Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1897-01-07
STARTING pAUpERlsM.

The total dependent population Of
Indiana In the benevolent and correc-
tional institutions is near 10000 In
the county asylums are 1876 people,
aud in the care Of counties in sddi-
ton to this number are 1896 despon.
dent and neglected children, who are
not included in the soldiers and sail
ors' orphans home or other institu.
tions,
While the state was caring for this
great number Of insane, dependents
and convicts, and reforming boys and
girls in the institutions designed for
them, the counties in their system of
administering outdoor relief were
keeping from starvation the enor-
nous dependent population of II, Ala
men, women and children, OF this
total 348l5 males and 36, 400 females
were cared for, and of the whole
number 1888 we're children under
16 years of age As to children, Sec
rotary Bicknell says: "A large pro-
portion Of these children is in the
care Of parents, temporarily unable
to support their families, and who,
after short period of assistance,
will again become self.supporting.
There 10 no doubt, however, that
thousands of these children are b.
ing trained directly into pauperism.
They are learning to believe that it
is unnecessary for them to engage in
honest employment or to master any
trade or occupation requiring 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 enstilled
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 are not to be blamed il they un-
consciously become imbued with
ideas fatal to their future usefulness.
The state cannot afford to allow these
conditions to continue. The county
orphan asylum system cannot pos
sibly reach this tremendous evil un-
der the most favorable circumstances.
Something greater and broader be-
hind which stand the prestige and
power of this state must be put into
operation"
1t cost the counties more than
$l65,OOO last year to provide their
children with food and clothing,
while the total cost Of relieving the
71,414 was, as reported by the town
ship trustees, $355,255 80 The coun.
ty auditors say, however, the expendi-
lures for this purpose were $500,0OO,
The average number in each coun
ty thus relieved was 776, or 70 10 each
township, or one out Of every 81 in
the state has received charitable at
tention from bis or her county.
One item of this enormous expen-
diture was the issuance of 1906 trans
portation tickets, mostly for tramps
Upon this Secretary BicknelI com
ments as follows: Township trus-
tees in Indiana have long practiced
the custom Of shipping trsmps out of
the township, in order to be rid Of the
expense of supporting them, without
regard to the actual place Of resi-
dence Of such persons, or the rights
of the communities to whom they
were shipped. 1t might be we'll to
resort to some judicious legislation
upon this point"
But almost two-thirds of those re-
lieved are clRssed as laborers, which
is only significant in the following
comparison Of counties as to the pro-
portion Of population which had to
apply for assistance, or were assisted
without considering their ability for
self support
But" says the secretary, "while a
county pays out large sums for relief
and gives assistance to 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, Dekslb and Wells
are four counties, with population
and conditions very much alike. In
Adams county only one in IA of It's