The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-19
Appealed to by Judges to Use
His Big Stick.
HAVE A WRONG IDEA.
County Officers Would Crowd
the State RefOrmatOries.
New Law Intended to Make Ad-
mission More Difficult.

Governor Hoch stated this morning
that he will stand by the state board
of control in the row which is spring.
ing up between the board and some
of the probate judges of the state over
the Interpretation of the juvenile court
law.
Consequently it will not do the pro-
bate judges much good to appeal to
the governor to use his big stick on the
board of control
Some of the probate judges" said
Governor Hoch this morning, 'shave
an entirely wrong idea of the purpose
of that juvenile court law. They seem
to think it was enacted for the pur-
pose of making it easy to put children
in the state reformatories. The real
purpose of the law is to keep children
out of the reformatories and give
them chance to reform while in the
custody of private families
1t is rather startling fact that
since the passage of the juvenile court
law there have been more applications
to put children in the reformatories
than ever before. The state officers
are at a loss to account for the situa-
ton, and are inclined to believe that
the probate judges are entirely at sea
in their understanding of the new law.
The present disturbance seems to
Center in the case of Ethel Blake. a
naughty maiden in Fort Scott. Ethel
is only 3 years old, but she has been
wayward for some time She was
brought before the probate court, and
Probate Judge B. Hudson, after pa
rolling her couple of times condi-
tional on good behavior, ordered that
she be committed to the industrial
school for girls. Then he sent in a
report of what he had done to the
board of control, but the report did
not comply with the new juvenile court
law. It did not show that the girl
had violated her parole. So on August
2 the board sent this letter to Probate
Judge Hudson:
Replying to your letter of August
! 18th enclosing the papers in the case of
Ethel Blake to the juvenile court law.
in which we gave you the ruling of the
attorney general. No child can be adj
mitted to the Industrial schools except
through proceedings in the juvenile
court. In this case you have used the
| old form and at one place you signed as
! judge of the Juvenile court, but in all
| other places as probate judge. The
| juvenile court act provides that all
blanks shall be furnished by your coun-
| ty commissioners. Crane & Co.. of this
| city, and we presume other firms, have
| full sets of blanks. We would suggest
that you send and get full set OF
blanks and have your county commits
sioners print some for you. There are q
different kinds of blanks used to carry
out the provisions of the juvenile court
act. After you have proceeded under
| the juvenile court act and have tried the
child on parole, as intended by the act
and the case proves to be one that you
1 cannot handle without sending to the
| industrial schools, then we wish you tC
use the enclosed commitment We will
| then pass upon the case and if the child
can be received, you can then use the
enclosed warrant. The enclosures are
samples in reference to the boys in
dustrial school. The blanks for the
| girls industrial school would be the
same form.
LAS you are aware, the industria
schools of this state are not of sufficient
! capacity to receive all the children fol
whom application is made"
Judge Hudson seemed to get rlgh
up on the edge when this letter reach
! ed him. He seemed to be thorough.
convinced that the state board of con
troll was trying to give him the wors
of it in some way, and was refiectins
an interview which the Fort Scot
Tribune says is "bitter'' in which h,
says. among other things: 'If th'
beard of control thinks it knows NOR
about that girl than I do it had bet
ter come down here and look into th'
case, instead of arbitrarily refusing t.
admit her. I don't see any use o
| having a juvenile court law if tn
DOard OF cOntrOl is TO nave l1e pOWe
to undo what the court thinks is right
I have looked into the law and I can
find anything that gives the board an,
such powers. 1t is simply an outrage.
The report goes on to say that Judg
Hudson will try to go over the hea'
of the board of control by an appea
to the attorney general or to Governo
Hoch, and that unless he can obtail
consolation from these officials. he vii
throw ND the sponge" Whether tha
means that he will resign his job a
probate judge, quit sendins people +
the reformatories, or simply lay dow
and die, is not explained
H. c. Bowman. one of the member
of the board of control called on Gov
ernor Hoch this morning and ex
planned the situation to him. The gov
ernor told him to go ahead and d
what the law required.