Mexico weekly ledger., 1903-02-26
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SaH, 81 1f's'si R;sssil,eisS Ine


JEFFERSON Cry, Mo-, Feb. IS
Those who have given careful atten-
tion to the crimes and criminals say
that our criminals during the past ten
years have increased IS per cent, while
the population has increased 2l per
cent; ard that 90 per cent Of those
criminals Come from the army of
neglected children in this land of a
boasted christian civilization. Think
of it, ye parents who allow your boys
and girls to run at large. Think of it,
We christian men and women, who pass
by the orphan boy OF girl without so
much as kind word. Out OF 200 men
10 the St. Louis work house, only four
remained at home until 2l years OF
age. All the balance were turned
loose as boys to run at large.
In the st. Louis House OF Refuge,
said TO be one OF the best institutions
Of its kind In America, there are 296
boys and girls-four-ffths Of them
were turned out at tender age to
"root hog or die"
At the Reform School at Bonneville
there are $50 boys, only 91 have father
and mother aliye-all the balance
turned loose In youth to find the path
that leads TO glory or the gallows.
During the years 1901 and 1902, 1674
persons were taken to the penitentiary
at this city. OF this number, 1854 were
fatherless; Ola were motherless; 900
had no trade or calling, and 1922 were
nnder 80 years old.
What crop of criminals the present
generation is growingl Dependent
children thrown out at tender age
upon a cold and thoughtless world.
They drift along awhile and then drop
to the low level Of poor dependent
boy or girl, and then become hardered,
and then ripen into criminals.
Think of the fact that large per
centage of the 250, 900 persons who each
year pass though city and county jails
in this beloved land Of ours are under
16 year of age. And that majority
of all the criminals In the United
States are under % years of agel
Watchman, what of the nightsf
Whittier are we drifting?
There are some who scof at the law
Of heredity. Students have investi'
gated and vouch for the fact the of
spring of one abndoned girl, thrown
out by death of parents upon the cold
charities Of a cold word, traced
through six generations numbered 600,
all told, and every one of them was a
crook, criminal, insane or an idiot,
AS certain as water will run down hill,
human blood will tell all along its
course the source from which it came.
Just such facts as these, searched
out and brought to the front, prompt
ed the introduction of the Juvenile
Court Bill by the Bar Association oi
st. Louis, and, l am told, was writer
by a distinguished lawyer and upright
citizen, James L. Blair. OF couse II
is intended to apply to large cities
and is patterned, | suppose, aftel
the Chicago law. To show what
good law 1t is, it is only necessary tt
state, says Mr.. Blair, that in Chicago
during the year preceding the enact
ment of the law, there were confined
in the jails of that city more thar
| s 900 children under 16 years Of age
while during the past year of tht
operation of the law and the court
these same jails contained less thar
900 and during the third year les!
than 400.'
The bill provides for a juvenile
court before which any child "who hal
not proper parental care or guardian
ship, who habitually begs, or who Il
found In any house of Ill fame, or any
vicious or disreputable person, Oh
whose home by reason Of neglect, cru
city or depravity on the part of iti
parents guardian or other person II
whose care 1t may be, may be takel
and the facts in the case inquired
into, ETC., etc." II the interest of tn
child, or of the community, or Of th'
State calls for its seizure, then th'
child is sent to a house Of refuge o.
reform school or some such institution
or committed to the care and custod,
and raising of some good citizen.
Some say it smacks Of paternalisn
| in government, and the charge is true
but it also smacks of republicanism ii
government, says Mr.. Blair. When
community is seriously threatenei
with danger it is the duty of the Stat
to protect the community, whether II
time of peace or war and sometime
protection calls for extreme measures
The State protectsHagain ignorance
by public education of the mind
against vice and disease, by crimina
statutes; against individual member
of the community as well as agains
foreign foes; and to this end it ma
hang the murderer, imprison the In
sane and the vagrant, invade the hom
to punish the wifebeater or abate th
nuisance, place any person unde
bond to keep the peace and take sucl
measures as will prevent the chill
without proper parental care,' q
we'll as the vagrant, without visibl
means of support, from being an in
choate criminal, a menace to social o.
der"
The lack of such drastic measure
will soon bring cities like st. Loui
Kansas City and st. Joseph to a veI
bad condition because dependent
abandoned, neglected children 500
become criminals, and these citie
when they stand together, control ii
whole State. Therefore the people
all parts of the State who are alike il
terested in good government shoul
give hearty support to any and a
measures looking in the direction
! preventing the increase Of the Grim
nal class. G. I. ALLKS.
Rabbit Hunters
! Pate Morris. ROv Ferris and G.. !