The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1914-02-27

Grafton CT the city on a more solid
moral footing. The lodgemen
have agreed to hold themselves
individually responsible for the
moral development of young boys
# Bellingham who may have fall
len upon evil ways as the result
of their being orphaned or
thrown into an environment for
any other reason that may lead
to pitfalls.
And in furtherance of the
movement arrangements have
been made with the judges of the
juvenile court to have youthful
incorrigibles placed in charge of
those Elks who have consented
to act in the role of ''big broth
err" to the hayward.
AS the idea is set out the 'big
brothers. are authorized to en-
ploy whatever individual means
they may deem best to hold the
uncurbed juveniles in proper re-
straint. such as having them re-
port periodically as to the man
ner in which they spend the time,
what they do with their earnings
and what kind of influences sur
round them at home or on the
streets but primarily, the func-
ton is to direct and mold their
development by means of a mani
festation of personal interest in
their welfare, by an instillment
of the higher virtues and, most
of all, by the effective but unseen
force of comradeship.
The possibilities OF such a
movement seem boundless and
there appears no reason why it
should not pay as high moral di-
vidends here as elsewhere. Par
ticularly in the larger cities of
the United States, where the
population of hayward boys is
large and the evil influences that
beset them numerous, has the
idea gained Roadway. Obviously.
lit should be equally potent in de-
gree at least so far as Bellingham
lis concerned.
The whole nation is striving to-
ward a solution of the juvenile
problem as a means of checking
crime and individual failure. It
is clear that the proper plan is to
attack the problem at its source.
Any any movement that seeks to
effect solution, or even to lessen
the possibilities of evil, will re-
ceive abundant encouragement
Exchange.
Seattle. - The Commercial
Clubs and Chambers of Com
merce in every city and town of
the State Of Washington have
been asked to urge the people of
their respective communities not
to sign the petitions for submit
ting to the voters next November
the seven initiative measures,
which includes the drastic eight
hour law and the increase in the
state tax on salmon. 1t is point
ed out that these seven measures
are all class legislation and that
if enacted into laws will effect
every resident of the state. The
eight-hour law will, it is alleged,
strike a blow at every small news
paper, the corner grocer, the
country merchant, the small
druggist and even the housewife
with one servant. The bill de-
claring for eight hours is so dras-
tic as to make it impossible for
the small as well as the large en-
ployer Of labor to do business. If
the grocer boy works over eight
hours his employer will be sub
ject to arrest; the same is true if
the man who delivers your milk
is called upon to work over time.
In many of the small newspaper
offices throughout the state,
where the matter of expense has
to be seriously considered, the
proprietor-who works any of his
men over eight hours will be
guilty under the law.
The bill for the increase in the
tax on salmon will, it is alleged,
put the fish business of the state
in a position where it cannot hope
to compete with the salmon in
dustry of Oregon and Alaska.
The increase proposed will eat up
every cent worth of profit and
the salmon people will be COM