The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-05-11
MAKES WIFE De.
sERTER PAY FOR HIS OUTING
HOW ITS DONE.
EFFECT Or COMPULSORY WORK
Offender Put on Probation and His
Wages Turned over 20 the Juvenile
Court for HIS Fsmily's Benefit
May Be Made 20 Work IN Park.

Washington. May Experience
under the Family Deser'lon and Non
supper, Law iu Washington. d. c., has
proved that it is possible TO bring de-
serting husbands 10 time and make
them support .heir families. however.
much they may want to skip out aad
leave wives and children 10 sniff, for
themselves.
Punishment IN itself profits nobody.
The law aims not to punish bu. to So
cure support. The man decides wheth-
or he will work In confinement or
out Of confinement. and Judge William
II. DeLacy of the juvenile court sees
that he does work in one way II he
will not in the other. The judge Is a
good tinker and has mended so many
broken families that he knows what
he can do and the men know too.
When a man brought up for non
support promises to furnish II. he Is
put on probation and ordere to pay
a specified amount from his wages
each Saturday night at the police sta
ton nearest his home. The sergeant
turns the money over to the juvenile
court and then the wife gets its in fun
on Monday morning-her payday. The
money is pretty safe here and the plan
heads off many Saturday night
spree. The man Is kept at work.
which Is mighty good thing OF t.
self. and the family Is kept together.
Men who are not willing TO furnish
support under this arrangement, and
those who default in payment or de-
sert second time, are promptly sent
to the workhouse. There they are
made up into gangs and put TO work
in Rock Creek Park, where President
Roosevelt used to take his afternoon
gallop. They have hard days work
for this the law requires the govern
ment To pay fifty cents a day TO the
wives. as for any governments employ
zee. The work in the park would cost
$50 day If not done by prisoners,
so 81 is left TO pay for boarding ana
| guarding Ia, men after the wages have
/ been taken ont. Congress approprl-
/ ates $4,000 a year 70 rthis purpose,
/ thereby setting gool example to
state legislatures and city councils.
/ It. pays 10 do so. \ man who can get
out az any time will not work long
/ In this way Las, year only one man
/ out OF nine had to be sent TO the work.
/ house. and he got out after an ave
rage OF six weeks The government
paid $3.50 for work, but the men
outside earned s3s,3l9.65, which was
collected by the police and paid to the
families through the juvenile court,
This made total return OF si0,65955
on an investment of s2.j00. Pretty
good business, that,
Beyond the money value Of the la
Dor. however, is the moral effect of
the work and its compensation on the
man in his relations 10 his family. In.
stead OF escaping the punishment
which he deserves and so failing 20
realize that he has done wrong. the
issue is squarely made and the work.
house sentence, II inflicted, reveals
his conduct to him in its true charac-
ter. Many men have reformed after
this experience, and 1t Is due in large
part to the compensation provided
ihat the Judge Is able to inflict the
punishment without hesitation where
he thinks It necessary.
Judge DeLacy's execution OF the law
is effective because It is certain
Family desertion is a misdemeanor or
felony in almost every state and Is
punishable with hard labor in many
But to punish the man in Jail. the
Judge must also punish his wife and
children by cutting off his wages
That means in many cases that the
wife must go to work or accept hell
from a charitable society or the city
The Washington law does away with
all that. In the three years and nn'
months during which the law has beef
in operation the amount paid I,
prisoners by the government is s3
S76, while the amount collected from
them through the Juvenile court 4
s90.S65,S4. This proves the success o
the plan and Il ought 10 be general!
adopted.
Man Mants 20 Die