The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-06-14
Bills Passed by Legislature in
Which WOman'S Clubs Interested
To the Florida Club Women !:

10 the FLORIDA CluD W omen
Now that the legislature has ad-
journed, you will wish to know just
what has been gained and lost in the
way of social betterment for the
state. Your legislative chairman has
time to time in the papers during
the legislative session because meas
ures were being passed and rejected
every day, as well as amended, and
a statement made today would prob
ably have had to be modified to-
morrow and more or less confusion
would remain in the minds of the
readers as to what really had taken
place.
We will begin with the compul-
sorry education bill. in which We
were all so interested. There were
three bills offered The first. calling
for statewide compulsory education,
though by all the means the strong
est and best measure offered, failed
of serious consideration in either
house. The second bill also called
for statewide compulsory education,
but ii carried no enforcement and
seemed to create little favor. The
third measure, which called for
county option compulsory education,
al bp oil 40 i,ra an6 c,rnr pN
generally by the county superintend-
ents and prof. Sheats, was subjected
TO such drastic amendments that
there is fear that it will have little
force in the counties that decide to
take ADVANTAGE of it, ! have been
unable so far to secure copy of the
bill as passed. and it is possible that
a careful persual of it may discover
unsupported merits in it. Mean
ciencies as spur to urge us on to
getting a stronger, more adequate
law In 1917.
The State Industrial School for
Delinquent Girls passed at almost
the last minute, when all its friends
had given up hope for it's appearance
before adjournment That is was
passed at such critical time is due
largely to the efforts of Mr.. Fagg,
of the Children's Home Society, who
arrived on the scene most oppor-
timely That it passed both houses
with only three dissenting votes
speaks we'll for the work done by the
various club women c"er the state in
influencing the votes of the leeisla-
tors. kilograms and letters poured
in from the women from almost
every county to the men at ITALIA
hassee urging their support for this
measure If the bill had failed OF
passage it would not have been due
to opposition from the legislators
but merely because they had moi
been given an opportunity to vote OF
it. The $4,000 appropriation ask
ed for was cut down to $50 900, ant
the 100000 maintenance was GU
down to $4,000. This is really in
sufficient to do what is necessary
but we are hoping it will permit {
fair beginning. If we can secure ;
high class, experienced woman su
perintendent to start with, there i
every chance for the school to at
tain efficient development in time
This school, as well as the Indus
trial School for Boys at Marianne
has been put under direct contro
and supervision of the governor an
board of state institutions, so tina
these officials will now be who'll
responsible for the future of thes
important institutions. The appro
priation of 100000 that was passe
to rebuild and equip the boys schoc
ought to begin new era for Florid
in the treatment and supervision c
our delinquent children.
The commission to study the nee
for widows pensions passed, but wa
considerably weakened by cutting o
the $500 appropriation intended
finance adequate investigation. TIL
necessary investigation will have
be paid for out of private subscril
tions.
The commission to study the nee
for hospital for epileptic and feeb
minded children also was created
the legislature with a very sma
appropriation to cover cost of secu
ing statistics, etc.
The bill restricting the maria
of insane, feeble-minded and epile
tic people failed of passage. TIL
measure should have received mo-