The daily Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1916-1917, 1916-12-26

very lew MlSSOul iduo opp SSA"sS Inv
great volume of poverty, disease and
crime with which the State is burden
ed today, according to advocates Of the
Children's Code which will be sub
mitted to the Legislature during the
term which begins January 1.
when we reflect that there are in
our state institutions over 10000 un-
fortunate men. women and children
that there are over 5000 new cases go
ing into these institutions every year;
that there are in addition, some $4,000
persons in the care of the counties
besides the thousands of dependents
being looked after in the larger cities,
st. Louis, Kansas City and st. Joseph,
and in the smaller towns, we begin to
have some idea of the size of the bur-
den we are carrying" says Rhodes
E. Cave, of st. Louis, chairman of
the Children's Code Commission,
which was appointed by the governor
in 1915.
Manley o. Hudson of the School of
Law of the University is secretary of
the commission and Prof. Charles A.
Ellwood, Dean Isidor Loeb and ]. l..
Wagner of Columbia are members.
Thousands of children throughout
the state are growing up into the
wrong kind of citizens because they
are being neglected by their parents, /"
says Mr.. Cave.
'In the six counties which have
Juvenile Courts in the, state at pres
ent, about 1000 wayward children are
being brought before the court each
year. This shows the great need for
reaching such children all over the
state instead of, as at present, in only
the city of st. Louis, Jackson, Greene,
st. Louis, and Jasper Counties.
Children In Missouri Jails.
Investigation has shown over 500
children in Missouri jails. Probably
more than 500 children get into these
jails every year, in company with
criminals and tramps.
"One-third of our almshouses in
Missouri today house little children
though it is well known fact that
children raised in almshouses newt
ably grow up to be paupers.
Much of our crime, poverty and
misery is due directly to the great
number of feeble-minded persons in
our midst, who are wholly unable to
lead normal lives. Our one state in
stitution for the feeble-minded at Mar
shall has been crowded for years. 1t
has a capacity for 700 when it has
been estimated that there are more
than 5000 feeble-minded in the state.
1t has waiting-list of 500 at pres
ent.
"The United States Census Report
shows over $4,000 children between
10 and 13 years of age working in
gainful occupations in Missouri; in
addition, there are more than $4,000
between the ages of IA and Is. This
prevents their getting the right kind
of education. 1t helps to explain why
Missouri is 29th of the 48 states in
the Union in the number of illiterates
among our people.
"All of these conditions are found
in other states. Missouri is not alone
in facing these serious problems and
in trying to prevent the increase of
poverty, disease and crime.
There has been started throughout
the United States a movement to get
each state to bring together all its
laws relating to children and to create
some satisfactory means for the en-
forcement of these statutes.
Missouri is the first state to start
this work in response to the national
movement. In June 1915, the Gov
ernor appointed Commission of
twenty-four persons from all over the
state to prepare a complete set of
laws for children to be presented to
the 1917 Legislature for passage. The
names of the members of this Commits
sion are given on the folder which is
being sent you. All of these people
have given their services without pay.
The necessary expenses have been met
by public contributions
'The Children's Code, which will
come before the Legislature in Janu-
ary, contains not only what is best
in all of our own laws, but the best
ideas and experiences of other states
have been added"
What Missouris Code Commission
Recommends:
For Destitute and Neglected Children.
1. Counties will pay pensions to
mothers with little children, whose
fathers are dead or in institutions, so
that they may raise their own chill
| dren at home