South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-09-09
EVERY CHILD IN
NEED OF MOTHER
Judge Henry NeiII Pays An
other Visit to Indiana in His
Fight to Have a Mothers
Pension Law Passed.

Judge Henry Neil is in South Bend
IN his tour Of the state. He is the
father OF the mothers pension laws Of
10 states and is now OF a two years
campaign in Indiana 10 have a similar
law passed in this state.
He viii try 20 inform the people
OF the state on the object Of mothers
pensions and 20 create favorable in
terest in the movement. He claims
that people who are opposed to the
pensions are ones who are interested
In the present distribution Of charity.
Judge Neil says:
Il still contend, Notwithstanding
many may try TO controvert my state
rnent. that the unfitness OF mothers
Of dependent children complained Of
by organized charity is all caused by
poverty and that the unfit mother who
is poor should have the cause Of her
unfitness removed, by the Mothers
pension system.
The passing system Of taking a
mothers children away from her be-
cause she Is poor is a violation of the
motherhood's divine right.
God and nature designed mothers
20 care for their own children and no
man-nade or organized charity
made institution can Tightfully take
or fill the place Of a human mother
Abe she ever so pOOr-and / contend
that society should cure her poverty
and not try any more new tangled
ways OF raising children without
mothers IN breeders even though
they be digntied by calling them IN
stitutions'
"A marathon runner at the end OF
his race may be so exhaustive that he
cannot stand-his muscles are poison
ed by over-exertion, fatigue. which is
a poison that must be eliminated by
his system before the muscles return
TO their normal strength. In the mean
time his whole system is suffering the
delaterious effect Of this poison and
his reasoning power is sub-nOrmal
Take some serum from the leg
muscle Of this runner at the end of his
race, inject this serum into your leg
muscle and you will be unable 10
stand, your brain will suffer from this
poison OF fatigue and your reason will
be sub-normal.
''Now-what has this to do with
unfit mothers? / will tell you.
Mothers OF dependent children are
overwOrked, they are poisoned with
fatigue they do not have the rest
nate this poison, so they are cOntinu
ally over poisoned. over fatigued with
the result that they become unfit
mothers. then organized charity hauls
them into the Juvenile courts, convicts
them OF poverty and Of being unfit
and tells them to kiss all their chill
dren goodbye forever. It Is against
this the most cruel system ever known
that am protesting.
The Mothers pension law recently
enacted by the legislatures Of IS
states will. 20 a great extent, make the
unfit mother At because the pension
removes the cause OF her unfitness,
which is her poverty.
1T Is the common observation that
the very fine and very fit mother be
comes comparatively unfit TO take
care OF her children after a few years
OF hopeless struggle with poverty.
The mistake OF organized charity
is their allowing good mothers of de-
pendent children TO be made unfit by
the poison Of poverty, the poison of
hopeIessEess, the poison OF OverwOrk
in trying to earn the living for their
children at hard work and give proper
care &C, their children at the same
time.
Organized charity contends that a
mother should have her children
taken away from her because poverty
has made her temporarily unfit.
The real friends Of the poor. the
advocates Of mothers pensions, be
lieve that the mother should have the
-Sause= OF her unfitness removed and
h her children"