Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-20
TAX ON THE DESERTER
Wages Earned by Prisoners
Paid to Destitute Wives.
PROBLEM OF NON-SUPPORT
Value of the Law as Administered
in the District.
Review of the Conditions Which
Preceded Enactment of Legisla-
tion in March, 1906.

Making the Deserter Pay tie Piper
Is The title of a paper by William Fl.
Baldwin Of this city in the Survey. on
the plan of the District Of Columbia of
paying prisoners wages to their desert
ed wives.
AS n contribution to the discussion of
the family desertion and non-support
problem. MIR. Baldwin relates the expe-
rience which Washington has had dur
ing the last three years. since the en-
actment Of the law requiring the pay
mrnt of 90 cents day to the families
of men under workhouse sentences for
non support has been in operation
When the law was first proposed
four years ago." says Mr. Baldwin, this
provision was incorporated in it be
cause ii seemed to be appropriate and
likely TO afford some help TO the fam
lilies, but the per diem compensate
was small and it was In n way an Incl
dental feature intended to supplement
the main provision of the law, which
was imprisonment at hard labor i'm case
of failure to support Some question
of the wisdom of this section was raised
on the ground that ii might hinder the
passage Of the law by rousing the OPP
position OF those who object to prison
labor. but as the money could go only
to women and children found by the
court to be really destitute and in need
of food and clothing, the case was so
different from that of ordinary prison
labor that no fear was entertained OF
this.
Congress Makes Appropriation.
Another difficulty was that it re-
quired an appropriation. which Congress
very properly declines to grant unless
convinced that ii is worth while: but 1t
seemed best to take this risk also, and
without any great difficulty the hill. in
Guiding this provision, finally became a
law March b. 1906 On account Of the
absence of any knowledge as to the
amount of money which would be need
ed to meet the payments to prisoners
only 500 was asked for in the District
appropriation bill for the next fiscal
year. then before Congress, and this was
reduced to $500 before the bill was
passed.
"On the fst OF the following July
however, the Juvenile Court of the Dis
trict was established. with Judge William
H. De Lacy on the bench. He found the
law of great assistance in Strengthening
out some of the domestic relations wnicn
led to transgressiens by the children VINO
were brought before him. and under his
patient and wise administration the few
law began to be unusually effective from
the very start
Responsibility of the HUSBAND.
In the constructive work which the
Judge attempted with the families. the
matter of support by the husband and
father was fundamental. and it was soon
understood that those coming under his
Jurisdiction who failed to furnish ii
would be sent to the workhouse Under
suspended sentences S6.OJO59 was COL
lected by the Juvenile Court in it's first
year, ending June 30. 1907. from men
who would not otherwise have furnished
their wives and children with support
Mr. Baldwin explains that labor was
actually performed by workhouse prison.
ers i'm Rock Creek Park, which Is large
Is taken care OF by such prisoners. and
the payment of 30 cents day soon ex-
hausted the appropriation of 800.
Judge DE Lacy, with the CO.
operation of the police department, es-
tabIished n system Of having the money
handed i'm Saturday night to the desk
sergeant OF the precinct in which the
men under suspended sentence resided.
On Monday morning this was turned IN
to the Juvenile Court and was subse-
quently paid to the wives Of the payees.
Record the Past Year.
The record for the year ended June 81
last was as follows:
Paid by husbands and fathers under
suspended sentences, through the Juve-
nile Court. to wives or other custodians
for the support of families. s3s.319.65;
paid to families by superintendent of
workhOuse for earnings Of men under
sentence for non-support, $3.50. a total
of $iO,659.63.
The collections were made without cost
or deductions Of any kind. The remark
able record Is due largely to Judge DE
Lacy's interest in the subject, MIR. Bald
win explains.
Evidence of Laws Value.
Further evidence of the general value
of the law as administered is furnished
by the opposition which it has encoun- |
tered. There was no expectation that il
would not apply to illegitimate well as
legitimate children, and Judge De Lacy !
so interpreted it: but one of a number |
of such cases. where the judge had COM |
PEELED men to support illegitimate chill |
dren, was carried to the Supreme Court |
of the District. and the judge was over |
ruled on this doubtful point. An amend !
ment, making the law apply also to lie |
Ultimate children and placing the iuris- |
diction definitely in the Juvenile Court !
which had been established after the |
ri Ia