The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-12-17
Views of Others
PREVENTING CRIME.

A survey of Wisconsin shows that
$10,500,000 is being expended every
year in order to finance the machin-
cry necessary for dealing with crimi-
nails and penal institutions where they
are confined. These figures are as
tonishing, and indicate that of every
dollar that is paid in taxes seven
cents go toward dealing with crimi-
mails.
In the survey recommendation is
made that taxpayers take greater
degree of interest in the matter of
policing the state, and methods of
punishment, and prevention of crime.
The latter is perhaps the more inn
portant. Prevention is a cure. In
other words, if we can prevent crime
at the outset, then we have not only
eliminated expense, but have gone a
long way toward solving question
that is of vital concern to Wisconsin.
AS the cities become congested, the
need for additional Fairgrounds will
be felt, and if we are going to pre-
vent crime we must be willing to ap-
propriate sufficient sums of money
every year for Fairgrounds and play
ground equipment which will bring
the boys and girls together in good,
healthy recreation. Getting them out
of the alleys, clubhouses and pool
rooms is the first essential step. The
next is providing recreation of the
the child takes to the most readily.
Parents have an important part to
play in this. No boy or girl should
be denied the right to play. Any
parent who restricts child and is
afraid of the communicating influence
of creating pals in the neighborhood,
lays the foundation for criminal ac-
tivities. If there is boy in the
neighborhood who is felt to be I'M
desirable as companion, he is the
one who ought to be taken in hand
and 'swayed from his course.
If you can get all the boys and girls
to take part in tennis, baseball and
games of that character, allowing
them to prove their true sportsman
ship, you will have taken step which
will go a long way toward closing
pingstones to reformatories and peni-
tentiaries. We could not make bet
ter investment than that of setting up
a school of prevention as a cure for
criminal activities. When boys can
steal away to some clubhouse or back
room and gamble or play pool, they
are starting on the journey that leads
them away from home influence. Par
ents all too frequently give their
children too wide latitude They
are willing to get away from the re-
sponsibilities by going to move or
some other place of amusement in the
evening and allowing the lad to shift
for himself. They have little or no
concern as to his companions.
A newspaper is in pretty fair po-
sition to pass upon this question, for
we employ hundreds of carrier boys
every year, and usually when we find
one of them going wrong, short in
his accounts, it is the result of an
unwise selection of companions and
failure on the part of the parents to
look after their boy. You take a car
rier boy with the right kind of home
influence, and the years that he, spends
in carrying papers are most profit
able. This gives him business edu-
cation, puts him in touch with all
classes of people, and if the parents
will do their part, the boy, in nine
out of ten cases, makes good.-She-
houoap