Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-06-23
FIRES BROADSIDE
Ar POLICE SYSTEM
REGARDED AS NATURAL ENEMY
BY THOSE WHO NEED
FRIENDS.
THOUSANDS STRUGGLING WITH
HE7E0iTY PRESENT PRESS.
ING PROBLEM.

Buffalo, n. Y. June I'm an ad-
dress before the national conference
of charities and correction here yes
terday morning, Mrs. Joseph T.
Bowen, prominent society woman OF
Chicago and president of the juvenile
protective association of that city.
fired broadside of criticism at the
police department. of the average
American city. She SAID in part
the police attitude toward children
especially boys, is all wrong. The
children of the immigrant instead of
looking upon the policeman as
friend and regarding him as an en-
forcer OF the law which they should
respect, regard him as their natural
enemy and ny to get even with him
by breaking the i1w IN escaping the
consequences. Recently II Chicago,
policeman arrested a boy who was
running. lodged him in a cell and
when he was released the next day,
as there was no charge against him,
gave him the advice not to try run
ming again. Another one arrested a
boy for some trifling offence. saying
= viii and you in the penitentiary
yet Won young scamp. you can't es-
cape me- The same criticism can be
applied to the special detectives EN-
ployed by large houses and manufac-
will
upon the boy who has stolen, regard
less OF the individual or the circum-
stances which led to the theft. They
will. If possible. put him in the peni-
Tertiary, quite forgetting that in so
Going they lose the chance OF making
a coed citizen and that the 10y is
damned forever; for the youth who
has been in prison fees that he has
paid the full penalty and, after his re-
lease. finding himself without friends
or employment feels that he has a
grieya nce against society, throws in
his lot with outcasts, and often be-
comes a confirmed criminal
Mrs Bowen also presented another
side Of the picture, when in speaking
Of some of the problems clustering
abou- the lives of immigrants and
their children. she told of a group of
Russian girls who were living to-
gether Several of them tried to com
nit suicide. One succeeded; an
other one. who failed. gave as her
reason that there was nothing OF in
at stake, that we were too CONNER
cial and only cared for money, that
no one thought of patriotism, that we
we're no. bound together by any his
toric memories. that we knew nothing
about European affairs. either politi-
cal or religious. that life in America
was nothing but one great economic
struggle. unrelieyed by literature or
art that she was tined Of getting
sevtnty.five cents for trimming hat
at retaiIed for twelve dollars and
thai was to he worn by someone VINO
cared nothing for the happiness or
welfare of the woman who made it,
In conclusion Mrs Bowen said, we
hear great deal about race suicide
and he children vet unborn-we are
only just beginning to pay attention 70
the thousands already born. We do
not know how many there are, for We
have no national birth registration
law. we do not know how many die
at birth or in childhood because We
have 10 national registration OF
deaths: We only know that thousands
Of children battling against heredity
and environment. struggling for fresh
air. rourishing food, decent housing.
put to work in factories ard shops,
their bodies stunted and Ihai" minds
warped, are pushing their way up
through a mass OF obstacles toward
MANHOOD and womanhood-