The New York herald., 1879-10-15

the Poor laws of the State. including all laws
anS ali public hs Charities spoSshoas tSs s%ss
with full and authority make thorough inquiry
and report Legislature OF 1873 with
they may think and Providing thorough and
monious Of laws the subject in place of the laws
sEc 2-such advisory Board shall consist Of persons
who will without compensation. ana the entre ex
be incurred under this shall exceed the
sum of $4,000. &c.
This bill was presented in the Senate and referred
to the Judiciary Committee of which Senator Robert
son was chairman and there IL remained, and though
he was urged by nearly all the law officials in
the State and many others to give it favorable notice.
he paid no attention to it whatever. Had the bill
called for any considerable outlay of money there
might seem some reason for his opposition. AS IL
was the committee willing to raise the money
necessary for the work for revising the Poor laws
eliminating. it would seem the only objection to its
favorable consideration. Had this bill passed 1t
would afford an opportunity for making the Poor
laws OF the State and various counties clear, we'll
defined and easily understood.
GREAT SAVING TO DE ACCOMPLISHED.
Under such q revision plated, fully
$500 900 would be saved the State and quite much
more to the various counties But such an opportu-
nifty for this large saving. to say nothing OF the
cessity of simplifying the present laws. went for
nothing with the chairman of the Judiciary Com
mittee, and therefore the bill was pigeon-hol
know OF few if any topics moro generally discussed
by the press and the people throughout this State
than that of chow shall the charities which be-
slowed by the over-burdened taxpayers upon the
panper classes be most carefully and economically
aaministered?' And l. know of no class
wise on the subject than those who have to
deal constantly with it. And yet their efforts and
would have benefited to the amount of fully 100000
had the bill passed and the work intended by it been
accomplished The Convention OF the Superin-
dents of the Poor made another effort last year to
obtain some Legislation on the subject. but through
tho inachinations of u certain member OF the State
Board of Charities their efforts again defeated.
This State Board Of Charities could accomplish
good work were they to eliminate from their Board
an element recently foisted upon them. The Board
iS. unfortunately, handicapped
have several occasions nsused their Office to gain
hoped to mount to public favor and political Office
ABUSE IN BROOKLYN.
This has been most conspcuously the case In Brook
lyn where the State Board member, instead of advs-
ing counselling with the charities officials exhausts
all his time in misrepresenting and abusing them.
The misfortune Of this and like boards has been that
they usually number among their members imprac-
tical men and dreamers, we'll the denagogic
class to which have alluded. They seldom accom-
plish anything of practical value and often startle
the Legislature with visionary measures tor the sup
preston of tramps pauperism and other evils. One
OF them tried to induce the Legislature to pass
act to establish in each judicial district OF the
State largo and expensive buildings to house
and care for tramps. The system would have in
volved an outlay Of not less than S2.000,0O0 1t
proposed to call in all the tramps and set them to
work. &c. Why, sir, had the act passed, it should
have been entitled. can act to encourage men to
desert their families and to increase tramping."
This board has surrounded itself with an auxiliary
corps of local visiting committees, who usually
composed OF persons full Of sentiment that they
become hindrance to the charities officials rather
In fact the whole system of public charities man
agement is inherently wrong. and this, in great
measure, comes from too much sentimentalism and
too great diffusion Of authority. In other words.
there too many engaged in the business of med
ding with that which they have no fitness for.
trust, therefore, that the efforts Of the HERALD
will result in calling the attention of the next Legis
lature'to the necessity of passing some such act
the one recommended by the superintendents OF the
poor. Under such q revision the State lunatic
asylums would not draw so largely from the public
treasury us now. The one in Utica. for instance.
would not be permitted to support each patient at
the enormous outlay as said by Governor
Tiden) of $1,000 year. Nor would their printing
bills be So 900 yearly now Respectfully.
THOMAS =. NORRIS,
Late President Kings County Commissioners of
Charities.