Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1855-07-26
rOr HE tnttlllseneer.
Paupots. and their Support


.,... .m. No. 8.
In my last number It was shown, that before
Marshall county was created, aud when our pop
nl.tion must have been as much as lG.OOO. lilo
ayetaEc anuuaI expense OF The poor was SS'|44'
IN 1859 The expense was sG.l49, and yet !" 1869
orr ponuhtion was, | think, not over I9.OOO-Oe'
Ing III 1850 as pet census $4,000. In 1913 the eS'
pense Of subslsting Tie poor was only $780, alu
then the populutiQu was about l70OO--and III
1916 lie expense Of snbsistiOs Tho poor was bHI
S2,S42--uhc Whole OF that year being s3'Sl"' but
I,OQO Of Il being pail 10 Reeves, on The present
poor house fanny
And in 1888 hnj The annual expense was on
lys9,lS2; and IN 1865 II is sS,A23. What is or
can Le the cause Of these great fluctuations "ll'l
differences in The paupet expenses oil different
yeats1 am at o loss 10 conjecture, unless II is
owing 10 Inc difference IN ils way and nlaNneE IN
which the poor laws ore administered. OF different
times. II %illlnot DO to assign The cause TO The
extraordinary prices Of iS66-in 1913 The expense
being s3,3lG and IN 1859 Gli9, when there wc'e
no extraordinary causes.
Twill here remark that fot many yeats We hal
no poor house property, bnt rented one ifom MI
Atkinson, on The Ohio river. In l8fS We puE'
chased The present poor house property att cost OIL
$500, with The cost OF Improvements put oil it.
and yet tho annual expense Of suOsisti"g HE poor
seems mol 10 have Ieen reduced one collar by such
purchase AMI expenditures.
IN sone counties panpers ore supported Oy be-
Ing Lilleted 'ou. among The community, as the
oyeEecIs can flall places fpf theni In some Others
by proyilng poor house establishment, anu
there bringing togetletnII who tequite for their sub
ssteuce tho bounty OF lie county; aud In other
counties find that a mixed system, or one COM
posed in part Of bOtl lie others, prevails.
have no disposition 10 dispute The WISDOM rs
well as The humanity, Of providing poor house
establishment fot all The paupet. II well and Ju'
diciousy managed by tue 0scrseers 1t must WORK
well AMI much cheaper. think, than The plan OF
euch oyerscer giving relief 10 supposed paI'peiS q!
their homes, OF by bIlleting them out TO lndIvdu'
all. My time will not permit me 10 detail the VA
ricus reasons which favor II. Thete Is one wIlch
is very apparent. The poor house furnishes a''
cssy and ready mode al all times, OF detecting ol'
temp,s which individuals may ICHke 10 impose on
the bounty of The county, and also prevents light
aud gtoundIess applications 10 Tue oveFseeFs reo'
ple are not ant lightly 10 ask fot place IN The poor
house, though they may very readily urge ''Iet
claims upon an 0ycrSeeE, personality lot a'S'".
dnet, as Is called; aud again, when all are sup
ported at one place, il occasions each case 10 DC
mote carefully considered, AMI relieves eac! over
seer toia The Responsibility Of dspOSing o! cases
on his own Individual view Of lie matter.
In Ohio county we seem fot many years to have
acted on The mirtd system. This, doubt "Ot'
may bs done wisely and bencfciaIly 10 the public
and to individual paupetS often, Il watchluIIy at
tended 10. doubt moi, thai many poor families
would oten keep al aged parent, child Other
member, who from age OF otler cause Is a 1T anu
aud permanent paupef, much cheaper than The
county, md In manner much more 10 the wishes
and feelings Of The panler, than II would be pos
sible tor lie oyetseers in any other way toaceom'
plish. This plan was from 1929 10 1870 often
pursued, and il may ~ yet for aughl know But
10 bs julciouSy done, such cases ought 10 be Dis
posed Of, not W individual members Of The Board,
hut by The Board itself when regularly ASSEMBLED
aud this think was tIlv Practice formerly,
II am mol mistaken, aud think am mol, II
hos been common TOT sOmG years past lot eacI
lneubet Of The Doatl Of 0verscets, q TOT some
member Of tho Boutl individually, anl on his
own opinion aud responsibility, toprOvtlc relief to
individuals applying Tot The bounty OF The County,
and quarety OF otherwise, bringing in his IepOftS
aud amounts, and having them cIatged up to The
Board. or all plans this seems 10 he The most Oh.
jeCtioaabIe, aud most plainly erroneous. II seems
10 me that our paupet expenses can be much te'
tuced, without resort 10 the purchase 81 o farm,
OF other hazardous and expensive changes OF eS.
petilnents. This much have thought II not a.
miss 10 SAY, beIote mots directly notice The pro
posll ID purchase large tact Of land OE The luT'
pose Of erecting on II expensive houses aud In.
pfovtmeRts for lie paupcrS. The county and city
nte now both greatly oppressed with debt AMI
butdened with taxation. Wclc there no oIheF
reasons sEainst The measute, this alone is sum.
cieDt, ia ny mind, 10 fotbil Tue purchase al pres
ent, Prudent and coHsiletate people do moi
cteate new debiS, however certain may be The
prospect great profit, when they are heavily in
debIed. When lcnlIed in question tho ptOprlety
Of such a purchase, ! did mol know who favored,
civic opposed tie project and can but hopo
thai The ftnjs Of the neaSute will fOFOear In our
present circumstances TO futtheEprt's II, noIwiIh.
standing they msy suppose Il is wise, ss Gnaa.
esI and benevolent scheme. lis no. improper
10 mspsOn tlla, his project, Of lie County owning
atrssl 81 laul .lor P6ofIIopse purposes, Is not q
neI,ot AnlHel scheme In Ohio county. In The
yeatiSg0 The County purchased a tract of66 acres
oflspd, within mile d 'ttsuppet end Of town,
FteYIshll EfLas, af.,thI1 MI fILa