Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-17
WE GET MORE CASH
The District Appropriation Bill
Passed by the Senate.
THE HOUSE sum LARGELY INCREASED
Lively Debate Over the Board Of
ChiIdren's Guardians.
A COMPROMISE EFFECTED


trict appropriation bill in the Senate yester-
day afternoon continued with vigor after
The Star had gone to press, and finally
resulted in compromise. 1t was evident
that strong opposition had been organized
to the reductions made by the committee.
Senators Mcmillan and Villas were in earn
est consultation, and they soon had gath
cred around them group Of Senators will
ing to vote to increase the appropriations
allotted to the young organization. Mr..
Villas, 1t is said, had several democratic
votes pledged against the committee, and
1t was understood that practically the en-
tire republican side would vote for an in
crease There were signs Of hot fight,
with the chances rather in favor Of the op-
ponents Of Mr.. Germans committee, but
that clever general did not let the matter
come to vote, and settled the question
by a compromise, which he offered three
times before Mr. Mcmillan, who was man.
aging the fight for the board, would &C
cept. Tho final agreement was that the ad-
ministrative fund Of the board should be
increased $1,000, enough to make the sal
airy of the agent 1880 instead Of 81, 900,
and that the fund for the care Of feeble and
other children should be raised from 81, $50
to $4,000 Mr., Mcmillan was anxious for
the restoration of the House items, but
agreed to accept the compromise in the
hope that these figures would be still fur
Their raised in conference. After Mr.. Nc
MILAN had spoken to show the work of
the board since its organization, Mr.. Black
burn characterized the board as one of
the most useless and costly luxuries ever
established in the District. 1T is in its
very nature an anomaly" he said. at is
an incongruity."
Mr.. Blacxburn's Attack.
Mr.. Blackburn called attention to the
fact that scarce had the superintendent of
charities entered upon the office that Con-
gress created than the board Of children's
guardians was organized. which. he said,
all 1t did or ever attempted to do in the
world was to usurp the function of the
superintendent. For the last ten months
that friction. which was inevitable. which
could not have been avoided and must Of
necessity have been foreseen IL the atten-
ton of rejecting men had been called, has
been prevalent. If the board Of children's
guardians is to be coptinued the office of
superintendent Of charities should be abol-
ished. They have had each other by the
ears since last fall.
Il undertake to say that there never was
In this District or anywhere else upon this
continent or on this earth system of
charities established that has proven as
expensive per capita and as worthless In
Its character and results as this board. 1t
has cost five times as much under their
supervision 10 support or care Tor the child
as 1t cost under any other system of char
tiles ever known in this District Besides
they do not take care Of the children. The
board of childrens guardians has never
had a child in its possession unless it was
child brought to IL by a certain member
of the police force. There is no board of
chflcren's guardians nor any other sort of
board. 1t is a corporation, it may be so
termed. consisting of one man. Its agent
l believe is man by the name of Lewis
He does what he pleases with the funds
He expends at his own pleasure, without
restriction OF law, the appropriations that
You make. To denominate him crank, in
the face OF the record which he has made
would be to treat him very mildly and very
kindly.
W hat the President of the Board Says.
THE president of this board is a most
accomplished and most estimable lady Her
heart is wrapped up in charitable endeav-
or OF every description l say upon her
authority, given to me by herself, that
the board has no practical power on earth
over the appropriations, but that this
agent Is the only one who claims or exer-
cises an atom of authority. l have au-
thority from theosame high and unques-
tionable source for the statement that its
record so far Is a failure and that she was
ready and more than willing to come be-
fore the approprla tons committees and
make the same statement"
Mr.. Blackburn went on to say that the
committee had made an error In not abol-
ishng the board altogether. He had given
the matter of the charities of the District
great consideration and had erdeavored to
get at the bottom of it. IF the other
House." he continued, has seen fit to make
appropriations largely in excess of any
! amount this agent has ever been able to
| eXpend-and heaven knows the record
shows he has not been stingy with it-in
excess of his ability to waste and squander
money, it seems to me it is as little as the
Senate can do to reduce these appropria-
lions so as to send the matter to confer
ence."
Mr.. Blackburn concluded by asserting
that the various charitable institutions
raise more than 40 per cent of their own
expenses and he appealed 20 Senator Cor
| man not TO add one penny to the recon-
mendations of the committee.
The Board Defended by MIR. Gallinger.
Senator Gallinger responded to this sbeech
Of Mr.. Blackburn with warmth. The
Senator says that the money has been
wasted by the board Of children's guard
ians, he said, that the work they have
done has been absolutely worthless l do
not know what estimate Is put upon a child
by the Senator from Ken lucky, but my
judgment is that If this board have found
five children living lives Of vagrancy or of
shame. and have put them in good homes
where they are cared for, and to q reason
able extent are educated, and are taught
the elements Of manhood and womanhood.
1t Is idle to say that the few thousand dol.
lars Congress has appropriated for this
charity have been thrown away, or have
been worthlessly used"
Mr.. Mcmillan interjected the Information
that the board had found comfortable
homes fer over ninety dependent children.
1T Is remarkable thing" continued Nv
Gallinger, for Senator of the United
States. in the face of that fact, to stand
here and say that the few thousand dollars
appropriated have been useleSsly disbursed
This charity appeals very strongly to every
sentiment of my heart l believe it is in the
right direction. l believe it is in better taste
for Congress to appropriate money to
non-sectarian institution presided over bv
men and women who have the welfare of
children at heart and who are interested
not only to save them for day or a month
or year, but to put them under Influences
that very likely will mold them into good
men and women. / do not complain that
the Senate has increased the appropriations
for these other institutions. / believe that
Congress Is very stlngy with these appro-
priations, because It has been demonstrated
over and over again that true economy in
dealing with poor, destitute and outcast
children lies in the line of the utmost lib
erality.
Another Statement as to the Head OF
the board.