Evening journal., 1915-03-05

BOY or girl, who yet had some chance
TO reform. The judge dealing with
this class Is apt TO get out of patience,
is apt TO become disgusted, and to
lose all hope i'm the suggestion that
there Is a chance of reform. On the
other hand, no boy or girl under six
teen years of age, passes beyond hope.
Some OF the best men among us. were
as bad boys at sixteen as can be
found in Wilmington today.
The judge whose special duty il is,
not only to protect the public from
such bad boys, but whose duty ex-
tends further than that, and indeed
to a thing that is more important,
perhaps, than protecting the public,
namely, the saving of that particular
child, should have as little TO do with
the ordinary criminal, as possible.
If the judge of the Juvenile Court is
selected with these points in view,
there can be no doubt but that there
is much more hope for the child in
bis hands.
What J have said about the judge
who passes upon such cases, ie true
with the prosecuting officer. and it
is also true with the police officer.
[ remember as an illustration of what
, I have said, that when | was appoint
ed to the bench, there were two other
law judges, who had served twelve
years. Neither / nor the remaining two
had been on the bench before. l.
however, had had four years expert
ence as a prosecuting officer. and
you would be surprised TO learn the
difference of opinion as TO the length
of Imprisonment that should be I'M
posed upon the criminal who was be-
fore the court the second time. The
judges who had had the experience
on the bench, and /, who had had eX-
perience as prosecuting officer, al.
ways insisted upon imposing upon
the criminals, a longer term than the
two judges who had had no expert
ence in this particular kind of work
I was firmly convinced then that II
was impossible to deal with this class
of people without losing hope of the
punishment being a lesson to them
| would not have the city solicitor
or his assistant. as prosecuting Off.
Ger Of the Juvenile Court for the same
reasons that / have given above. The
/ judge and the probation officer is al
| that is necessary. | would throw all
the technical rules of evidence TO the
winds. / would undertake to dea
with those children as a parent deals
with his child. and such a method i.
| the only method in my opinion, whicl
can bring about any reform in thi'
! direction. And the city of Whining
/ ton and the county of New Castle car
/ i'll afford TO be mean about this sub
! iect. They cannot AFFORD TO stop ant
I consider the expense necessary ia
carry out such scheme. IL matters
I little what il may amount to. it, in the
end, IL has the effect of saving on'
boy year from a criminal life. /
has done its work, and done it well
TO see boy growing up under you
own roof into the life of criminal
is making the parent sorry that tn
boy is not dead, and this Legislature
the city of Wilmington. nor the cOun
~, would hesitate a moment To pa'
the whole annual cost of juvenile
Court TO save the life of one boy (
year.
| make no pretenoe Of being a re
former. Indeed. / am not much II
favor of my good friend, Mrs. Sat
terthwaite's idea, upon the question
of suffrage, but a. thoroughly con
verted TO the Juvenile Court PROPOSE
tion, and il may be. that as time goe
on, I will conclude that some of tn
other reforms which these good peo
pie are advocating, are not as un
reasonable as they now appear TO m
! "a hp You're worry firmly