Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-04

items are: Rent, salaries, all other items of
maintenance. including repairs 'Perma-
nent improvements, including purchase of
real estate, interest, principal of debt
These are all the items. Now, what do we
learn from this report about the expendi-
ture of the money which we appronriate
here?
These reports do not disclose how much
OF this money goes for the purchase of Tes-
taments In Latin, or Greek, or Hebrew or
how much may, perchance, 20 for the pur-
chase OF beads and crucifixes-because those
are articles used In these fnstitutions-not
perhaps, in the one we are now speaking of
particularly, St Johns Orphanage but GER
tainly In those belonging to the Roman
Church. These reports, / say, give us no
Information as to how this money is ex-
pended in detail.'
Mr.. CIRCUITS Amendment.
Mr. Circuit continued to say that the man.
ner Of making these appropriations was not
businesslike. Mr.. Grout offered the follow
ing as concluding paragraph to the bill:
That no part Of any money appropriated
by this act for charities or charitable in
situations shall be paid to any institution
named In this act until the charter or arti-
cles of Incorporation thereof shall be so
of the District of Columbia or to their
designated agents, authority to visit and in
spect such institutions, and to control and
supervise the expenditure therein of all pub
Congress-
Secrets of the Committee.
Mr.. Robertson of Louisiana said: II hope
l may not be guilty Of divulging any of the
secrets of the committee when 1 state that
the fight upon this appropriation only be-
gan at late hour on the night before
this bill was reported. We had been con-
sidering this bill for several weeks. Fin
ally, on the very night before we were to
report 1t to the House, when We were con-
sidering 1t for the last time, there appear
ed before that committee an organization
known, believe, as the A. P. A, which be-
gan an attack upon these appropriations,
for the reason, as they conceived, that
they were made to sectarian Institutions.
dissensions in the committee, but at that
point these gentlemen saw fit to begin an
attack
Mr.. Robertson said he was willing to
vote for an amendment which will require
these institutions to make report of their
financial disbursements to an officer of the
government.
Mr.. Morse favored continuing appropria-
tons to the Temporary Home for ex-Union
Soldiers and Sailors and the Hope and
Help Mission for Fallen Women.
Mr.. Wheeler of Alabama said that II the
District of Columbia were to pay all the
expense OF maintaining the children in st.
Johns Orphanage it would cost the govern
ment $4,000 instead of 81 500.
Mr.. Bowers Position.
Mr.. Bowers of Colorado was opposed to
appropriations of money for sectarian in
situations. Now. 1 want to caution the
members right here" said Mr.. Bowers,
that there is no proposition to reduce this
appropriation. I understand the PROPOSE
ton Of those who are opposing this plan
Is that this money shall be disbursed by
an officer appointed by Congress, the body
which rules this District. You have no
more right to appropriate this money for
the various sectarian institutions here than
you have to appropriate 1t for st. Johns
Guild in the town in which I live, which
maintains an orphanage and home for
poor people. The question is, whether You
shall appropriate money to sectarian pur-
poses over which we have no control, where
you do not know where the money goes or
what is to be done with 1T, but IL we do
make any appropriations they ought to
be under the control Of our own officers.
A Dangerous Line of Business.
"It is dangerous to enter upon that line
of business 1t is forbidden by the Con-
stitution: it only leads to trouble; 1t is only
the beginning, the entering wedge Of
trouble. We must keep church and state
apart. The churches have their privileges,
fit, but let them keep their hands off the
government. We are here simply to legis-
late for the people, not to appropriate men
ey to sectarian institutions. When you do
that you open a Pandora's box, and no man
can tell the evils that will come out
Of that box when you do open 1t. All of
us are willing to appropriate money for
our own people here. The poor Of this Dis
trict are under the care Of Congress. be-
cause we are the guardians and the gov
ernors Of this District, but the money we
appropriate should be distributed by officers
appointed or authorized by Congress"
Mr.. Washington of Tennessee said he
was a firm believer that there should be
no union between church and state. He
thought the appropriations should be con-
tinued until Congress should erect suitable
Institutions and asylums for the care of
orphan children. He was willing to sup
port Mr.. CIRCUITS amendment, which clear
ly announces that no money will lie given
for absolutely sectarian institutions.
Mr.. Willis thought that the present sys-
tenn of charities should be continued until
something better could be put in Its place.
Mr.. Baltholdt said: "An the wealthy peo-
pie Of this District will stop contributing
orphans of the District as socn as you put
these institutions under public control The
German Orphan Asylum of this city is for
all practical purposes public institution;
1t Is not private. 1t Is public in its charac-
ter, and it is non-sectarian. It receives
the children of Catholics, Protestants, Jews
-adherents of every denomination. For
that reason I say 1t is non-sectarian and
public in its character"
The German Orphan Asylum.
Mr.. Hainer replied that the gentleman
from Missouri was mistaken in supposing
the purpose Of his amendment was TO place
the German Orphan Asylum under public
control.
mo such purpose as that" said Mr..
Hainer, is contemplated by my motion,
which is simply to strike out the appro-
priations for this institution, and instead
Of appropriating money to the. institution
directly to place all children properly a
public charge under the control of the
board of children's guardians, who, il they
see fit to place children in this Institution,
can make arrangements with the asylum