Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-07
DISPOSAL OF CHARITY FUND
Report Made BY thief Clerk Sylvester of
Police Department.
The Practice in Other Citics-Policc
Force Necessary Agent-Nu-
mer0us Dependents.

The following statement in reference to
the distribution of charity by the police au-
thoritieS of this and other cities was this
afternoon submitted to Commissioner
Wight by Chief Clerk Sylvester OF the
police department.:
when the situation becomes extreme
| during tine winter season in most OF the
large cities the police are required of ne
| cessity to aid in shetering. feeding and
warming the poorer classes.
In St. Louis the Provident Association,
which affords a means for the reception Of
contributions of all kinds calls into reGui-
sition the police when united and prompt
action Is necessary to save the poor from
immediate distress.
Last winter the mayor of Chicago is
sued a proclamation soliciting aid. and
designated the police force a temporary
agency for its distribution. In New York
when the poor become helpless especially
during heavy falls of snow all agencies are
employed to rescue and sustain them.
yet more northern cities, naturally, are
more fully equipped to meet with such
emergencies than Washington. If for no
other reason than that they have colder
| and longer continued cold seasons than
this loo Atty.
Neither North Nor south.
Washington is neither north nor south,
with d southern nativity among residents
far in excess of any city situated in a lati-
tude SO far north, who are largely depend
ent upon dry winters
When the snow flies and the wind blows
a large proportion of these are caught in
summer clothes, ii We're. Mostly coll
ored, they succumb easily to the cold.
There are many families residing here
without husband and father: widows who
came here after the war: families of the
men who found employment here in former
years. but who have died and left them
without support. There are many women
formerly in the departments, now at other
work, who barely exc out an existence.
I'm the District though it may not be
generally known, there more female
than male residents. and of all the poor
| lieved by the police in the past dozen years
| fully 60 per cent of the cases were those Of
women
Police Force Employed.
The police force of the District has since
| its organization been used as distributing
agency for the poor in winter. 1t has been
| established that in the course Of their tour
| of duty policemen meet with cases of dis
| tress Strangers first appeal to them: the
| imposter is not apt to do so; the profess
sional tramp will not do 1t successfully.
Familiar with their beats, they know the
| INDECENT, and where they live all the time
where they suffer in winter time Many
of those who ask aid of them practice
the asking each cold season. The poor
mousse would not accommodate the num-
dreds of poor women with families, mothers
who would rather die than be separated
from their children. Sometimes these
| women get little sewing. but hard times
affect them.
A thinly clad boy may sell a few papers
to help along when the weather will per-
NIT him to get about, but this kind of de-
pendence does not keep this class from
needing and repeatedly asking for relief.
Many of the negroes depend on the
dumps for fuel The snow puts an end to
that expectancy.
There are many young girls at times out
of employment, who must pay room rent,
and who provide their own food. To these
add the old and dependent classes, and
you make up an army of those who must
have relief or starye or freeze.
The Method Employed.
These are the classes with whom the
police come in contact. IL the applicant is
! not known to an officer, he learns who he
| is and enough about him to enable him to
| report for or against the cry for relief
If favorable report is made to the lieu
| tenant of the precinct. the latter. If au-
thOriZed by headquarters to aid the poor,
and this depends upon the means in hand,
| issues AN order from a record in which
| he writes name, address, etc, of the per-
| son assisted on stub and the original
| he fills as an order on nearby grocery or
! coal yard for food to the amount of say
| s., and fuel to the extent of a quarter OF
ton.
| At the end of each month the merchant
| to whom such orders are given renders his
| account against the department, accom-
| panying it with the lieutenant's orders as
given. These are again approved by the
| lieutenants and by the Superintendent of
| police and paid by the chief clerk. The
| vouchers are then forwarded to the audi
| tor of the District for settlement.
when the department has but a small
| fund at command only the most urgent
cases are helped, where there is sickness,
| babies or other special reason. All diph-
| iberia, scarlet fever and contagious dis
ease cases have heretofore been assisted
| by the police. To them the health officer
and many physicians refer the poor in
whose families such cases prevail. Many
| times the police officer. in time of sore
affection where immediate assistance had
| to be rendered. put his own small pocket
money to the use of charity.
Another Class.
There are other persons who avoid the
| uniformed officer-women and men who
| would rather perish than make known
their distress. A great many such come tc
headquarters and make their appeals
quietly. There are others who never
make known their troubles who some
times are accidentally learned of or who
| may be discovered by some good hearted
person through the Sunday school, church
or charitable association.
Where there is delicacy to be considered,
the department adopts means to save the
feelings of the distressed. When great
snow storms prevail and goods and provi-
sions are sent to the station houses, the
packages are inventoried and dealt out
where deserving persons apply. a ton of
coal is often dumped in a station house
yard and the poor line up and carry IL
away in small basket lots.
The interest on the centennial inaugural
fund of $4,000 is available by the District
in this connection"