Imperial Valley press., 1912-09-30
PROGRESSIVE PARTY IS
FOR PENS|ON|NG ORPHANS

The time is coming speedily when ii
will no longer be necessary for des-
titue mother to turn her children over
to a state institution. and, broken
hearted, face the world, poorer and
lonelier than she was before she felt
little loving arms about her neck and
heard the first lisping sound of Nam
ma" from her offspring.
A great party has declared condi-
tions of the present shall not long
continue. Progressives of California,
in their state convention, have made
pledge and put that pledge as a
plank in it's platform, that children
shall not be taken from their mothers
arms and sent to public institutions
AS the people of California now know
well, this party makes no pledges that
it does not fulfill
At present when a husband or faith
er is unable to support his family
when there is desertion, sickness or
death, the state intervenes and the
children are taken from the mother
arms and placed in an institution or
others. not of kin, to be cared for
In the case of an institution, that in
stitution receives stated sum per
month for each child thus supported
Now it is proposed by the Progress
sives to give that money to the mother
herself instead of to the institution
and to permit that child to have the
benefit of a mothers love and tender
care. The Progressive platform at the
Republican state convention at Sacra-
mento this week pledges the Progress
sives to the support of a law which
will provide for relief by the state
authorities Of mothers of dependent
children.
The plank of the platform was in
troduceG by Henry HI. Lyon of Los
Angeles, candidate for state senator
from the twenty ninth district. That
it was adopted shows that the con-
vention places humanitarian measures
on a plane of equal Importance with
matters of purely political nature
The measure gets down to bedrock
in reaching one of the social problems
which has been a veXatious question
for all cities and states. 1t recognizes
that the mother, as rule, is much
more competent to care for the chill
dron, and give them the training neces-
Sary 70 1T thom far society, than any
conducted In addition. il recognizes
the mothers right TO the possession
and care Of her children, and the
states obligation 10 her to see that
the children are provided with the re
quired comforts.
There is an economic phase To the
proposed law, also, inasmuch as il is
believed the adoption of the plan ulti-
mately Will result in a saving to the
state when orphanages requiring state
support become fewer in number.
But the humanitarian aspect of the
case appealed more strongly to the
Progressive convention delegates than
the financial side, and it is pointed
out that even at a great expense 10
the state the operation of the law
would take many children off the
streets-children who are really too
small to do any kind of work but
who go out as newsboys or bootblacks
TO help support mother who would
not surrender ther-up to state sup
ported orphanage
Progressive endorsement of This
measure will meet with the hearty
approval of the humane societies.
which endorsed such a plan at the
State Humane association convention
held recently at Santa Barbara
All of the IS senatorial and assem-
bly, candidates from Los Angeles who
attended the state convention are a
unit in endorsing the measure. and
they are pledged. if elected, to work
for its enactment into law.
With the endorsement of the plan
by the Progressives of the state. il
is practically certain that a bill en-
bodying the proposition will be intro
duced in the legislature when it con-
venes next January.