Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1870-05-13
rOOr House Correspondence.
JUEIArA CRossisGs, MAY ORR 1870.
Lufz & Jordan.

4 u5lttcBtEi.
notice an article in your number of the
29th Of April headed the Poor House ques.
ton. was in hopes some one more compe-
tent than myself would reply TO II but so far
none have been given which l noticed. /
will give brief statement of my views of the
case, and what think will prove to be the
views of majority of the voters in the county
though they differ widely from those express
sed in the article referred to. In the first
| place ] cannot understand why Bedford coun.
ty cannot sell aud purchase property as well
as any individual. If the property for sale is
advertised at public sale surely any person
wishing to buy such property viii not with
bold their bids simply because it is sold by
the agents of the county; and as regards the
purchase OF another l would just say that if
the men selected for that purpose pay double
what farm is worth because the owner of
said farm expects to get double its value
when he sells to the county, they are not
very competent for the task for which they
we're chosen. d. a. T. Black has farm for
sale and would sell it to the county as cheap
as to any individual in the county. have
one for sale on which was raised the last sea-
son FIVE hundred bushels of wheat, eight hun.
dred bushels of oats, one thousand bushels
of ears of corn, plenty of hay, pasture to sus-
tain large stock of cattle aud horses-never
less than twenty Eve head Of cattle and seven
or eight horses, with large and very sub
stantial stone house of, / think, nearly doub-
lie the capacity Of the present aims house;
this properly can be bought for less tnan the
present Poor House property will sell for,
and will produce annually three times as
much as that property. have no doubt but
there are other properties that can be bought
at fair price which will suit as well as this
and for one am perfectly satisfied to leave
the selection to the men appointed for that
purpose. 1t is well known thai real estate is
worth considerably more near the county sea.
than some distance off-one reason why the
people want it sold-auother is, they believe
it can be managed better and cheaper. l
have no doubt there are good men in Bed.
ford County who will contract to keep the
poor of the county for one-half per head
what it has cost the County the last ten years,
and Keep them better than they have been
kept and give satisfactory security for the
faithful performance of that duty, provided
they could have a say in the selection of
property on which to do it. 1t is really no
wonder the tax payers are dissatisfied; they
have no idea that there is any need for half
as expensive building as has been spoken
of; one sufficiently cornmodious aud com
Portable, they think is all that is necessary.
AS to the Grand Jurors inspecting the Poor
House, I have had some experience in that
matter. The men have been away from
home perhaps a whole week and just after
they are discharged they are sent to inspect
The affairs in and about the buildings. They
are then very anxious to get home and each
man expects his neighbor TO see that all is
right, and pays little attention to it himself
If three competent men were appointed for
that duty, it would, think, be much better
attended to, at very triAing cost AS tor
the Doctors, | have been told by eminent
physicians that none of us suffer for the
want OF their services as much as is generally
When it is really needed ii can
be procured in any part of the country.
proposed at the commencement of this article |
to be brief, and lest l have exceeded that
bound, will conclude by hoping that some
Improvement will be made in regard to the
management of our poor for the benefit of
the tax payers. Yours respectfully,
GEORGE MRCRAw