The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-29
STARTLING
PAUPERISM.
It's Appalling Growth Shown
BY Indiana Poor OFerseers.
Nearly Fifteen Thousand People
in State Institutions.
FACTS FROM REPORTS.
Over Seventy Thousand Objects
of County Charity.
Thirty-Three Thousand Chill
dren are Given Bread.
FACTS FROM REPORTS.

G.
of charities. recently. He had been ask
ed why it was necessary for Indiana to
have more prison room, and gave that
as a general reason, while he mention
ed humanity and reform as the specific
demands for it. Indiana, he said. has
not gone as far as some states in
lengthening the list Of penitentiary Of
lenses but she was stepping very i've
" along the line Of progress. She does
not, like Massachusetts lock up women
for stubbOrness' and "Obstinacy, nor
has she reached the climax of reform
by seizing habitual drunkards as Grim
inals. menacing society and putting the
convict garb on them
The secretary did not see why stub
bOrness should be a crime in Masachus-
etts and not in the rest of the world.
He could understand something Of the
reasoning, but not all that would class
drunkards under the general head that
includes murderers, highWaymen, burg
lars and other enemies of law. He knew,
though, that crime was increasing. and
that it was being increased by new laws
that removed certain Offenses from the
class of misdemeanOrs and made them
causes OF peuitentiary Incarceration.
and that acts heretofore out of the law
have been brought under the law He
did not know where it would stop but
he was convinced that the sufferers of
this manifestation of advancement. if
advancement it is were the new crimi-
mails. the first Offenders and il was for
them more room was needed. either in
a separate building or in the use of one
of the old prisons of the state, While the
other could be used for the hardened
criminals and those who had broken
the law the second time. Above eve
rything else" he said THE new crimi-
nal should be kept from the Old-time
cOnvictHe should have a chance to re-
form, for it is the universal verdict that
it IS wiser in any state to reform its
criminals than to fix them in crime on
the principle Of once criminal always
a criminal
While the secretary did not mention
it in this conversation. it sticks out
prominently in his admirable report to
the governor Of the affairs and supervi-
sOrs of the benevolent and correctional
institutions of the state, that he thinks
pauperlSn in Indiana has much to do
with increase in crime. Perhaps with
out further investigation he does not
wish to bring the charge home directly
to overseers Of the poor that they are
responsible for much of the crime that
warrants the demand for the fourth
state prison, but he hints at 1T strong
~ The total dependent population Of
Indiana in the benevolent and c0rrec-
tiOnal institutions is near 10 600. In the
county asylums are 2 976 people, and in
the care Of counties in addition to this
number are 1895 respondent and neg
lected children, who are not included in
the soldiers and sailors orphans home
or other institutions.
While the state was caring for this
great mum Der of insane. dependents and
cOnViCts. and reforming boys and girls
in the institutions designed for them,
the counties in their system of admin
istering outdoor relief were keeping
from starvation the enormous depend
ent population of Il 414 men. women and
children. OF this total 34.S15 males and
36.499 females were cared for, and Of
the whole number 30, 9S3 were children
under rs years of age AS to children.
Secretary Bicknel says. "A large pro
portion Of these children is in the care
of parents temporarily unable to SUP
q
short period of assistance, will again be-
come self-suppOrung. There is no doubt,
however that thousands Of these chill
dFen are being trained directly into
/ pauperism- They are learning to be
lieve that it is unnecessary for them to
engage in honest employment. or to
master any trade or occupation requir-
ing time and effort, since the public
funds are always ready to be drawn
upon for support. The independence
/ which should cause them to rebel
! against this idea has never been en-
/ stilled into them. Year after year they
/ see their parents or friends partially or
wholly supported in idleness or dissi-
patton at the public expense, and they
I are not to be blamed if they uncOn-
/ sciOusly become imbued with ideas IA
/ tai to their future usefulness. The
] state cannot afford to allow these con-
/ ditions to continue The county orphan
1 asylum system cannot possibly reach
I this tremendous evil under the most
/ favorable circumstances. Something
! greater and broader behind which stand
the prestige and power of this state
must be put into operation. %
1t cost the counties more than S165
Z 900 last year to provide their children
[ with food and clothing. while the total
cost Of relieving the 71,414 was as re-
/ ported by the township trustees $3.50
25529. The county auditors saw how
I ever, the expenditures for this purpose
were $500 GOO.
The average number ia each county
I thus relieved was 776, or 10 to each
/ township, or one out of every 81 in the
/ state has received charitable attention
/ from his or her county.
One item Of this enormous expendi-
ture was the issuance of g. 305 transpOr-
I tatiOn tickets, mostly for tramps Upon
{ this Secretary BickneH comments as
follows Township trustees in Indi-
ana have long practiCed the custom of
shipping tramps out of the township.
I in order to be rid of the expense of
I supporting them, without regard to the
actual place of residence of such per
/ sons, or the rights Of the communities
/ be well to resort TO some judicious leg
/ islatiOn upon this point"
But almost twO-thirds of those re-
/ lieVed are classed as laborers. which is
/ parisOn of counties as to the proportion
I of population which had TO apply for
{ assistance, or were assisted without
! considering their ability for self SUD-
] port.
But" says the secretary. while a
/ county pays out large sums for relief
I and gives assistance to a large part of
/ its population and builds up pauper-
ism. the amount of the relief is not an
/ index to the actual amount of poverty
and distress in that community"
Adams, Allen, Dekalb and Wells are
4 four counties, with population and con
/ ditiOns very much alike In Adams
county only one IN a of its population