Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-22
THE SUPPORT OF CHILDREN
Bill to Compel Parents to Care for Their Own
Offspring.
Report Made by Superintendent of
Enactment of the Measure.

The superintendent of charities today pre-
sented to the Commissioners his report up
on Senate bill 1919. to provide for the COM
pulsory support of children by parents in
the District of Columbia, and for other
purposes, and recommends its passage. His
report is in part as follows:
The bill is intended to meet and prevent
reprehensitle practice which has hereto
fore been common Persons who wish to
be rid OF the care and support Of children
leave them with some person or some in
stitut.on, promising to pay regularly for
their support and for means of inducing
persons or institutions to receive the chill
dren they resort to fraud and deception.
They then neglect or refuse to make the
payments promised, and although often
well known, and often we'll able to contrib
ute to the support of their offspring, there
has been no process provided by which they
can be compelled to make such payments.
1T should be possible to compel brutal
and neglectful fathers to provide for the
necessities of their children, but under the
present laws of the District of Columbia a
father may drive his children out from his
home, thus forcing them upon the public
as objects of charity, or he may desert the
domicile of his wife and children, leaving
them without means of subsistence, thus
driving them into pauperism or immortality.
Notwithstanding the fact that he may be re-
ceivtng a considerable income, or may
have property sufficient to afford means
for the qualification of somewhat expensive
private tastes. Section l of this bill pro-
v1des penalty for such conduct.
Parents as Witnesses.
'It frequently happens that upon the
hearing before either of the courts of the
District of case involving the commitment
of children to the board of children's
guardians, parent is present, having peen
summoned as witness or otherwise, and
it appears upon examination that such
parent has income sufficient for the support
Of family, and that Notwithstanding this
fact the children are destitute of suitable
home and adequate means of earning an
honest living, or they are abandoned Dy
their parents either of which conditions
justifies their commitment to the guardian
ship of the board under existing law. 1t
frequently appears that commitment to the
guardianship of the board is the only means
of securing the safety and welfare of the
children.
Section 2 is intended to meet such con-
ditions. and under it and section 3 the court
may order such contribution toward the
maintenance of children, as in the Judg-
ment of the court any parent may be able
to pay, the children being placed under
the protection of public authority.
Sections and > provide for the enforce
ment of the orders of the courts, and sec
ton for the reception and disposal of
money paid under such orders.
Sections and extend to the board of
children's guardians the same protection
and assistance with regard to absconding
wards as has been given to the reform
schools.
The Superintendent's Suggestions.
81 respectfully suggest that the first part
of section be changed so as to read as
follows:
That whenever petition or information
shall have been filed in any court of the
District of Columbia authorized to commit
children TO the care. custody and guardian
ship of the board Of children's guardians.
for such commitment Of any child. and.
upon the hearing of the same before said
court. it shall appear etc.
add to section the following:
And for the purpose of such return or
removal to the District of Columbia I'M
der such order it shall be considered as
an indictment and have the same force
and effect
at is expected that nearly all the labor
of the enforcement of this act will be per
formed by the employees of the board of
children's guardians, and that 1t may
render necessary the employment of an
additional officer. l. therefore recommend
that the following be added to section g:
land all such. moneys shall be placed
to the credit of the appropriation for ad-
ministrative expenses of the board OF
children's guardians for the year in which
Sucn payments Snall maze.
1.-The bill as a whole, If made q law,
will meet and have tendency to correct
a condition which should not be tolerated
in any well-governed municipality. and it
will not be inharmonious with other laws
on similar subjects in this jurisdiction. 1t
has been submitted to those who have had
extensive experience before the courts of
the District and who assure me that If
made law it WILL in their judgment. be
enforced, and exert a powerful influence
in breaking up the practices which it is
intended to reach"