Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-10-30
Poor House Communication.
THE POOR HOUSE: FOR OR
AGAINSTi

1t is proposed to the voters Of this
county, thar on the 5th day of Novem-
ber next, they shall vote for or sgainst
the accepting Of "a Law authorizing the
the establishment Of a Poor House.
1t is proposed also, that if a majority
of the votes shall be in favor of the
Poor House, that forthwith measures
shall be taken to purchase farm, erect
buildings, and do all things necessary
to put the thing in running order
Whatever arguments may be adduced
for or against poo. house as means
of supporting the poor in general, it
does seem that now is most unpropi.
tious time for people OF this county to
shoulder any such additional weight
of tax, as this measure will necessarily
imply. We are now in pinchiDg times,
money being hard to obtain, taxes high,
and very large county debt being yet
unpaid, and some already clamoring
for the erection of new Jail, because
the old one is not sufficiently secure
to coDfine convicts. The county tax is
now heavy. undoubtedly and 1t is like
ly TO remain SO for many years. with .
fair prospect of increasing every year.
Let US look at the figures for . little
while:
Present court house debt, about .. = $45 900
Price OF proposed farm to be bought, 10 900
Cost OF erecting suitable buildings. 10000
$sl, 900
To the above $s1, 600, add sIl the
ordinary county expenses that We have
every year necessary expenses j and We
think that little Juniats would be like
ly to stagger under . debt for at least
twenty five years. Don't say "that the
building won't cost much" There is
not house in the county suitable to be
used as . poor house and If you pro-
ceed to remodel any old house, the cost
in the end, will exceed that of . new
one, and after all the repairing and re-
modelling new one will at length have
to be built. This is the general eIper-
fence wherever 8 private building is
changed SO as to be adapted to . pub
lie use.
We might refer you to the lavish e1-
peud,tures squandered from year to
year on the old Court House, most OF
which we're lost when the new one was
built.
WHAT'S the experience of those eoun-
ties that have poor housesl Expensive
farms, costly culture and costly houses,
and almost as many outdoor as indoor
poor whilst the taxes, even after the
farm and buildings have been paid for,
are as high as they were before. Ask
the people of Mifiin county, or Of Per-
ry county. or of any of the neighborine
that have poor houses, and
they will not encourage you much to
go into a poor house experiment. Why'
Because almost invariably Rings, Poor
House Rings, tie mesnest o. all polite
al rings, get the management Of those
One argument urged
with great earuestness BY the friends
Of this measure is this, ''that if public
Poor House is established IT will d.
minish the number of psupers, be-
cause many who now receive aid under
the present system will be too proud to
go to the poor house, and will support
themselves, and consequently will les.
sen the public burthen" We do not
know whether this is so or not; bu, the
does not do much honor to
the hearts Of those who are advocating
a poor house. Must the poor man, or
the poor widow, who still has some lin
gering sparks of self-respect left, be
driven to the desperate alternative of
going to the poor house or starvingl Is
the Poor House to be used as an Asy-
Ium for the helpless and deserving
poor, or fright to scare them away
from the provisions made for them BY
this very measure. One thing seems
patent to the mind of every man that is
now struggling with his debts and his
taxes, and that is, that this is not the
lime to rush into more debts, for any
new county experiments whatever.
OBSERVER