Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-29
FOR THE POOR'S SAKE.
Every County in Pennsylvania Will
Have Its Own Almshouse.
THE TOWNSHIP SYSTEM MUST 60.
Bill to This Effect to Be Presented to the
Next Legislature.
COMMISSIONER CARRs PLAIN TALK

John d. Carr, Superintendent of the
Fayette County Almshouse, and a member
of the commission appointed to revise the
State poor laws, was in Pittsburg yesterday
on his way from Harrisburg, where meet
ing of the commission was held this week,
to his home in Uniontown.
'The meeting of our commission was a
decidedly interesting one, he said
"While little real work was done, we ar
ranged for general bill, which we believe
will cover the many glaring' defects in our
present unsatisfactory laws. One i'm
portant feature of the new bill will
provide for poor commission and a COM
missioner of the poor to become one of the
institutions of the State The township
system, that is barbarous and cruel we, pro-
pose to abolish and our efforts will be to
make the law operate uniformly upon all
the counties in the State.
The Infamous Township System.
"While we can draft and probably have
new law repeal the special act under which
the counties Of the State are now operating.
The township system. as we know
it, is not State law. The law
governing the paupers in many of the coun-
ties of the State is special legislation. This
is the greatest difficulty with which we will
have to contend. If we are successful in
securing the passage of the bill we contem-
plate, we will then be compelled to labor
probably fer years to induce the counties
to adopt the law we have prepared for them.
We cannot force the counties to take our
legislation, but they can force US into the
position where our State laws will be prac-
tically without effect.
'The bill we are preparing can and will
remedy the infamous township system. 1t
will wipe out many other objectionable
features in the management Of the poor, but
it can cnly be of general effect by the coun-
ties accepting our law, when we cannot
force them to accept 1t.
sour commission will hold another meet
ing at Philadelphia within short time"
Mr.. Carr said. "Then we hope to have be-
isting and now being enforced throughout
the State. We will in our bill provide for
repeating all of them that we can reach.
Those we cannot repeal we will endeavor to
BILE.
VIII Act in Harmony.
"The commission" I" Mr.. Carr went on, twill
act in harmony to secure the great relief
that for years has been demanded from
every section of the State. or course, each
Of us has his own peculiar ideas OF the
many reforms needed and the best way of
bringing these reforms about, but with one
purpose to serve and with real charity our
only motive, there is not likely to be any
hitch in our work.
81 found the disposition of every member
of the commission favorable to prompt and
effective legislation abolishing what is
known as the township SYSTEM of hiring
out the paupers to the highest bidder. l
heard it denounced on every hand as being
barbarous, outrageous and uncivilized. 1t
is relic of the dark ages. 1t is burning
disgrace to our State, and the commission
that abolishes it effectually will have done
commendable work, even though no other
work is done by it.
."1t is the purpose, believe. to get close to
the charitable associations of the State, and
attention will be paid to the
INDECENT insane of the State and the laws
governing them. This is a subject of the
greatest importance to the poor authorities.
and We will give it the attention it requires.
We will suggest some legislation on this sub i
ject, and will not overlook other subjects
touching the poor in every direction"