The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-27
POLITICIANS TRY
TO GUST BROWN
Continued from Page I.

tremendous power for good i'm this
Choir for many boy drifting toward
the rocks of everlasting disgrace: If
has rescued more than one girl from
unforgetable and unforgivable dis
honor.
The juvenile court, as conducted by
Judge Willis Brown, has not been. I'm
the strict sense of the word. a court
Children VINO have been brought before
IL nave not been required TO stand up
and listen to the reading of warrants or
complaints against them and to plead
guilty or not guilty. record is kept
OF the cases of delinquency. but no mat
ter what disposition is made of them,
whether the little defendant is sent to
the state industrial school or permitted
TO go on parole, or detained i'm the Nor
ris nome or sent to Canyon Crest farm
or TO the NewhOuse Juvenile Better
ment Leagues club house. the evidence
introduced or the disposition of the
child shall not. under the law. "be law
ful or proper evidence against such
child for any purpose whatever, except
ing in subsequent cases against the
same child under this act
Prevention Rather Than Punishment
Judge Brown has construed the laws
purpose to be the prevention. rather
than the punishment Of Juvenile delin-
quencics. He has endeavOred to rob
his court Of the terrors that, to the
youthful mind, usually surround a
court Of justice. In the doing of this
he made every effort to become friend
~ with the boys and the girls who APP
pear before him i'm chambers and in
open court There are no long. fear
some cross-examinations. no rigid court
procedures. The judge talks to the de-
PENDANT as one friend talks to another
and Che result has been the establish
ment Of an entente cordiale that would
have been impossible if any other
method had been pursued.
II has been said that the record is
the only fair method of Judging public
officer. and the record is in favor of
Judge Brown. During the first seven
and one-half months of the courts eX-
istence-from April II 10 Dec. l, 1905,
2S3 boys were hailed before him for Of
lenses that ranged from robbery to tru
ancy. During the next twelve months
only pa defendants appeared in court.
That is to say. there were siXty-nine
less cases in the twelve months than
there were in the seven and One-half.
The record will bear further analysis.
Between April II and Dec. l. 1903. twen-
ty-five boys were committed TO the
state industrial school at Ogden. Dur
ing the corresponding period OF l9O6
only four boys were sent to the school.
Is this a fair indication that the work
of the juvenile court has been good
work? Does it demonstrate that Judge
Brown is able to win boy from bad
associations and turn him into he
straight and narrow way?
But a great proportion Of the work OF
the juvenile court has been accom-
plished out of court. This method is
most irregular. Certainly Judge
Learned in the law and versed in the
rules of procedure" would think it far
beneath his dignity to spend his even
ing hours visiting pool rooms and sa-
looms. cheap theatres. skating Kinks,
dance halls. homes blighted with power
tv and sin in search of children in need
of moral and material aid. The learned
Judge would spend his evenings in his
library or in amusements suited to ms
dignity. He would consider the court
room the only place for the handling Of
delinouents. and he would be sure his
days work was finished with the ad-
journment of court.
How Children Are Saved.
That has not been the Brown way
Children are not saved by court pro-
cedures. They are saved by being
treated as if they were human beings
capable Of redeeming themselves. The
reform schools have been filed 10 over
flowing by boys and girls sent there by
judges Learned I'm the law" and later
the penitentiaries have opened hospita-
Bile doors to those same boys and girls
Judge Brown exhausts every resource.
and he has many resources, before he