Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-01
ON pooa DEPARTMENT..
Rev. c. 5. cummless Gives Another address,
On This Subject.

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The Methodist church was crowded
to the doors. Sunday evening, with an
audience to hear the second address Of
Rev. c. $. Cummings, the pastor of the
church, on matters concerning the Au-
gusta poor department.
Every seat was filled, and the crowd
extended to the doors, even out into
the entry. The subject Of the address
was: Some Facts that Suggest Some
Questions Regarding the Augusta
Poor Department
In the opening Mr.. Cummings referred
70 the criticism that he should have first
brought his criticisms of the poor de-
partment before the city government and
asked for an investigation. He thought
ment TO keep themselves Informed
OF conditions there. Continuing he
s sSnn; The ,oyerseers or some Of
poor department.. Such have said so They
have known that the aims house was UNI
NJ FOR such ,isc In their reports as pub
iisheu In past years they have called the
attention of the city government to this
very fact. One of them recently expressed
70 me his opinion of the buildings and the
naphazard condition of the inmates. Of
ncers IN the city government have freely
expressed themselves as to the poor de-
partment in language most scathtng
DO you suppose the overseers of the
, poor did not know that the aims house
was not properly kept: that it was dirty
covered? Possibly they did not But what
shall we say to such stupidity? If such
supposed ignorance was innocent, why
should any who have communicated In
formation be blacklisted? But. from their
own words they did know of the filthy
condition Of some things there. But what
were they doing about It prior to Feb. IA?
The aims house and the inmates have
been absolutely without such rules and
regulations as are vital to their welfare.
Read the rules of the aims house in Ban
gor; see how inmates are received.
washed, ETC.; how they are separated; are
required to wash and comb in the morn
ing; to bath every Saturday afternoon:
the regulations as to their clothing; their
dining room habits. etc.: and see how
far our aims house Is behind this eastern
city? A letter received from the over
seerss In that city informs me that these
rules are strictly enforced
Now..the proper tribunal to take such
complaint as We have against the poor
shown themselves. either indifferent to the
state of things or incompetent to deal
with it, but rather to the supreme court
| THIS question does not concern the peo-
pie at large. whom does it concern?
The present agitation has already borne
some fruit. They have been cleaning up
at the. aims house. 1t has been a long
| time since the place had such a cleans
ing; Men and women have been in the
washe Tere SS Is d # then odo naSs
soon as you enter. Why this, if it was
clean before? But it wasn't clean. The
wife of the superintendent said in my
in the inmates part. was not for their
use. One of the overseers said that some
of the inmates were too filthy to use 1t.
min Covered. A lady who has the care Of
dependents in another town told me that
she went all through the place: and, in
in answer to. my inquiry as to its condi-
| it was illthy.' One well understood case
of personal neglect and filth in. sickness
and death is sufficient, T., TO condemn the
ing there Is a plea Of guilty to the sug-
gestian Of neglect. How can a place be
properly kept If no one fultills the duties
ora matron. If 1t has no regular daily or
even weekly inspection? go.
Against these positive facts is brought
the statement of certain ones that they
have been there and have not seen any
| filth. etc. mere statement that a place
tis filthy may be ,neutralized by another
that it is not filthy. But what do such
statements amount to in the face of posi-
tive instances and specifications? They
are like the defense of the freshman who
was accused of stealing a bair-of boots
| and was told that six men could be
brought who would testify that they saw
| could bring a hundred men who would
testify that they did not see him.
| The aims house. as It has been conduct
ed with its ,commingling Of sexes, of all
| ages and all mental conditions. Its UNI
cared for children; its noisy insane in
apartment with others: it's want of
trusion by men; its noise; it's want Of
any kind of inspection that was efficient:
ITS lack Of rules and regulations; and its
Of IN d tSsp is o inc Word 90
iWell-to-do city. Let the people arise and
demand that there shall be a modern
| system inaugurated.
| But to concentrate the attention Of peo-
pie on the aims house may be policy for
some. for it might take 1t away from other
phases of this matter. If we are COINS
have public hearing on the whole poor
| department witlfs witnesses sworn. the
Testimony taken down. the people repre-
scented by counsel, ETC.: not IA Whitewash.
but. one that means business?
| Let us consider; a few facts from the
city report of 1895 and 1896. The auditor
reports in 1896, that he cannot agree
poor and that they have not submitted
their. accounts to him for auditing. The
city reports: are little read. The public.
men are fairly well informed as.to public
business. Men will require Il pass-book
TO deal with merchant who never makes
! any inquiry as to the expenditure of
thousands Of dollars of public money. A
| revival of interest in municipal affairs
would sweeten the social and moral at
mosphere of cities. No one is at fault
| for the fact that the overseers purchase
largely OF themselves. approve their own
bills, etc: except yourselves. You allow
it. All kinds, of crookedness may grow
up under such a system. Now. as to the
REPORT for 1S96-s31i.49 is reported as paid
for dressing for the farm. One man
hauled MOS.4 worth. Why was no
measurement made nor account taken of
this at the farm? Seventy-seven cords of
dressing besides all that was produced on
the place! About three cords to every
acre of ttillage land up there to say moth
! Ing of the amount from the barn. Yet
| they bought more than ~ tons of phos-
phate, and they have been hauling vari--
GUS kinds of dressing there for years and
purchasing more. We might reasonably
expect that such Il farm would take care
of the small amount of stock that it is
/ necessary to keep: but. by the same re-
port they bought 647 bushels of corn. oats
andmeal, so that they used up 1858 bushels.
!. besides more than six tons of shorts and
feed and they bought s2i2 worth of hay.
WhoSa. huSincSS cOIlld prOSner mt that