Evening star., 1896-12-03
EXTENDING CHARITY
Gold Snap Brings Suffering to the
Poor.
WORK OF THE ORGANIZATIONS
Board of Trade Will Take Action
on. Commissioners Plan.
l. A S 7 Y E A RS DIRK

The present cold snap which fell upon
Washington last Sunday and has continued
without intermission ever since. has as
might be expected, brought added hard
ship upon the poor of the city, and all the
regular organizations for the relief OF suf
ferlng among the INDECENT have been flood
ed with applications for assistance.
Ihe majority of requests for aid have
been for fuel. Weather such as Washing
ton mas known for the last four or five
days means bitter distress to those who
are out of employment, to widows and or
Fhans. and to all who are unable to pro-
vide themselves with coal and wood to
keep thelr houses warm. In some cases the
Associated Charities, the Central Union
MISSION and other charity organizations
nave been called upon to supply the actual
necessities OF life, and up to the present
they have been able to answer all appeals
that have been made to them
Ine bitter weather has meant a great
deal to the homeless, and the result has
been that the accommodations at the Cen
tral Union Mission and at the municipal
lodging house have been taxed to the ut
most, ard every bed has been occupied by
one or two men, who must otherwise have
spent the night walking the streets or beg
g1ng assistance from the charitably in
clined. Washington is known the country
over as one of the most charitable cities
in the United States. 1t Is doubtful il
there is another city where such ample
provision is made for the cold and hun
CRY. man who was for years a tramp
VINO has lived in box cars, mission houses
ana police stations, and who knows the
lie of the hobo from II o'clock to II
o clock, said to a Star reporter this morn
ing that among the gentlemen of the road
Washington Is famous good thing"
The reason for this is not hard to find.
Washington especially in the northwest
section Of the city, has considerable pop
ulation of people of means who are char
itably disposed and cannot find 1t in their
hearts to turn away a hungry man from
their doors. In many houses the servants
are directed never to refuse aSSiS lance to
an applicant who claims to be the possessor
Of an empty stomach. Whether this Is or
not a wise charity is a matter for experts
to determine but certain it is that there
is no other city of its size IN the United
States where the needy classes are so well
taken care Of, outside even of the regular
organizations of relief.
Associated Charities.
Agent Wilson of the Associated Charities
said to Star reporter this morning that
the present and unexpected cold wave had
brought about marked increase in the
number of applicants for relief who had
called at his Office.
I'VE are in about the same condition to-
day that we We're in the early part of Janu-
airy last winter. We have been overrun
with people who really deserved immediate
assistance, people who would suffer the
bitterest panss of cold and hunger If such
assistance were not rendered. Up to the
present time we have followed our GUS
tomary methods of turning over ali appii-
cahts to the regular channels of relief for
1t Is the duty of the Associated Charities
not SO much to relieve as to see that relief
is given. 1t Is true that We have had a
Eumber or emergency cases, where our
visitors have found every evidence of des-
Perate want. To have refused Immediate
assistance would have meant an unnacas-
Sary increase of suffering, and so far we
nave teen able 10 supply all these cases
with n Sufficient amount of fuel and coca
slonally CT food, to tide them over for the
time being
The letter from the District Commits
sioners to the president of the board of
trade. suggesting the appointment of a
permanent board in this city, having for
Its object the ainelioration of the condition
or the poor, meets with the heartiest ap-
proVal OF the Associated Charities, and we
are only too anxious that sucn a proposi-
tion be put into immediate effect. l take it
that for this year at least such a commit
tee. If it is appointed. would serve about
the same purpose did the emergency re-
lief committee of last year. The methods
OF that committee proved most satsfac-
tory. and, in my opinion. worked well to-
ward putting stop to the evil of duplica-
tiCns in the field the danger of OVERRIDING
the thing and encouraging chronic men
d!cancy is a serious one. Last year the
money secured by the relief committee was
not turned ever to the Associated Charities.
but was held subject to order, and in this
way 1t was possible for our visitors to give
relief in many cases by furnishing The
needy with orders on gIoccrs or coal deal
ers, the bills being paid by the committee"
Last Winter.
A statement prepared by Mr.. Wilson. and
submitted to the District Commissioners
gives an excellent idea of the workings of
the system last winter. The statement is
as follows:
During the winter of 1S93-4 the central
relief committee received contributions and
supplies to the amount of $4,000.
During the winter Of 1894 -95 the central
relief committee received contributions OF
money and supplies to the amount of ST.
0c0. which, when added to the congressional
appropriation of $4,000 :or the poor, made
the handsome sum of $S7.OW.
I'VE do not say for the aid of the poor
for 1t is believed that much of it was Used
by persons who had no right to ask for aid,
because it is known that persons left en-
ployment and stopped work in order to
take advantage of the money and pro-
visions that were being distributed to any
one who might call for them.
During the winter of 1886 the emer-
gency relief committee received about
$1,000. and the police department expended
about $4,000. making a total of less than
$1,000, which. added to the total exrendi-
ture of the Associated Charities, S5.G21. AZ.
makes a grand total amount of S12721 4J,
which enumerateS the whole expenditure
for the poor from November l, 1875. to No
vember l. 1896. by the public agencies.
This is but 2J.4 per cent of the amount
expended in '93 and '94, and but 34.4 per
cent of the amount disbursed in "a and 'JJ.
AS a fitting addenda to this statement, We
assert that we have heard no one say that
the poor of Washington We're not as wen
cared for during last winter as in previous
years."
Preventing Duplication.
Mr.. B. T. Janney, one of the directors of
the Associated Charities, said today tha.
one of the best results following the pres
ent methods of the organization was seen
in the reduced number of applca tons re-
ceived from "shysters'' or professional beg.
gars. They realized that a record of their
cases is made and that their opportunities
of going from one organiZa ton to another
and receiving assistance from each are ma
terially lessened In his opinion the num-
ber of impositions upon the charitably In
clined has been reduced to a minimum.
The arrangement between the Emer-
gency Hospital and the Associated Char
tiles, whereby the latter is to inquire into
and report upon the merits of all applica-
tions for relief from the former, has gono
.,A ,f.41.