. On
the contrary the law makes distinct
provision for all such cases. as will be
seen by section 26o5 of the civil code,
which will be quoted below.
1t is the opinion of some of the best
legal talent that no minor can be sent
up for vagrancy. This is evidently the
opinion of the Supreme Court although
1t has not passed directly upon this
point. In the case of Teasley VS.. the
State. 109 Ga, page 2SS, the court says:
I'VE question very much whether
the penal law on the subject of va
grancy was intended to apply to one
who is minor. The law makes other
provision for the care of minors who
are without visible means of support.
Section 1905 of the Civil Code makes
it the duty of the judge of the county
court or ordinary to bind out all
minors whose pfrents are dead. or
whose parents reside out of the coun-
ty, the profits of whose estates are in
SUFFICIENT for their support and main
tenance; and also, all minors whose
parents from age, infirmity. or pover->
ty. are unable to support them. If a
minor, therefore, be found in this sit
uation idle. doing no work, and with
out means of support, the law contem-
plates. If he is able to work, that ne
should be bound out by the county Of
hclal, and in this way be forced TO
work and earn a livelihood. In such
cases we think, to say the least of 1t,
this is much wiser course to pursue
than prosecution for vagrancy''
In case of Henderson VS.. the state
ll2 Ga, page ~. is found this language:
Apparently the penal statutes against
Migrants are not applicable to any
minor"
In the light of these decisions it is
altogether probable that the Supreme
Court would reverse any lower court
that might sentence minor to either
the Jail or changing for vagrancy.
The law of our state is designedly
kind to childhood. 1t provides that no
minor under 10 years of age can be
convicted of any offense, and those
between 10 and Id can be convicted
only when the state has proven them
to be mentally and morally RESPONSE
BILE.
As matter of public policy it would
be better in the majority of cases to
hang a child and be done with it, rath-
er than subject him to companionship
with the hardened criminals of the
land.
There is a class of Migrants, how
ever, in our city. who are not sheltered
by their minority, and who ought to be
on the chaingang. l refer to the keno
men and policy writers. The law ex-
pressly declares them to be Migrants.
and for the sufficient reason that they
live off the public ana give nothing in
return. They are, in fact, more than
Migrants; they are robbers, as well.
There is not one among them but who
daily filches from the public enough
to care for five ordinary Migrants. The
poor of this community are robbed by
the policy men of not less than $500 a
day. When you add to this the amount
gathered up by the keno men, the sum
is absolutely startling And all this on
the side of mere dollars and cents.
Who is able to make an inventory of
the moral damage wrought. the homes
accursed, the young debauched and the
hearts broken? And yet these criminal
Migrants these hardened robbers of
the poor, these pitiless breakers of pa
rental hearts, these despoilers of youth,
either go unmolested or escape with a
nominal fine.
Recently a number of policy writers
have come into court, either in person
or by attorney and plead guilty and
been fined $25 and costs. Within the
past month a number of them have
been bound over to the City Court I'M
der the very vague charge of INSIDE
meanor." These in turn Will probably
plead guilty. Surely, it is time that
such hardened criminals, such continu-
Gus Migrants. received the penalty of
the law provided for such and be sent
along to the changing to keep COM
pany with those who have never done
society tenth part of the harm.
Bascom Anthony
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