The Polk County Republican. (Ducktown, Tenn.) 1914-191?, 1915-01-08

=. ndlSlllS liAC AAAiAtt - 49,
see Relormalory for Boys.
8. Pulling the pistol IN the same class
with The bowie knife and Arkansas tooth
pick.
These three subjects should receive
favorable consideration early in the coming
session of the Legislature. The members
of the honorable body who put these
measures upon the statute books OF Tenn
essee will certainly be public beneiactofs'
and the culture generations Will rise up
and call them blessed"
First-All who are familiar with the
criminal branch of our courts will agree
that the juvenile law passed in 1911 falls
short of the true intention OF the leglslat-
ors. The law was enacted in the proper
spirit, but the means of administration are
too meager. In some places boys under
10 years of age steal, hobo, destroy prop
erty, sell liquor and commit other offences
and thus defy the officers of the law on the
ground that they are not 10 years old.
have no reference to that class of youth
known in the juvenile act as dependent"
children, but | refer to that class OF deliE-
duent' youth who violate the criminal laws
of the state.
We should have an industrial school in
each grand division of the state for the de-
pendant and delinquent children sought to
be provided for in the juvenile act. Is
peciaIly the juvenile courts should be re-
quired to be kept open all the time in each
county ready to send delinquent children
under 10 years of age who violate the
criminal laws, to these industrial schools
without delay, where they may be reclaimed
by proper schooling in books and industry.
This should be done regardless OF the num-
Der who may become inmates and without
reference to the number from each county
Second-The act creating the Tennessee
Reformatory for Boys is proving to be
most effica us and is saving many young
men from the odium of the penltentlary and
making useful citizens OF them, but the
margin of two years, between 10 and 10 is
too narrow. When Is they must 60 to the
penitentiary, and when under 10 to the in
dustriaI school, if there be room there, so
margin is too narrow. The age limit should
be raised to q years. 1t may be said that
the reformatory is not large enough to ac-
commodate all who would thus be COM
mitted to the institution. Then make it
larger so as to provide for the education
and training of the inmates as intended by
the act, and thus save that much expense
in running the penitentiary, and besides
save the young men and make useful and
law-abiding citizens of them instead OF put
ting them in the penitentiary and turning
them out after their term of service with
the odium and smell of the penitentiary
forever upon them, while their punishment
has done but little if any, toward giving
them higher incentive to better citizen
ship. The cost should be much less for
keeping them in the reformatory than in
the penitentiary, while the results would
be much greater in making better citizen
ship for the state.
Third-All agree that pistol-carrying is
one of the greatest banes to civilization
and makes life entirely too cheap. As
rule most of the pistol cases in our courts
in our courts are without excuse. The
young fellow begins to carry pistol and
he does not know why he carries it. He
wonders why he does so, and finally con-
cludees that he is carving it in self-detence,
and it is not long then until he is found
dead in front of another mans pistol, who
likewise has a case of self-defense.
AS it is, there is but little uniformity in
enforcing the statute against carrying Pls-
tolls. The discretion given the coarts as to
iail sentence destroys the efficacy OF the
law. The law will be ineffective IS long as
it now stands and is administered. 1t will
continue to be violated while the great loss
of life and the happiness of homes will be
sacrificed as a result There should be
positive uniformity and certain enforce
ment in every county and state.
When we put pistol carrying on the same
plane as the bowie knife and the Arkansas
toothepick, then and not until then, will
the pistol be relegated from use as these
two outlawed weapons have been.