The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-05-03
FATHER HARD HIT.

fill a ready long felt want. They call
if the lazy husband law If it's prac-
tice is anything like its promise it is
likely that forty-eight states will have
one Just like it shortly after Arizona
and New Mexico have been admitted
to the union.
The new California statute is in
tended to deal with the case Of the
able bodied husband and father who is
too strong to work for the support of
| his family. There is no community so
small or so thrifty that it does not
contain such a man. There is moth
| ing the matter with him but incidence
He never has been exposed to at
tack by the newly invented hook
worm. There is nothing bad about
him as a rule Sometimes he drinks
and sometimes he doesn't. Lew Dock
stader, the minstrel, made hit by
singing a song about father in which
he was described as sitting around all
day. feet in front of the fire, smok-
ing pipe of clay, while mother and
Mary Ann kept busy with the wash
tub and ironing board. But that is
not the lazy husbands whole program
by any means. Often he is found
hanging around the livery stable or
the cigar store If a large building is
under construction or street is being
paved with asphalt he can be found
| leaning against something for hours
at a time meditatively watching other
men work. Sometimes he makes a
bluff at wanting to work, but in that
case he never succeeds in finding a
job that suits him or that he can hold.
Somehow or other the fact has dawn
ed upon him that man can get along
without working if he has positive
genius for it, Frequently mother is
willing to do the work for the whole
family Often the children can be put
at work. In any event a civilized COM
munity never lets folks starve to
death because of shiftleSsneSs. If the
lazy man will not support his family
the community will The community
may think it worth while to ''vag"
the delinquent, but that doesn't hurt
his feelings bit He can still eat
and sleep and sit around all day.
Which is vast better than working.
CALIFORNIA; new "lazy husband law"
knocks all the props from under faith
er's softly upholstered snap. 1t does
not attempt to make a criminal of the
man who is merely indolent, nor does
it treat him as defective incapable
of work. 1t does not contemplate that
the community shall support father in
one place and his family in another.
The purpose of the statute is to make
father go to work and support his
family and this is the way it works:
An information is filed against the
man who can but will not work He
is brought into court and proved to be
"lazy husband" Then he is SEN
fenced for a term of years. The SEN
tence consigns him nominally to the
county Jail, but that means only that
he shall be supplied with more or
less coy bed there of nights. His
daylight hours are to be devoted to
employment calculated to make his
sleep sound and restful. TO see that
| this is the fact he is turned over to
the custody of the sheriff. The sher-
if is commander-in-chief of a county
chain gang. 1t is the function of this
gang to do some much needed work
toward the solution of the good roads
problem. There is an officer to see
| that each member of the gang per-
forms his full share of honest toll. For
day of work with the gang the lazy
husbands account is credited with
| $3.50. If his work is worth more than
that the difference goes to pay for his
frugal fare. If not, no matter. The
wage is paid out of fund at the dis
posal of the board of supervisors. At
the end of the week warrant for SO
is turned over to the support of the
lazy mans dependents.
Thus the miracle is accomplished.
Father is put to work. The proceeds
of his toll are devoted to the support
of his family. A drone is made use
| full member of the community. And
the process costs the county nothing,
or at most trife. Any time father
gets tired of the arrangement the
court will be willing to consider a
parole that will let him return to his
home and stay there SO long as he
treats his family well and supports it
as well as it would be supported I'M
der county supervision. If father
breaks his parole, back to the Jail
and the chain gang.
Unless father can get in under the
cruel and unusual punishment clause