The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1908-02-21
Judge Lindsay Says That to Fight
Crime, We Must Start Where
Crime Begins.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
HAS BEEN OF SERVICE.
Parents Must Not Shirk, They Are
Responsible For Moral and
Physical Welfare of Child.
{ BY Judge Ben. B. Lindsay.)

BY Judge Ben. B. LindSay.)
All the West loves Judge Lindsa,
of Denver He is judge of the juve
nile court, friend of every law break
ing and truant in the city, knows
more about crimes among juveniles
than any man In the United States
and can apply more efficient rene
dies than any other judge on the
bench. He delivered the following
address at an annual banquet al
Washington, d. c., recently when
covers were laid for 800 guests:
Relation to Juvenile Delinquency.
"The Relation of Public Play
grounds to Juvenile Delinquency
was the subject of an able address
by Judge Ben. B. Lindsey, judge of
the juvenile court of Denver. Col.
Judge Lindsey stands practically in
the position of father of the juvenile
court system of the present day, and
his successful work in his own court
in Denver has attracted widespread
attention. Judge Lindsey said:
1T is no longer questioned that
the best method to fight crime is to
begin where crime begins, and that
we must look for relief through
measures that are preventative, rath-
er than punitive. The fact that we
have rather followed the reverse of
this rule in the past Is only one of
our Inconsistencies. We dealt with
things rather than with human be-
ings; that is, the thing the human
being did. In dealing with the prob
lem of crime in youth we shall make
progress just in proportion as we ap-
preciate the absurdity Of limiting
our remedies to the court the hang
man and the jailer
I'VE cannot justify disobedience or
excuse wrongdoing But we are un-
just when we compel the boy to as
sumo all the burden. If there was
crime and no public playground in
a congested neighborhood, may we
not well ask If society is not as much
responsible as the boy for any Of the
boys disregard of property rights?
Compliments President Roosevelt. 4
President Roosevelt has done our
nation no greater service-as great
as has been that service to our coun-
try than by constant reiteration
keeping us reminded of the import
ance of those greater problems that
concern the home and the child of
the home. There are hundreds of
of children in this coun-
try who have no home Even the
fact that there be father and mother
and place of habitation does not
necessarily mean home. Some of the
most homeless children / know come |
from placds like that. The neglect |
of the child now means the neglect |
to the parent In the future. The care
of the child now means better |
parenthood in the tomorrow. Our
fight for a better child now is the
best way to fight for better parent
In the future.
THE great majority of that part
Of our so-called criminal class who
are caught and confined are from the
youth of the nation ] believe that
the police and the courts are con-
,erned with the lawlessness of more
han hundred thousand children
every year in the cities of this coun-
.ry, and that means million In
each generation Of childhood Should
here not be some warning in this
appalling fact? Some of you may
hink 1t Is an Indictment of the home
Ind the school. II is rather an in
lictment of certain social and exo-
,omic conditions with which the
lome and the s'hool are powerless
o contend. The school connot en-
irely overcome the deficiencies of
he home. Neither can the home al
yays overcome the deficiencies Of the
environment in which 1t is submerg-
ID. The child has no home where 1t
las no play.
Eve must not encourage the par
mt to shirk. We may do murh to
lelp the child through compelling
he home to care for its own. Start
ng in Colorado about six years ago
Te established a new offence In this
Ountry II In callod confrihu tory I