The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-01-24
FROM THE ST.ATE.

The Bonrd of ChnritIes-A Response TO Gone
raj kRne's PrOuuncIamenLO.
Special Despatch to The EUentng Telegraph.
HARRIsBURG, Jan. 2i-The following docu-
ment from the Board of State Charities was sent
to the Legislature to-day
To the Honorable Senate and House of REPRESENTATIVES
Gfthe General ASSsnblyo Of Pen,asyluaniG.
Gentlemen The undersigned, members OF the
Board of Commissioners of Public Charities, have
seen a copy OF a communication to your honorable
bodies on the part of Mr.. Thomas L. Kane, their
President, ia which he has undertaken to report us
to you and the Governor for censure; to charge us
with having left wholly unperformed the duties i'm
posed upon us; with having resolved not to fulfil
our duty of reporting to the Government; and, we
believe, with other dereictlons, more or less i'm
portant.
1t might be supposed that, proceeding as this does
from our presiding officer, we had been first ln-
formed that he had such an intention IL certainly
would be assumed that these omissions not the
result OF his own refusal to act or to allow to act
and we think it will surprise you and such OF the
community as notice these matters that neither OF
these supposltions is true SO far as the acts of
our President and accuser are concerned we
should, to this hour, have been Ignorant
of any accusation, beyond that of an un-
willingness to surrender Internationally to his SUI
preme will. And we assert and are prepared to
prove, any willing to take the trouble 20 inves
tigate that the only reason the reports required by
law are not now before you is the refusal of Mr
Kane himself who undertook 10 prepare the gene
raj report to allow US to see IT, to hear but the most
meagre part OF its contents, to allow willingly
suggestion by us In respeoS to the subjects therein
considered.
The latter and larger portion, with passage in
the earlier part, consists OF recommendations to
you asj legislators and dissertations upon your
duties. We do not propose to notice these, as we
do not think ourselves justified in assuming the
office of advisers of the Government until our
counsel is solicited. But there are passages in this
part Of the paper which will enable bette to eX
plain the nature OF the difficulties We have had to
contend WITH and which, we have always believed
deprived us or the services OF one of our most
enicient members.
our board was not fully organized, by appoint
lime ia
q completed commission, has not exceeded seven
months OF the year, whose ''dongs we are to report
to you During this year we have given many
days and nights to the endeavor to perform our
duties. In this effort the General Agent has
from 1000 to 5000 miles, Twice within twelve
months have all the estate Institutions" been
carefully and thoroughly inspected by the
board, and every avenue OF information which our
Judgment could suggest has been eXplOred.l We
have visited prisons and prisoners poor-hOuses and
paupers, hospitals for the insane and their inmates
houses OF refuge and homes for the neglected the
helpless and the diseased; and numerous asylums
fering in mind body, or estate, In the pursuit
OF this duty we have never failed to
aDatS % wrong iOagar wherever Ht nr o It was was, found
plish it, We have endeaYored to ascertain whether
these institutions were defectively organized or
administered and TO point our, without fear, favor,
or affection, 80 far as In us lay, the remedy or re
dress. And we had expected to present the results
OF our examinations and, with all humility, to sug-
gest such action as we thought 1t would be well for
the Government to take, to correct the evils in
crease the efficiency and benefits OF the institutions
Among our most trying duties imposed by the
statute was the weighing OF the relative merits OF
claims for public assistance from charitable iustitu-
tions. Our duties were laborous. To a great eX-
tent they necessarily brought into personal con-
tact with misery, crime, and suffering. The most
cheerful sight that we could expect was
a congregation OF homeless, outcast chll-
dren, gathered and protected as far as a
strangers charity can do so, from utter ruin both
and advantages OF our ofllce. The former we re-
cognize-the latter in its ordinary sense, we not
able 10 discern Advantage we hope there las been;
such advantage as always results from the PERFORM
ance OF painful Guty. In the fulflment of these
duties we were obliged to use the abilities and the
experience which we possessed; and it may
be perfectly true, as our president informed
you, that we are uninsTucted as
TO many necessary things. But we had been Sc
lected to do the work, and We conceived that our
wisest course, at its commencement, was to conhne
ourselves 10 what was practical aud practcable: 70
ascertain evils now existing in existing Institutions
have them corrected, ana, we saw our way
clearer, rise to higher things.
II will not be surprising then, that gentleman
who volunteers to advise the Government, in the
first place to postpone the subject for the action of
the Constitutional Convention, not yet in embryo,
and then to enlarge the narrow and practicable
limits OF your recent legislation the patrnal care
OF all strangers In distress-Of worEmen while en-
ployed IN dangerous OCcupations-of all per3Ons
when on journey, II performed by railroad
OF keeping out OF the state dangerous persons
after they have gotten into it-of all trendless
children, in or out OF school, in factories, In mnes
in the street. or in the town, would be more likely to
attempt to enlarge his functions and our duties,
when his advice was not impertinence but lsgiti
mate ana proper. And we utter the mere truth when
we alege that our time has been much en-
ployed, by night as well as day, in listening
10 vague declamatiOns on subjects OF theoretical
social reform, and legislation to that end, while
the plain and practical and practicable duties
before us received subordinate attention.
from the President Nor should 1t be forgotten that
il we are charged with the Improperly Of being gem
tlemen, and OF possessing an independence, there
is not one OF us who has not worked habitualy and
aboriousy all his life TO this hour at useful en-
| ployment, bringing, we claim TO say, both
credit and emOlument to the State; aud not
one OF us whose time employed on
the work of this commission could not