The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-23

recently appointed chairman Of the Colo
RADIO Travelling Library Commission by
Gov. Peabody is visiting friends in New
York In the course of bookish pilgrimage
through the East. during which she has
examined travelling library methods IN
New York, Albany and New England
No woman has been better known In tho
political world OF Colorado than Mrs.
welles for the last ten years She was
member Of the Denver charter convention
and has been urged more than once to ac-
cept a nomination for State Senator, an
honbr which she was obliged to decline
because Of nor permanent occupation as
mother OF two strapping boys.
AT is curious fact said abe, how
strongly results of equal suffrage in Colorado
have affected matters concerning children.
! say curious, because there has been no
ooiloerted effort among women to that
end. 1t is simply the natural, unconscious
effect OF the introduction OF the new body
Of voters into the electorate.
colorado. am happy to say, has the
best laws for the protection and education
of children, and the best enforcement OF
those laws. of any State in the Union.
That proud position was for many years
held by Massachusetts,; but 1t has recently
passed over to our State.
sThe active agent in bringing about this
state Of affairs has been Judge Ben Lindsey
Of the county court; but he never could
have accomplished what he has II he had
not had the voting mothers in his constit-
uenoy.
THE feature that distinguishes the Colo
RADIO law for delinquent children from all
other laws in the world, is that, when
child is found delinquent, any adult, whether
parent or not, who has contributed to that
delinquency, is also delinquent, and may
be fined 81, 900, or sent to the county jail
for one year. And the juvenile court,
which is the county court with US, may
suspend that sentence, and hold it over
the convicted person during good behavior.
Judge Lindsey was first moved to wrath
by the case OF little girls invited into wine
rooms and enticed to debauchery. Then,
when they got noisy, the police arrested
them and brought them into court while
the proprietors OF the wine rooms were
not touched.
under the present law, any proprietor
OF any saloon is guilty and subject to the
penalty named if boy or girl under 10 is
prove that the child bought anything.
'Under the circumstances, saloon men
are pretty apt to shoe children out Of the
door the minute they see them, Saloon
men are very careful about going to Jail,
for 1t makes blot on their record If trouble
ever comes up In their places and they get
into court.
sThs same rule holds with low resorts
Of all kinds, 80 that low theatres, dance
halls and the like won't allow child under
10 to enter the door.
Between Jan. and July'1 Of this year
Judge Lindsey sent thirty fathers to jail
for contributory delinquency with their
sons. It was shown that they knew the
boys were habitual truants. or stole rides
ON coal trains. or did other things which
got them into trouble with the police.
'He didn't send the fathers to jail for
year. Oh, mol He sent them from 1880
p. NJ. on Saturday to $50 A. NJ. Monday.
Then, after letting them out bright and
early for work on Monday morning he
told them that they could spend their week
ends In Jail right along under the years
sentence il they couldn't keep their boys
in order.
with such prospect father is pretty
apt TO get his boy under sudden and perma-
nent control, il he is capable Of It, II he
isn't, OF course the boy ought to go to some
proper institution.
aAs one result letters to Judge Lindsey
from the railroads have been published,
thanking him for the decrease Of damage
suits against them for injuries to boys fool
ing around freight trains where they had
a. ., t,,,oi tr, he
THE law makes telegraph operator
guilty who sends . boy under 10 to any
place Of bad repute with q message. AS
result, boys under 10 are not used for any
such work In Denver, a different state Of
affairs from that depicted by Ernest Poole
Of the University Settlement as existing In
New York,
1T was shown In the juvenile court one
day that; widow, a washerwoman, had
known that her boy was an habitual truant.
and addicted TO reading the worst kind
Of literature. He ran of with some kind
Of Jesse James idea In his head. and was
arrested as q vagrant.
THE Judge did not send the mother to
Jail. Instead he fined her $1,000. She
paid $3.50 Of this fine down, and departed
with tho conviction that she would pay
Some more Of 1t every time the boy was
brought into court. This may seem siren
nous treatment for poor working woman,
but the boy has not been arrested since.
sAs for the children sentenced. they are
an on probation under Judge Lindsey.
They 60 to school. and must bring him
a letter from their principal
every two weeks, with their rating in
scholarship and conduct The children
that get acquainted with the Judge in this
way all love him. He Is hypnoizer.
sAs you may imagine. such man was
bound to make enemies. He was placed
in Office first by appointment to fill an
unexptred term. When 1t came time for
the regular Nomination. his own party
convention neglected to nominate him.
Tho convention left 1t to the executive
committee, which delayed action.
then the women, irrespective of party,
went In droves to the managers OF the
opposing party, told them that Judge
Lindsey must be put on the ticket, that
every woman In Denver would vote for him
and that they would have him. This con-
vention nominated him. Then the executive
committee Of the other party tumbled over
itself to do the same. and the thing was
done.