Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1905-01-19

JUVENILE CorRr.

action on the part of the legislature. in
this matter. an
JUVENILE COURT.
Perhaps the march OF civilization In.
not been more marked in any field OF
human investigation and endeavor than
| in the field of criminology. The relation
| of the public to its criminal classes has
been subject with which every see
has grappled. 1t Is an interesting study
to note the changes of thought in refer
enee to this subject, but suffice 1t to saw
that the old notion of punishment for
! crime. as mere matter of retribution
has given way to the more humane and
philosophical idea that all penalty should
| be preventive and reformatory in its
| character As an outgrowth of this ad-
vanc1ng movement, for instance we have
| state reformatory for the incarceration
/ of young men convicted of crime, upon
ate young criminals with old ones. so
that persons convicted OF crime in this
state who are between the ages of is
and % are confined in the Hutchinson re-
| formatory, while criminals beyond the
| maximum age here given are confined in
the penitentiary. Criminologists are now
| indeed in some places their progressive
| ideas have already been crystaliZed into
law; l refer to the establishment Of what
| for the benefit of young people who COM
nit certain offences against the law.
Under this system, where It has been
have been saved the disgrace Of a jail eX
perieneei and society has been better
|
treatment In this connection want
to call your attention to an alarming re-
suit of recent legislative enactment
known as the truancy law. Many boys
guilty of truancy have been ordered to
| the boys industrial school by the county
courts, greatly to the damage of that in
offenses. Surely the offense of truancy
is not ordinarily sufficient to justly sub
daily association with boys sent there
for much graver offenses. This is q new
and unexpected evidence of the need of
Juvenile courts for which 1 earnestly
plead. | trust you will give this subject
deserved attention and put such law
upon our statute books,
TAX REVISION.
Every session of the Kansas legislature
for many years has been called upon
to wrestie with propositions for the re-
vision of our system of assessment and
| taxation. Its imperfections are univer-
sally recognized and its inadeduacy to
the needs of the state generally conceded.
Four years ago the legislature provided
senate and three members of the House
who together with the, State treasurer.
should undertake the task of the reyi-
sion of these laws and to formulate bills
for submission to the next legislature
April is, 1901, and at once began the sub
ject of taxation. They secured the tax
laws of many, If not most of the states,
and they attended in a body a national
tax conference which met at Buffalo, n.
Y, in May, 1901; After the most care
of the conditions in this, state this com,
mission, formulated d = bill covering: an
the subjects enilmef ate; i, the act which
ted to the last! legislature and. exhaus-.
lively discussed, but finally failed of
faces the same a' con One Rgenfh faced by its
question will not down. The laws We
Qualities under the present system N the
various sections of the state, even in
counties adjacent to each other. and
even in townships in. the same county,
are fragrant and ridiculous, while the
whole state suffers in reputa ton abroad
as VEL "a; as n practical effect at home
and taxation. For instance; While the
law as il, now exists provides for the
the entire assessed value of all the per-
sonal property in the state only aggre-
gates s66,OO0,000 while the bank corsmis-
banks alone, and the secretary of the
state board of agriculture reports the
value of farm products and live stock for
many other forms of personal property
not included in these figures. Not only
does this assessment make our aggre-
gate. statistics look insignificant abroad,
but 1t makes our rate Of taxation appear
SO enormously high as to frighten home
seekers, and to deter investments by those
unfamiliar with the facts. i think it no
exaggeration to say that the real value
of the personal property of the state is
Such statistics do the state great injus-
tice abroad and give the outside world
tons here. In addition to these absurd
valuations. purposely made by the va
rious assessors which belittle the state,
many millions of dollars worth of per-
sonal property escapes taxation alto
gether. II this legislature can devise
some method BIZ which to ACCOMPLISH
| faSlltS Tho hFfDpSf of Ing
taxation, and the taxation of It at its
real value when listed, it will have done
that which its predecessors have tried
in vain to. do. and which will be of in
tb benefit ene to the StSte But While
the danger of extravagant expendi-
lures which this largely Increased vol
sible unless the power of levy is re-
duced in proportion to the increase OF
assessed, values, for public officers. usu-
money the law allows them to levy in
the form of taxes. think few simple
fhs se III aaWS ne VIII greag
above, and that it is wiser for you to
attempt to do these things than to imi-
tate the last legislature in an attempt
to pass so voluminous law as was sub
mitted to that body. For instance,
think some simple amendment to the
present law fixing a severe penalty for
failure to assess at full value should be
adopted. I have given the subject much
/ lHOuSHI ana DeISNe InlI II county rs
SCISSOR with deputies in each township
! would be great improvement over the
present method. Then. provision should
be made for the taxation of franchises
including car line, telegraph, telephone
pipe line, express and other SIMILAR COM
IMPROVEMENTS can be more easily agreed
upon than can a more elaborate attempt
at legislation along these lines, and, after
all, they affect the vital defects in oul
present system.
LABOR
There are few. If any, better indlces tic
the progress of the people in civilization
and good government than the esteem
laws enacted for it's protection. After all
| in the last analysis. nearly all values
resolve themselves INTO the value of la.
Dor. Kansas has taken an advanced
position in the statutory interest it has
exhibited in behalf of It's tpllers. Few
sny m rae arnnd fbep Tbt
laws upon our statute books primarily
in the interest of our laborers. If COM
In 1898 the legislature added to these
enactments a. law creating a state socie
ty of labor and industry. An elaborate
years 1901 and 1902 has Just been is
sued. 1t will be found a volume of great
sioner makes some Observation-Disclosures t.
which 1 call your attention.
FOR THE BOYS.
The last legislature reauthoriZed thu
| expenditure. under the auspices of the
Woman's Social Science Federation, Of
100 in the purchase of books and pic
lures for the girls industrial school a
Beloit. It was wise expenditure anC
1 now recommend the appropriation of 6
similar sum for the boys industrial
school at Topeka.
GAS AND OIL.
The marvellous development of the ga:
and oil resources of the state, placing
this commonwealth in the front rank OF
those endowed by the Creator with this
kind of wealth. imposed duty upor
this legislature which no former legisla.
ture has had to meet. Monopoly threat
| ems to rob our people of the chief bene
fits of this great endowment and appro
pirate the profits to itself. How to save
this wealth to the state and its people
and secure them its greatest benefits i:
a serious problem One phase of the SUBJ
ject is of vast immediate Importance and