Weekly journal-miner., 1915-06-09
NEW MOTHERS PENSION
 LAW TO BE INITIATED

! V NOO-Ns J uAlN u lOOho do II the advocates of mothers pensions bit off more than they could chew when they offered the initiative peti- ton at the last election" said Judge Henry Neil, father of mothers pen sions, this morning. Before abolish ing almshouses, you must abolish the reason for almshouses."
 Judge Neil visited A. A. Worslcy. the attorney, during the morning and was given to understand that the ad- vocates of pensions will offer another initiative measure at the next cleo ton, one that will not include so much
 Upon inquiry he found that the law initiated at the last election was doubly killed, first by a decision of the Superior court of Maricopa coun- ty that it was unconstitutional since it classed hospitals as almshouses and second because of the failure of the legislature to make an appropriation to carry it out
 q believe that any agitation, even if it goes wrong at first, is good be- cause it gets people to thinking" he said. q was under the impression that there was workable and work ing mothers pension law in this state, but find that there is not"
 Judge Neil said that he would be here two days. He is going to Phoe- nix. For the past four years he has been touring the country in the inter est of such legislation. He secured the passage of law in Illinois in 1911. Judge Neil says that he is cam paigning at his own expense.
 His plan has been adopted by 25 states, which this year will pay out $10O00,O00 to dependent mothers and their children. His home is at Oak Park, suburb of Chicago.
 EVILS Ot Cnlld ROVerty.
 His plan is to talk about the evils of child-poverty and to convince the whole country that it is bad policy and waste of taxpayers money to allow any child to suffer from pow erty He is organizing a great Moth ers' Pension Congress, which will take place at the San Francisco ex- position on July 20, 21 and 22 At this conference plans will be discussed for having the Mothers Pension system administered by the public school system.
 "The Mothers Pension system is not charity any more than the pub lie school is charity" said Judge Neil in discussing his plan. 'We spend money for free education be- cause it is the economical and eff cient thing to do. We know we can not afford to have our children grow up in ignorance But thousands of children are prevented from obtain ing an education because their fath- CTS are dead or for some reason fail to provide. The pension system pro vides food, clothing, shelter and care by the child's own mother, without which the free public schools cannot-do their work
 Results Satisfy.
 "Wherever the pension system has been tried its results satisfy all class es. Juvenile crime and detectives are decreased at once, because the pensioned mothers are enabled to re- main at home and take care of their children. If children have a good home, with their own mother, juvenile crime decreases. Children raised in recruit the police stations, jails, courts, penitentiaries, hospitals | and asylums, because they did not get a fair start. The spending of ten million dollars this year for Mothers Pensions will save the taxpayers a hundred million dollars in the coming years. The cost of courts, prisons and asylums has been increasing by | leaps and bounds. The best way to rapidly decrease the expense of cor rective institutions, is the Mothers Pension system, which attacks child poverty, the cause of most of the crime. fceble-mindednes and insanity.
 "Who is not pained to see little in poverty deprived of the things childhood needs? The pen sion system will enable all children 10 have a happy childhood and that is what we are living for, as 1 see 1t"
 BIDS FOR ANNEX