The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-25

ldSt n1gnt.
should be trained and instructed to be
good. 1T is not sufficient" he said.
that two-thrds of the white children
and half of the negro children attend
school for while each year" The
remainer We're growing up without any
guiding hand, he said. lie advocated
compulsory education within the COM
mon schools.
DR.. c. G. Thach, president of the Ala
bama Technolo gical institute was the
next speaker on the programme, his
subject being Vocational Education
Industrial education. he said, its aims
and its methods We're different from
many traditions of education. To digni-
fy manual labor was its object, he said
He advocated a thorough general edu-
cation before instruction in special
subjects was given. DR. Thach was the
concluding speaker of the morning ses-
sion and the congress adjoured follow
ing his speech until 2 O'Clock.
Some Causes of Crime
When the meeting reassembled after
lunch the section of "Penology" was
taken up with Judge w. H. Thomas
in the chair. He spoke briefly and then
introduced the speakers of the after
noon. The. subject of his introductory
remarks was Some Causes of Crime"
He said that the relation of illiteracy
to crime was shown by the smaller per
cent of property owners in prison He
also pleaded for the uniform enforce
ment of the law and protested against
what he termed 'mercenary' enforce
ment of the law
DR.. William II. Oates, state prison in
spector, was the next speaker. He de-
plored the condition of many of the
jails of the state. He also raped the fee
system sharply declaring that under
the present system. convict is worked
to produce revenue; for the time be-
ing he is an animal, beast of burden
a slave: his moral and intellectual fa-
culties being unexercised, atrophy and
die. 1T was the duty of the state"
said DR.. Oates, to at ieast conserve the
health of the convicts. He recommend
ed in this respect that all jails should
be properly regulated healthful and
pleasant. Ample food should be fur
nished and there should be a means by
which prisoners may attract the atten-
tion of the warden in case of emergency.
He also advocated frequent medical ex-
animation of the prisoners and fireproof
buildings.
DR.. r. Stasg Within then discussed the
Long and Short Term Convict He
contrasted the two types, showed why
they should not he confined together and
illustrated the different influences which
emanated from each. He was followed
by Isadore Shapiro who discussed 1.-THE
Prisoner Reclaimed
Women Officers Favored
Mr.. Shapiro advocated the adoption
OF the suspended sentence system in Ala :
bama and deplored the present method of
nbf nj piRTppurV 10
discussed the relative merits of the sus-
pended sentence and the indeterminate
sentence, deciding in favor of the for
mer. The status of the remale prisoner
i'm Alabama. he said, was horrible and
he advocated the establishment of a bu-
reau of woman welfare for the state He
also favored women police officers Mr.
Shapiro was the concluding speaker .of
the afternoon session and after hearing
the report of the resolutions committee
the congress adjourned until 7:30 o'clock.
The section of THE New Social Con-
science was then taken UP with Judge
n. b. Feagin in the chair. Judge Fea-
gin made a short introductory tall, and
introduced the speakers. The first for
the evening was Frank J. Hayes. vice
president of the United Mine Workers of
America The subject of his talk was
Industrial Insurance He especially
complimented the working of the work.
mems compensation law now in opers-
ton in Ohio and Washington.
He touched on the origin of the work
mems compensation idea and sketched
rapidly the law as It now operated in
Germany and Great Britain. He point
ed out the good features of each and
then took up old age pensions.
lie referred to the need In America
for an old age pension and indorsed the
bill introduced in the last congress BIZ
Congressman Berger of Wisconsin. Pre-
viding for the pensioning of all old people
in the nited States over go years of age
who were unable to support themselves.
Under the Berger bill each would re-
ceive 81 per week The expenditure from
this source. he said would about equal
the amount expended for pensions of war
veterans. The government should PEN
sion the heroes of peace as well as the
heroes Of war he said. Old age pen
sions. he declared. were not charity but
justice. He was of the opinion that
such legislation would be Within the
province of congress.
Housing Reform
lie was followed by John Ihlder. field
secretary of the National Housing as
ISOLATION, whose subject was Housing
Reform He said the housing plobem OF
the south was not primarily a race prob
lem and that other sections of the coun-
try had problems just as complex ~ did