The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1918-07-19
NUMBER ST
some THINGS SAID
BY JUDGE ROBERTS,

|
expert accountants, as stated at or
near the conclusion of our article
last week. He spoke of the Indus
trial schoo! with 800 pupils, kept at
a cost Of $l68.22 per capita Ter
year, that of this number 5I0 aie
over IS years old and 26S over II;
that he visited the Industrial School
and found big boys locked up to
prevent them from running away
to Hadleys Bend where they could
earn $500 to $40G per day. He
characterized as an outrage the fact
that for these 800 boys there is pro-
vided but SO acres of land and said
that it is an imposition on the
farmer boys of the State that these
big, husky fellows are maintained
in comparative idleneSS. His So
luton of the problem is the fact
that farmers all over the State
would be glad to take boys at II to
Is years of age, give them work to
do, send them to school and in
in every way give them as good
chance in life as they give their
own sons. He said that when the
Industrial School band boys were
taken over to the city to make
music for some occasion, they put
their uniforms on over their work
clothes in the hope that they might
get the chance to run away and get
work to earn money for themselves
as they ought to do
He told of the Herbert Domain,
IL, 900 acres, nearly all III Bledsoe,
county, which has~laidsAfor yearss
without cent of profit or interest
to the State; that much of this land
is level and the finest for raising
Irish potatoes, of which it will pro-
duce 200 to 300 bushels per acre;
that Industrial School boys and Re-
formatory School boys ought long
ago have been put to work clearing
this land and doing other work, as
the Board of control has had done
this Spring. AS to the Reformatory
School, he said that the 483 boys
cost the State Sl00,742 and that 60
per cent. of them are over Is years
old-another discrimination against
The farmer boys of the State and in
favor of the criminal class. He
said that Chairman Denton of the
Board of Control told him he found
negroes "a years old in the Reform
School-placed there by false swear
ing. He was amazed at facts re-
vealed in the Comptrollers Office.
Waif babies picked up here and
there cost the State $500 each if
kept but one week. Delinquent
girls cost the State $4,000 for
board last year-and he favored
trying to reclaim the delinquent
girlS--but he was told that socalled
homes that board these young pros
tituteS had out agents to find and
bring them in. When he reached
the liquor question he said that no
law on the books will enforce itself
but to execute the laws that the
State must have a man with iron in
his blood in the executive positions;
that no man can override his con-
science, his belief-that if this
question stays settled the people
must elect men who favor the laws
and their enforcement. He said
that the common schools must be
made better, for a majority Of the
boys never see inside a college or
even a high school. He stands for
good roads, but nothing great in
road building can be attempted
while the nation is at war. He
said the department of Agriculture
had been in good hands for many
years, and is not only self sustain
ing but paying handsome revenue
to the State. He says this depart
ment can be improved by adopting
unity Of purpose, should be taken