Evening star., 1932-11-13
W|CKERSHAM ENDS
/ SILENCE ON PROBE
Declares Wet Issue CIouded
Other Work-UrgeS New
Deal for Children.
Rvthe Associated Press.


BUFFALO. N. Y, November a.
George w. Wickersham, former Alter
ney General of the United States, in ar
address to social and civic leaders oi
Buffalo tonight demanded a new deal
for childhood at the hands of the Law
and society, and. in the course of his
talk. explained the famous Wicl:ersham
reports.
1t was in a prelude to his appeal for
childhood that Wickersham broke his
silence in regard to the controversial
reports
Wickersham pleaded for a new and
kindlier approach to the delinquency OF
''the States most valued assets" and as
sailed the police system. the reforma-
tory system, and the other instruments
of the social machine which deal with
misguided youth.
Naughty children" he described
them Not criminals"
Wickersham said the reports of the
investigating commission have been
generally misunderstood and misinter-
preted. He said the report on prohibi-
ton raised such a public clamor that
the rest of the reportS-flling IA vol
umes-have been generally overlooked.
The commission included in its re-
ports. he said, the work of investigators
and officials of unquestioned ability and
integrity.
Based on Careful Probe.
"These reports were not mere doc
trinaire offerings" he asserted They
were the careful original case work OF
candid and competent investigators.
There has been great misappre-
hension in many quarters as to the pur-
pose of the committee" he said, and
recalled President Hoovers message to
Congress in December, 1929. asking for
the authorization of the commission.
The purpose he said, was to gather for
the then new President. authoritative
information based upon an exhaustive
study, bearing upon troublesome Ma
tion-wide questions.
"The commission was invited by the
President to make the widest inquiry
into the crime situation" he said. ITO
find both causes and the remedy" This
meant investigation in many different
fields, but when the first report was
submitted, on prohibition. the deluge
broke, and the waves swept over us.
Nobody was interested IN anything else
we had undertaken to do"
Nevertheless, the commission went on
with its assignment. he said, not stop
WElC IL AOPOA % - viz
hands of the President In all this un-
dertaking. he said, there was sur
prising agreement on the part of the
various members of the commission.
I'VE completed our task with a
singular unanimity" he said. 1T was
only in dealing with prohibition that
we found it necessary to write post
scripts to the same report"
Valuable Data Saved.
He said the report dealing with the
causes of crime included the glst OF
the findings Of investigating bodies OF
% cities, in search of similar informa-
ton. The value of these reports had
been practically lost, he said; they were
gathering dust on the shelves until they
were gathered up and condensed into
the report of the Federal investigating
body.
Mr.. Wickersham based his remarks
tonight on the findings of the Wicker
sham Commission, and gave as the gist
of all, the demand that radically
new approach be made to the whole
matter of childhood.
Our reformatories are breeding
places of crime and not reformatories,
he cried at one point.
Our cities cure for the troubles OF
its youth is the policeman with the big
stick.
I'VE deal with naughty children as
If they were to be corrected with beat
ings and chains snd bars.
"Our school systems have become
enormous machines. Look at New York
City-l,250,000 children and $4,000
teachers. When I heard of that, I
said, MY God, there Is mass produc-
ton in its worst form
"These children will be the voters
Of tomorrow How can we hope they
will be men and women of ability and
honesty and integrity, when we put
them through a mill and one which Is
under the thumb Of a political ma
chine?
These children are the most pre-
cious asset of the State, yet we give
them no more chance"