Evening star., 1896-12-19
coLoRED PEOPLES HOME
The Project Covered bishs Bill introduced
by Senator hurston.
The Subject Has Been Before Con
Eress for Some Years and Has Been
FavornbIy Acted on by the House.

afternoon by Mr.. Perkins, from the COM
mittee on education and labor, on a bill
introduced in the Senate by Mr.. Thurston
by request at the end Of the last session of
Congress. to provide a. home for aged and
inflrm colored people in the District Of Co.
lumbia, revives a subject that has been agi-
tated with a good deal of activity in the
last two Congresses. Mr.. Thurston's bill
provides for an appropriation of 100000
out of all arrears of pay and bounty which
are due the estates of deceased colored
soldiers who served In the late war to be
used for the purpose of erecting a national
memorial home for aged and infirm colored
people, and to maintain the same in the
District Of Columbia upon the land owned
by the association, known as The Home
Tor Aged and Infirm Colored Persons" The
LII provides that the plans and specifica-
tions for the buildings to be erected under
this act shall be approved by the Secretary
of War.
In the last Congress a bill was introduced
IN the House for this same purpose, was
reported favorably by the committee on
military affairs, was passed by the House
and received a favorable report from a
committee in the Senate. When the bin
came up for consideration, objection was
raised to It which resulted in killing 1t in
the tffty-third Congress.
In the House of Representatives Mr. Skin.
Ter introduced bill providing that the
States
treasury, being unpaid bounty and pay to
coiored soldiers who served in the late war.
pe distributed among the states of Virginia
North Carolina. South Carolina Georgia,
Florida, Alabama, Mississippi Louisia ma
Iexas, Arkansas. Tennessee, Missouri and
kentucky IN proportion to the colore,l
population Of each of these states. to he
applied by the states for the establishment
Oh nome or homes for the care of aged
ard INDECENT colored people and colored
orpnans in such manner as the legislatures
oI the5e states may provide This bill was
lhtroouced on December 16, 1895 and was
IeIerred to the committee on education of
taken. mas oeeh
The money which is now in the hands of
.ne secretary of the Treasury and unclaim-
ed oue the estates of deceased colored SOL
dlers on July 81 1894 amounted tn so3o :
olS.o4 The law governing the proper ad-
1udicatfon of claims for this money requires
that the heirs of the deceased soldiers shall
prove their lawful marriage relations by
record evidence. AS there was no marriage
record OF slaves, the money claimed cannot
De paid out to individual claimants. and
there Is general disposition in Congress
70 use II Tor some purpose which will bene-
NJ the colored people of the nation at large
II Is argued that the money clearly belongs
10 the colored people. and numerous plans
for distributing it for their benefit have
Deen iald before Congress. The plan pro-
posed by Mr.. Skinner in the House does not
seem to be as generally acceptable as that
outlined in Mr.. Thurston's bill in the SEN
ate, because 1t Is believed the sum to he
distributed is not large enough to produce
practical good effects If divided among so
many states as Mr.. skfhBer's plan contem-
plates. '"%
MIR. Thurston's plan, Isl practically that
which secured the APPROVAL Of the House
of Representatives and the COMMITTEES on
the District of Columbia in the last Con-
gress. =gS{t
In 1893 a number of co3ored men in the
District of Columbia formed a corporation
for the purpose of establishing and main
tanning home for aged and infirm col
ored people throughout the country, and
by private subscription have acquired a
tract of land in the District sufficient in
area for the erection of a suitable home,
and since that time the promoters of this
project have constantly urged upon Con-
gress the propriety of approprating money
for that purpose from the fund belonging
to the estates of coiored eX-ITnion SOL
diers. When the matter was agitated in
the last Congress it was argued that there
were at that time only ten colored people
permitted admittahce in. the charitable in
stitutions of the District of Columbia on
account of lack of accommodate tions and
those We're provided for in the basement of
the Children'S Asylum on Sth street. If the
$1O0,O00 were set aside for this purpose It
would erect in. the District a commodious
home and endow it with sufficient funds to
maintain in comfort large number of
INDECENT colored people.
Now that Mr. Thursten's bill is before the
Senate 1t is believed it's passage is Dracti-
cally assured, and as the House of Repre-
sentatives in the last Congress Endorsed a
similar measure, it is also thought that 1t
can be passed in that body before the end
of the session.