Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-03-07
Support for the Aged INDECENT.

The San Francisco Past Of last evening
had the following reference to matter in
which Sacramento county may be inter
ested
In framing the new Constitution, q clause
! was inserted in the legislative article (Seo-
ton D. Article W. prohibiting appropria-
tons TO asylums or hospitals not under the
| exclusive control Of the State, expressly eX-
| empting from its operation any aid which
the Legislature might grant by a uniform
rule 70 Institutions for the support Of minor
orphans, half orphans, abandoned children
or aged persons i'll INDECENT circumstances
And in case that such aid might be granted
By the Legislature to such institutions, TN
! der church or other control, the COnstitU-
| ton made it mandatory to grant pro rata
appropriations for the support Of similar
institutions under county, city and county,
! or town control. In changing the Codes in
1880 to conform to the constitutional re-
quirementS. a bill appropriated $75 per an
mum tor The support ut orphaned and aban-
doned children. and this money has been
regularly drawn since by county and city
officials throughout the State. In the ses-
sion of 1928 the Legislature, to more fully
carry out the intention Of the Constitution,
inserted proviso allowing 800 per annum
for the support Of each aged person. sixty
years being fixed in the Act Is the age OF
the paupcr TO be entitled to the benefits of
the Act, in every institution conducted for
the care Of such persons.
Somehow the city officials although re-
ceiying regularly the appropriation for
orphan children, never knew OF the ex-
istence OF the amendment until few
weeks ago, when Supervisor Kunkler, in
pouring over the statutes of 1883, made the
~.
nanza.
Yesterday Superintendent Heating of
the Alm5huuse went to Sacramento with
the following bill, and presented it to the
State Board Of Examiners:
State Of California to the City and County Aims
house OF San Francisco Dr., under An Act
to appropriate money Tor the support OF aged
persons in INDECENT circumstances" approved
harCh 49, 1888
To support OF &I3 aged persons in iudi-
gent circumstances, Tor the half year
ending December 81, lSS.3.............. sl065e Il
TO support OF 3l6 for halt year ending
June 81 1881 i fl 81
To support OF 35s for halt year ending
December 81, 1915 %
,4g9 Ss
To SIR. Keating's surprise, the Controller
took the ground that the bill was IlncOn-
stituuonal, and, to still further back him
self in lis position expressed the opinion
that the fourth subdivision Of The last sec
ton, which was incorporated to prevent il
being abused, prohibited the San Francisco
Almshouse from obtaining any State aid
under the Act. The subdivision declares
That no person under the age of sixty
years shall be deemed an aged person in
INDECENT circumstances within the meaning
Of this Act"
The ground taken by the Controller is
that for any county TO obtain State aid for
its eyed paupers it must provide under the
above subdivision separate maintenance
for all aged persons in INDECENT circum-
stances. An opinion like this is perfectly
ridiculous, yet, after the State Examiners
passed the claim favordbly, the Controller
refused to draw his warrant for the money,
and, as a result, the city will have to sue,
which City Attorney Love says will be done
shortly.
The Controller also refused TO draw his
warrant for the SO geo on the leprosy
fund for The establishment of lagareto
in San Francisco, claiming that the law is
unconstitutional.