The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-07-25
POVERTY CHIEF CAUSE
OF NATIONAL CRIME
Especially of Those Crimes for
Which Punishment is Melted
- Out by the Courts.
It is Only Occasionally That the
Crimes Of the Wealthy
are Punished.

Judge Ben B. Lindsey. Of Denver, is
not perhaps as widely 4snown as Judge
Alton B. Parker, Of New York. or
But his fame rests on a better foun-
dat1on. His distinction is not that he
has declared many labor laws uncon-
stitutional nor that he has used the
injunction to break workingmen's
strikes. He will be remembered as
the first Judge in America who presid-
ed over children's court and did his
share toward stopping the practice Of
sending little boys and girls into the
schools Of crime known as jails and
prisons. He will be remembered. too,
as the judge who made valiant at
tempt to introduce better methods in
tried to make 1t rule to get the cul-
prit. chance to live an honest life.
instead OF Furnishing his family by
locking him up for thirty or sixty days
and then turning him out more help
whose interest is in promoting crime
in order to get salaries for furnishing
it or bpddle for eonniving at it, did all
In their power to hamper his actfv-
tiles, but the example he set will bear
fruit.
In recently published article Judge
Lindsey gives his answers to several
questions addressed to him by pub
lie school superintendent in New Eng
land. We quote in part:
Schools and Crime.
In your, opinion, to what extent is
the public school system responsible
for juvenile crimes ~ ... r.
Il cannot say that the public school
system is In any particular responsible
Tor juvenile. crime. The public school
system represents education. and edu-
cation has done more to reduce crime
than almost any other cause. OF
school SYSTEM For instance. in my
judgement, If we had more OF that kind
OF training which would equip child
rem for Industrial efficiency through
: the more direct teaching of trades or
! the furnishing Of some kind of com
mercial training it would make Of the
everything that increases the oppor-
tunities to earn a livelihood to that
crime. *.~...<s~-
II am convinced that poverty is the
chief cause of'crime In this country
that is, the crime that is generally
punished by the courts. for the people
who get into the courts are usually
poor and ignorant. It Is only occa-
s1onally that the crimes of theintelli-
gent. cunning and wealthy are pun
! ished. - 80 - - =
ITO hold the public school responsi-
BILE for what it fails to do and might
90 to equip morally the future citi-
zen would shoulder upon 1t the re-
from that failure We can. only urge
upon the school the great Importance
OF neglecting no. opportunity to- make
as perfect citizen as It is POSSIBLE
for 1t to make within the reasonable
scope Of It's purposes and functions. j"
! S:? immigration and Crime.
How far does immigration contrib
ute to the Increase Of Juvenile crime z?
Il am not one Of those who lay much
stress upon immig ra ton as cause 81
crime in this country. whether adult
Or Juvenile. Ny own Investigations 81
police records (and. haye investigat-
ed those Of nearly .all the large cities)
have rather startled me by showing
how few Of our juvenile criminals are
Of foreian parsntag Perhaps more
children OF Immigrants get into court,
but my judgement - that this 10 large
/ y. beoauss ct poysrt and sianorancs.
am coming more and more TO the
conclusion that ~ .eausss of crime
must e among thess