| OCR Text |
Show A DESIEED GRAB AT THE CITT. At a recent meeting between the County Commissioners, tho Judge of the Juvenilo Court, and the Superintendent Superin-tendent of the Nowhouso 'Betterment Home, Mayor Bransford was invited to i8 present. Prom tho remarks made at that meeting and from the examination of tho law, it W36 evident that tho County Commissioners wish to proceed only (?s c'ty furnish them the funds. But nB tho city has no au-thdrityM.o au-thdrityM.o furnish funds to the County Commissioners, the desire of these three gentlemen must probably expire with tho more 'RJsh they expressed. It appears, from tho law, that tho County Commissioners are directed to proceed to the establishment of a county coun-ty detention homo. Tho Commissioners, Commission-ers, however, nrc not willing to do this unless tho city will put up the money. It was vory pertinently observed iu that meeting, by tho Mayor, that inasmuch inas-much as the law devolved upon the County Commissioners tho duty of providing pro-viding this detention home, they had hotter proceed to establish it. Then if tho city wished to send any inmates to that home perhaps arrangements could bo mado for their internemeut there, provided the county offered reasonable rea-sonable terms. It is manifestly a pretty bad mix-up that it made in that law. The statute establishes a State board, whoso duly it is to appoint, the Judges of the Juvenile Ju-venile Courts. It is not easy to sec why these judges should be appointed by any board, rather than be elected by tho people, as other judges are elected, from justice of the poaco to Justices of the Supremo Court. Tho law then devolves de-volves upon the Count' Commissioners the duty of providing a detention home. Wo doubt, however, if any board ef C'ouutj' Commissioners in tho State has complied with tho law; certainly the Salt Lako County Commissioners have not done so. Either they have not the mono to proceed with, or arc determined deter-mined to make tho city pay for the work that, the law requires them to do; which is out of the question. Every good citi7.cn would like to sec tho Juvenile Court made as effective as possiblo and the good work, that such court is capable of doing, extended to the utmoBt possible limits. The real obstacle in tho way of this good work and its exteusion, however, is the law. If tho State had intended to take up this Juvenile Court work, in the good faith proper to it. it should havo made the Judges of the Juvenile Courts State officers, with dofiuito limits lim-its of jurisdiction, with stated terms, and with the election of them by the peoplcj as other officers are elected. In such case the State should have provided pro-vided tho quarters for tho courts and should havo provided for the necessary neces-sary officers in connection with those courts to do their work, the same to bo paid by the State. But. the law mixes up State, county and city in a bewildering bewil-dering way, evidently having tho idea that tho State and the county could take tho cit3"'s money and proceed with it as though the citj' legally wore subject sub-ject to that kind of buccaneering raids. As a matter of fact, the city's mono' must be uuder the control of tho city government; it is not subject to confiscation con-fiscation for county or for Stato use. It is idle to rail against the city, as some ill-informed persons have done, with respect to tho Juvenile Court and tho blundering law under which it is operated. oper-ated. The city is not, in fact, required to do anything that it can do under the law, by the statute referred to. A new start will have to be made, and tho Juvenile Court system built from the groundwork up. The law which establishes the Juvenile Ju-venile Court, passed by the Legislature last winter, was passed partly in order or-der to get rid of that awful incubus, Judge Brown, aiid partly, under a misapprehension mis-apprehension of fact. It was contended contend-ed with much vehemence that thore was in control of Salt Lake City- at that time a lot of plundering rogues who were to bo got rid of by the people just as soon as the coming election could bo had. It was with tremendous insistence proclaimed that the party which had elected those ofiicers had gono to pieces, that thero waB nothing left of it, and that when tho election .day came the coutcst would be between the two old parties, tho Democratic and the Republican. When election da' came, however, it was seen that neither of the old parties cut any particular par-ticular figure, and the American party received such a tremendous vote of confidence as bus seldom been sce.n in. any constituency at auy time. The idea upon which tho statute providing provid-ing for the Juvenile Court was founded, that tho American administration could not be trusted, and That tho people of Salt Lake wore uot worthy of con-'Gtlcucc, con-'Gtlcucc, not competent to elect a Judge of the Juvenile Court, was always a bit of malicious and partisan malevolence which is now thoroughly exploded. Nobody No-body believes anything of the kind any more, and a good many of the rascals who advocated that idea did not believe be-lieve in its truth, at tho time they urged it. With tho sweeping away of the old erroneous foundation for the statute, the ground will bo cleared for the enactment by tlie next Legislature of ft competent, well-digested Juvenile Court law which will allow of the building up of strong Juvenile Courts and tho introduction of reformatory measures whero they are- most needed; this at; tho hnnds of tho people, by the-peoplo, the-peoplo, and for the people. And when that day enme, in placo of prejudice and misleading assumptions assuming sway, tho Legislature will bo iu tho stato of mind to fairly deal with this whole subject. |
