Evening star., 1923-01-19
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

The conundrum, "When is a child?"
which is troubling Congress in con-
nection with a proposed amend
ment to the Constitution, is not con-
fined to America. In Germany the
reichstag has recently adopted
law substituting training schools in
place of prisons for delinquents under
fourteen years of age. Hitherto. the
criminal age limit has been twelve
years. In some respects the jurisdic-
ton OF juvenile courts there extends
to the age of eighteen years, and in
exceptional cases even to more ad-
vanced age. If psychology were an
exact science, which 1t is far from
being, the true test of Juvenile re-
sponsibility would be the mental
age as found by psychological tests.
but then most adults are found not to
teen years. SO the juvenile courts
might handle most cases with full
propriety.
Congress is interested mainly from
the standpoint of a child-labor law
and amendment to the Constitution
which will give joint jurisdiction to
federal and state authorities in reg
ulating child labor. That has to do
with physical and mental develop
ment, and may we'll be differentiated
from all questions of criminal re-
sponsibility. While the boy and girl
of fifteen may he held as adults in
responsibility for wrong doing. they
aT
physical development, and may be
injured by overwork. on the other
hand, moral responsibility depends
more upon education and mental de-
velopment. due to training and en-
Vironment than it does upon years
There can be no hard and fast rule
that will be fair to all. Dean Will
liam Draper Lewis of the University
Of Pennsylvania astonished the con-
gressional committee and the. other
experts on child labor by advising
that the amendment to the Constitu-
tfon and the laws should not fix any
general age limit. but leave to the
court the discretion of applying fits own
The Monroe doctrine was promul-
+ = x 4
While. at this writing. there is no
probability that the Capper rural
credit bill will meet serious opposi-
tion in the Senate. it is pointed out
in the course of debate. especially by
Senator Simmons Of North Carolina
that the measure affords no aid in
crop production. It enables the
farmer. after he has harvested his
crop, to store it in warehouses and
borrow money with the warehouse
receipts as security 1t establishes
credit corporations with some of the
Ta lf y-,1;-, IL
banks. but they cannot loan except
on warehouse security. no matter
how valuable the other security may
be which the farmers may offer The
DurDose Of the measure. as explained
by the author of the bill. is not to aid
in crop production, but in the or
derly and more or less independent
selling Of the croDs produced. instead
of having to rush them to unfavor-
able markets because obliged to meet
bills due
There is no measure pending to
finance crop production. for there aD-
pears no possibie security which any
! bank could accept from the farmer
who lacks means to bring his crop to
the harvest. 1t is the practice. espe-
cially in the south for local mer-
chants to stake farmers on the
strength of their personal knowledge
of the character of the farmer, and
to take mortgage on growing crops,
but that is not contemplated in any
federal legislation.
As has been repeatedly stated, both
in and out of Congress, the mere ex-
tension of means for farmers increas-
ing their loans is not the ultimate
solution of the food production prob
lem. Profits. not loans. must be the
final question. and the only key to
nrofits lies in cooperation in mar
ketine, so that the farm may be
linked more closely with the con-
sumner, and parasitical middIemen
eliminated. Until that is achieved.
all credit measures. as well as all
talk of curtailing production, are but
artificial makeshifts. Unless 1t can
be achieved. farming will go deeper
and deeper into the slough of de-
spond." Who will find a way to
put that truth into practical opera
tion, and save not only farming. but
the high cost of living? 1t is the
greatest opportunity for statesman
ship that has come to this generation.
< x x x
Senator Smoot lifts a load off OF
the consciences of all who are re-
sponsible for the safekeeping OF gov
ernment records when he gives as
surance that the erection of an ar
chives building will be pushed to i'm
mediate action. The design is
already completed. and the building
will be as large as the Congressional