Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-21

money. The children of paupers receive no
schooling or care, and grow up like wild
beasts. Overseers related these things to
the commission without seeming to think
that there was anything wrong in the sys-
tem.,
In Union and Monroe counties cases were
found where men able to earn their living
were driven from one township to another
because the overseers feared they might at
some time become chargeable on the town.
ship. In Monroe o man named Buskirk,
who had never asked relief, was expelled
from Hamilton township into Pocono town.
ship. He was an industrious man and re-
fused to remain in Pocono. He went back
to Hamilton, and the two townships are now
iltigatlng over him. In such ways money
Is spent in lawsuits which would keep
pauper well for several years. The over
seers are themselves costly, for they are paid
from Sl to 81 day in various townships.
A STRANGE STORY.
A strange tale was revealed in Union
county. There the commission found a
tribe of lawless, ignorant and idle people,
settled in the mountains of Hartley town
ship. who had been driven over from
Snyder county. The people of Hartley
township do not want them, but do not
know how to rid themselves of them. In
Snyder county these vagabonds gave great
trouble. The murder OF man named
Kinzer was believed to have been COM
mitted by them, and they were chargeable
with various robberies throughout the
neighborhood. The people Of Snyder
county banded together and burned the
houses of these mountain scalawags, and
warned them to cross the summit into
Union. Most of them did so, but one
woman, with several children. lived for
nearly year under pile of slabs, in the
utmost filth. At last her slabs were burned,
and she was driven across the line.
Chambers, blind man, moved from Lam
caster to Juniata county. He had 5000 in
cash and went to raising poultry. He Lad
wife and grown son able to work. Within
five months after entering Juniata ne had
saved $3.50 more. Nevertheless he was
warned to leave there or to furnish bail that
he would not become chargeable ON the
township. He demurred and has been for
several months contestiDg the matter.
The commission is satisfied that the over
seer system should be entirely abolished,
and that each county should be compelled
to maintain an almshouse. The most ex-
perienced men in the several counties
visited agreed in this opinion.
ONE WAY TO SAVE MONEY.
The commission believes that there should
be something in the law placing certain
paupers, of uncertain home, in the charge
of the State, and giving the State Board OF
Charities power to transport alien paupers
out of the Commonwealth and back to the
foreign shore from which they came. New
York has such law, which has been care
fully studied by the commissioners, ami
they have found that it has operated to save
the State great deal of money.
The members Of the commission have di-
vided the work among themselves, each
man being directed to study and prepare the
law on a certain branch of the general sub
iect. After the September tour it will not
require much time to put the results into
definite form. During the summer each
member will pursue his special inquiries.
The law must be broad, and so worded that
in some of the most populous counties spe-
cial institutions can be maintained, as they
are now. The commissioners feel that they
will have some difficulty to frame long,
general law, which will be constitutional at
all points.