Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-12-15
RELIEF MEASURES.
A MEETING OF REPRESENTATIVE COMMITTEE
MEN YESTERDAY.
Resolutions Adopted and Sent to the Commissioners
and Maycr-Ths Board Will Probably Meet
This AfsrnOOn-Joint Committee to DO
AppOintsd-Ths Law of the Stats
Regarding the Poor.


of active preliminary work in the dlrec-
ton of affordlng the relief felt to be
necessary for the unemployed of this
city.
An important feature of the day was
a conference between the sub-commit-
tee Of members Of the Trades Assembly,
President Henry Baer, OF the Chamber
OF Commerce, and Councilmen Cruise
and Richards. At this mesting it de-
veloped that the Board of County Com
missioners was not ''llmited by law
in extending aid to the poor,
but that, on the contrary, the
Code expressly made most lib
eral provisions for aid to all
persons in distress, even those not resi-
dents of the county, but only here tenn
porarily, being included. and resolu-
ton was adopted, calling the attention
of the Board formally to this matter.
Another resolution was adopted, look
ing TO relief in the shape Of work, and
copies were given 10 President Dob
bins, Of the County Board, and Mayor
Caldwell. The officials will appoint the
committees to-day, and matters will
then proceed.
Yesterdays meeting of the represent
atives Of the Chamber OF Commerce, the
Council, and the Trades Assembly was
held in the outer Office Of the City
Clerk. Mr.. Dobler, of the Trades AS
sembly, presided. Mr.. Cruise, as a
member of the Council, called attention
to the stand taken by the Board OF
Commissioners in limiting county aid TO
those persons or families not having
able-bodled males upon whom to de-
pend, and for the Information Of those
present read section OF chapter XLVI.
of the Code, as follows:
"Sec. g. On application by or on behalf
of any person who is unable to maintain
himself, or by or on behalf Of the family Of
any person when he is unable to maintain
it, and the family is unable to maintain
itself, such person or family, il he or they
shall have q legal settlement in the county,
shall be prOUided for or assisted as his or their
necessities mdU require, under the order and
direction Of the overseer Of the district in
which such settlement may be; and II ne or
they have not a legal settlement in the
county, shall nevertheless be so provided
for or assisted, under the order and direc-
tiCn of the overseer Of the district In which
he may be, until properly removed, as here
matter provided. But the County Court OF
the county may change or resclnd any or
der or direction given by such overseer,
In M he
provided for or assisted, though the over
seer of the district has refused to do So"
Sec. was also read, which among
other thing, provldes:-
"AnY person to be provided for or as
sisted as aforesaid may either be kept al
the place Of general reception, or be sup
ported or assisted elsewhere but in coun-
ty where there isa county infrmary he
shall not be kept az the expense of the
county at any place other than at such in
Urinary, ercept in case Of emergency or nc
cessity, ."
This being the law Of the State, al
lowing the Board of Commissioners the
fullest opportunity to alleviate distress,
it was held by those present that the
adoption by the Board Of the ordinsnce
of November 10th, and the subsequent
references to the provisions Of Sec. OF
that ordinance as "the law" thereby
conveying the impression that II
was the law Of the State, was Great
ing false impression, which ought not
to exist, and thinking thus, the meet
ing adopted the following resolution
"The undersigned, committee repre-
senting the City Council, Ohio Valley
Trades and Labor Assembly and the
Wheeling Chamber of Commerce, respect
fully call the attention Of the County Com
missioners to sections and Z Of Chapter
XLVI Of the Code OF West Virginia, page
Ais. 1t seems to us that this does provide
for the immediate necessities OF the unem-
ployed and destitute citizens"
After some further discussion Of ways
and means Of affording permanent re-
lief through work OF q public nature,
the Committee adopted the following
additional resolution:
RESOLVED, That the President of the Board
of Commissioners appoint special COM
mittee OF three members, and the
Mayor of the city like committee Of three
Councilmen, to confer at once as to provid-
ing permanent RELIEF by public work for
the unemployed, such committee to make
a Joint report TO both bodies, at special
sessions, at the earliest practicable mo-
ment.
Copies of these resolutions were at
once made by City Clerk Thoner and
sent TO the Mayor and President Dob
bins, OF the Board. The members OF
the Board, including the President,
were out of the city inspecting the
new bridge at Roney's Point, and they
did not return until half-past ten last
night. Mayor Caldwell was at the
city hall until quite late, and commu-
nicated with President Dobbins by
telephone, the result being call
for a session of the Board this after
noon, to take up the FIRST resolution,
and do whatever else might be proper
under the circumstances. Chairman
Maxwell, of the Council Finance Com
mittee. was also at the City Hall until
after nine O'clock, ready, il necessary,
10 call his Committee for tonight, 10
consider ways and means, but as it was
deemed, after elaboration, that the
time was too short for the special Com
mittees Of the Board aud Council to map
out a plan in time for this evening,
neither the Finance Committee nor
Council will be called for tonight, as
was at first intended. The Committee
of six will be named to-day, however.
aud they will be expected to report in
time for 8 session OF Council next Tues
day evening.
Sec. Of the ordinance adopted by
the Commissioners November 10th,
above referred to, aud which was
thought at the afternoon meeting to be
1.-The law" to which the Board End
Commissioners have so often referrAi,
aud to which Mr.. McGregor pointed in
an interview published last evening,
reads as follows:
"Sec. s. Overseers Of the poor are strict
" prohibited from furnishing aid to any
family in which there are able bodied men,