Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-08-03
THE MONEY FOE JoHNsTowN.

The hasty man is nuisance, as rule.
to any community. The hasty man has
created all the trouble concerning the dis
tribution of the relief fund for the Johns
town sufferers. He could not understand
why the administrators of the millions did
not at once go about the highways in the
Conemaugh Valley and parcel out the
coin among the people as they were met,
and have an end of it. The hasty man
and his number is large-is impatient Of
caution, even of justice, and in this case
he has brought considerable scandal upon
the most magnificent charity Of the ages
by prying and complaining about Cover
nor Beavers delay in scattering the relief
fund. Now, it does not require a very
bright man to understand that in dis
tributing charity funds among several
thousand claimants, there is involved one
Of the incest and most intricate of prob
lens; the task of ascertaining the degree
of worthiness and the degree of need, and
then adjusting the distribution of the
fund in the light of the facts ascertained,
among the whole number, so as to do as
nearly even-handed justice as is possible TO
human intelligences. 1t is readily under
stood, after a moments reflection, that
such task is one of great proportions,
and calls for the rarest kind of business
ability, and the exercise of the largest
degree Of patience and gentleness, COM
bined with the highest character of firm
ness and fxity of resolution. But the
hasty man has had no appreciation of the
stupendous character of such an under
taking, and so he has managed to get into
the newspapers, and to put blush of ap-
parent scandal upon the administration Of
the fund. This tattle and surmise, and
this peevish demand for report, has
driven Governor James A. Beaver, of
Pennsylvania, to the publication of letter
addressed between the lines to the hasty
man especially. Governor Beaver says, in
the North american Reriep, that there
were at the outset some FIVE or six general
relief committees, established by as many
cities. 1t soon become apparent that they
were likely TO duplicate the work, and
thus to waste good deal of precious ma
terial. They therefore united, and put
the affairs of relief in the hands Of COM
mittee of ten men, chosen from different
sections, and selected for their ability,
business wisdom and experience in
handling trust funds and in disbursing.
charity. This committee has only the
money disbursements to make. A score
of other committees and charity associ-
ations have given the immediate relief of
shelter, food and clothing needed. In
all, the money contributions have
amounted to nearly 100000, and
of this S1,50O0OO remains to be dis
tributed. The committee or commits
sion has gone over the whole
ground in ten counties where the food did
most damage and occasioned most suffer-
ing, and has spared no pains to ascertain
the actual facts relative to destitution and
need for money help. The commission
regard the funds in hand as sacred trust,
to be disbursed with view of meeting
the demands of applicants and the purpose
of the giyers of the benefactIon, the largest
for similar purpose known to civilization,
and testifying in the most striking manner
to the strength Of the bond of human SYM
pathy. The commission first had forty
eight temporary small store-rooms erected
on public squares, where business most
needed by the committees could be trans
acted. The Chicago committee having
given one hundred portable houses, the
commission purchased another hundred of
larger size and more durable character.
Two hundred more of larger size still
have been ordered, and are to be utilized
as rapidly as sites can be secured that will
not involve litigation in the future, since
the lots Of many of the most needy are not
in condition to be used, and will not be
for some months TO come 1t would never
do to put up houses to shelter tie home
less on lands Of owners who might come in
and sweep all away and appropriate the
charity gift. This difficulty is one of the
grayest the commission has had to deal
with. Next the commission resolved to
distribute half million in coin. Here
arose difficulty. too, the ascertainment of
the greatest need and worthiness. Expe-
rience has shown that promiscuous or ILL
advised distribution of charity funds re-