Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-03
WOMEN OPEN
PARLIAMENT
CITIZEN OF TOMORROW is THEIR
THEME
COST OF CRIME APPALLING, SAYS
SPEAKER
Judoe Curtis o. Wilbur Is the Chief
Speaker of Evening Session and
Tells About Juvenile
Work

| Special to The Herald.
VENTURA, April 2.-The weather
clerk honored a requisition for perfect
weather in Ventura during the seven
teenth annual session of the Women
Parliament of Southern California,
which opened in the Palm City
Wednesday evening with a reception
to the delegates. Fifty-nine delegates
! had registered at noon yesterday,
coming from the seven southern
counties. There are over 200 women,
many of them leaders in club and CIVIC
work, in attendance on the meeting.
! Mrs Blanche Reynolds, president OF
/ the Shakespeare club of Ventura,
spoke the cordial words that welcomed
the visitors to the hospitality of the
Ventura County Association of Wo-
mems clubs. Mrs. o. Shepard Barnum,
president of the parliament, is pre-
siding.
Yesterday was County day, and early
in the morning the keynote of the ses-
sion, Juvenile Courts" was struck,
and all day the 200 women considered
ways and means for wise training of
these future citizens.
Probation Officers Report
Interesting reports were received
from the probation officers of River
side and San Bernardino counties. w.
H. Baldwin, probation officer of San
Bernardino county, stating that as
result of the establishment of the juve-
nile court there only one case had been
sent to Whittier during the past year.
His report closed with the words, 1.-The
care of the little ones is Gods most
precious message to the twentieth CEN
tury women, and the juvenile court is
one of the most benefcent avenues by
which to attain this end"
Cost of Correction
One of the papers of the day was
that of Mrs. John Swanner of Santa
Ana. who presented some startling
figures under the head of 1.-THE Cost OF
Correction" She said in part:
"I am going to call my sbject The
Pound of Cure That Does Not Cure
and | freely admit that it is not even
worthy of comparison with the pro-
verbal ounce of prevention.
you will find it far more interest
ing to learn Of the measures being
taken in various places for the pre-
vention of crime than to hear me rat
tie the dry bones of a statistical re-
port showing the cost of crime in our
state but 1t is the peoples money
that is used to pay the bills, and the
people noted for their keen business
instinct and for being always awake
to the advantages of a good invest
ment, ought to understand that there
is possible for the future a better in
vestment of their money than in more
and greater penal institutions. BY "a
better investment I refer, of course,
to the establishing of more public play
grounds, George Junior Republics, pa
rental schools, trade schools etc.
"In this report the figures given are
not guessed at, they are taken from
the last biennial report of the state
board of charities and corrections.
considering the excellent character
of the people of California whom you
chance to know. you will be surprised
to learn that our state has in it two
state prisons, a much greater number
of criminals in proportion to it's popu-
lation than most states in the Union.
Cause of Criminals
zone cause of this is the geographi
cal location of California. Situated on
the western edge of the continent it is
a stopping place for many criminals
who come either by land or sea, and
eventually find themselves in our pris-
ons, for the great distance to- the large
cities in the east prevents their getting
away easily when once they arrive
on our shores.
"Another cause for our great num-
Der of criminals is that our climate.
especially during the winter months,
attracts tramps from all over the coun-
try, and among these wanderers are
many criminals, who appreciate not
only our climate, but also our whole
some western way of believing every
man is innocent until he is proved
guilty
therefore, even if all of the best
methods of preventing crime could be
introduced into our state, California
would still have a big task before it in
taking care of the criminal class.
"Now for a few facts and figures
The appropriations made for the state
prison at San Quentin for the fifty
seventh and fifty-eighth fiscal years
were for
salaries OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 207 800 90
printing ..................... 2,50000
Cells, etc. ................... 312, 900. 90
Iotal ............,......... 1916, 200
"Deducting from this sum the in
come or contingent fund received dur
ing these two years, which amounted
to $109, ,47517 we have left $S07, 1868.
the cost to the state of caring for
1914 inmates the average number for
the two years.
For the prison at Folsom, contain
ing an average number of 1862 inmates,
for the same two years the state APP
propriated total of $465, 750 which,