Evening star., 1896-01-04
How the Freezing Weather Has At
fected the Poor.
MULTIPLYING APPLICATIONS FOR AID
An Emergency Relief Committee
Appointed.
EXPERIENCES OF THE POLICE

aid. Poor people may manage to struggle
along from cay to day when the weather
is fair and the sunlight warm, but when
the icy blasts of winter blow round their
Sc antily furnished homes their suffering is
IL tensified by the bitter cold, and every
ga nizaticn for relief feels the added drain
upon it.
Up to the present time the Associated
Charities. although it has not gone very far
into the active work of direct relief. has
taken cf re of a considerable number of in
dlviduels and families, who must either
have asked assistance or gone hungry and
cold. This relief could be furnished from
the ordinary resources of the organiza-
ton. and from liberal private donations to
it's funds, but with the coming on of real
winter the calls upon it have been far in
excess of it's ability to meet them. This,
together with the realization that the needs
are very great on every side, has led the
board of managers to take action looking
to the appointment of emergency relief
committee of citizens, who should make an
appeal for and from the people of Wash
htgton.
The Emergency Committee.
At meeting held yesterday afternoon
such a committee was appointed as fol-
lows: Mr.. john Joy Edison. Mr.. Nathan
Bickford. Mr.. Jos. w. Davis, Miss Cath
crime Trescott and Mrs. j. W. Babson.
The committee is to hold meeting this
afternoon at the office of Mr.. Edison, when
ar organization will be perfected and a
definite plan of work mapped out.
In conversation with a Star reporter this
morning Mr.. Edison said that he did. not
think he was in a position to give anything
like as much attention to the matter as he
did last year and the year before. Mr..
George s. Wilson, the general secretary OF
the Associated Charities said later, how
ever, that he did not think the labors of
the committee would be nearly as .onerous
as they have been before. The work has
been thoroughly systematized, and it is
thought that even if the present cold wealth
er contir ues it will be possible to meet all
demands II the appeal of the committee
n eets with anything like the cordial re-
sponse it did last year. The Associated
Charities is acting more than ever this year
in the capacity of a clearing house. All
such applicants as would seem to come
naturally under the care of some one or
other of the regular relief organizations
are turned over to them directly to be looked
after. Thus number of Catholics have
been recommended to the Society of ST.
vincent de Paul and their needs have been
met in most generous manner: old soldiers
have been turned over to the Grand Army
posts or to the Woman's Relief Corps;
secret ana benevolent societies are taking
care of their own poor There are rarely. if
ever, calls from the Hebrews for they are
taken care of by the charity organizations
among their own creed. In this way the
materially lessened in numbers. Still there
are always a goodly number of the worthy
and deserving poor who do not come under
any of these heads. and it is for the purpose
of answering appeals from such as these
that the citizens committee was appointed.
Washington has always answered such re-
quests for aid in a thoroughly generous and
wnole-hearted manner and it is safe to say
that this winter will be no exception to the
rule. All money that may be raised by the
committee will be held by its treasurer sub
ject to the call of the Associated Charities.
Divisions of the Associated Charities.
The Associated Charities has completed
it's organization for the work of the win
ter, and all Of it's various divisions are To-
Gated, and applicants for aid are always
referred to the office of the proper division
for investigation and report. The loca-
tions of these various divisions are as fol-.
lows:
31st street.
Second division. Rock creek to 18th
street-Ohce. s121s 10th street.
Third division, 10Th to North Capitol
all north of the mall-Office, 1927 9th street
Fourth division, Southwest Washington
Office, I2S AZ street southwest.
Fifth division, Northeast Washington
Office, 217 II street northeast.
Sixth division, Southeast Washington
Office, GIG street southeast.
What Chief Clerk Sylvester Says.
''The police are receiving applications for
assistance from all quarters" said Chief
Clerk Richard Sylvester of the Police de-
partment to Star reporter, land there is
no doubt that the cold snap has caused
great suffering to the needy and destitute
and will continue to add to the distress of
the unfortunates. In nearly all the pre-
cincts the lieutenants have been appealed
to by many worthy persons, but as they
are powerless to assist the cases are re-
ferred to headquarters. Now. strange as it
may seem, the Associated Charities the
Central Union Mission and other charitable
organizations are sending their applicants
to us, which is not right. The Associated
Charities has a paid secretary and paid
agents, while our hands are practically tied.
l have a small amount of cash on hand
which, by strict economy, I was able to
save from the amount allotted to the police
fund by the citizens relief committee last
year. I had in view just such an uneX-
pected turn in the weather as this and l
did not care to be entirely penniless. We
can only assist extreme and emergency
cases and those that require immediate as
sistance. Even with such discriminate ton
the fund will be exhausted in a week, and
there is no way in view whereby it will be
replenished."
No Evidence of Great Destitution.
Conversation with the lieutenants of the
precincts established the fact that the cold
wave has not yet begun to show its ef-
feet as it will if the temperature remains
steady for few days. Aid has not as yet
been asked at some of the station houses,
while others have had number of calls
from destitute persons.
The Central Union Mission.
At the Central Union Mission the number
of persons who applied for aid yesterday
and this morning was not as large as
might he expected, and it was thought
that this condition of things was due to
general knowledge of the fact that the
mission has nothing substantial with which
to assist. Thanksgiving day the friends of
the institution contributed supplies suffi-
cient to last for several weeks, but this
store has been exhausted. This morning
the only thing on hand in the way of food
was a small quantity of bread. Some aid is
given, however, to the more worthy cases
by allowing the men to saw wood, for
which they paid at the rate of 81 per
cord. The mission has a city missionary,
who investigates the cases that come to
her notice, but the majority referred,
of necessity, to the Associated Charities
and the police.
Applicants for Medical Treatment.
The sanitary office of the District has
thus far had little to do on account of ap-
plics tions from the moor for assistance ow-