Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-04
POLICE RELIEF WORK
Proposed Change in the System to
Be Considered.
QUESTION BEFORE COMMISSIONERS
Mr.. John B. Nights Views Of the
Associated Charities.
A CHI NGE PROB ABLE

The question of relieving the police force
Of the distribution of funds and supplies to
the poor will be laid before the board of
Dlstrlct commissioners by Commissioner
| wight, who has charge Of the police de-
partrnent, in day So Just what the
ooard Will do in the matter is, of course
impossible to now definitely determine, al
though 1t is generally believed that the
police force will be relieved of the work. to
a great extent at least.
Speaking to a Star reporter on the SUBJ
ject today, Commissioner Wight said the
whole matter will be carefully considered
by tie Commissioners. and that a decision
by them would be probably made before
very long. Referring to his conference last
month with a number of gentlemen inter-
ested In charitable matters. he said that
his talk then was merely tentative, he pre-.
ferrinS not to commit himself one way or
the other until he had conferred with Com
missioner Ross, who has charge of char
tiles.
His Policy Suggested.
Mr.. Wight intmated however. that he
believes it would be best to relieve the DO
lice of all charitable work wherever posi-
Die, that they might not be interfered with
IN the performance of their legitimate du-
Ties. lie referred to the limited number of
men available to properly protect terri
tory of unusual extent. and while he had
only words of praise for the manner in
which the police force had heretofore as
| sisted in charitable works he called atten-
ton to the desire of the head of the force
Maj. Moore, that such work by the men
should be discontinued
Referring to the work of the Associated
Charities Mr.. Wight said the association
acts simply as bureau CT information
plies. I.e called attention to the fact that
s :. - - - - - 80, -. d
an extent that duplication has been re-
duced to d minimum. Duplication, he ex-
pIaincd, was one of the greatest evils en-
ccuntered Ill charitable work. and any sys-
tenn which prevented one getting more
than his share to the exclusion of another
deserving one was deserving of commenda-
uon and support.
InI;OsitiOns Certain
Despite the best intentions and endeavors
OF the police, imposition upon them in their
work OF distributing charities is not only
possible, but ii Is certain just as it, he
Tanks, Is with everybody working indie
pthdently OF such 4 nureau Of information
as ne Associated Charities.
Nmic the system employed by the Asso-
Grated Charities might not always be
agreeable to those Applying for reief, yet
Mr. Wight believes tnat the new method
employed BY II Is infinitely better than the
oiu system of extending relief, when dllpll-
caloh ana many other IKE evils Were made
possible and ldleness and dishonesty en-
&C uiaSed.
The Citizens Protest.
referring to the protests filed with the
Commissioners yesterday by Messrs. Ray
mond and Walter against relieving the DO
ice of the work of distributing funds and
supplies to the poor, Commissioner Ross
said today that until he has fully investi-
gated the whole subject he did not care to
cypress an opinion in the matter He de-
sizes TO first study the question, and to as
sist him he has referred the protest re-
celVcd yesterday to the superintendent of
charities for a report thereon.
Some idea of the report Mr. Lewis the
superintendent of charities, will make on
the protest may be gathered from a CON
velsaton reporter Of The Star had with
him today on the subject.
The protest, said Mr. Lewis against
the concentration of control of relief giving
in the hands of the Associated Charities,
which was filed with the Commissioners
yesterday by Messrs. Raymond and Wal
ter, is the most astonishing document
which l have ever read upon any part of
the great subject of the relief of the poor
n
what has been done in Washington and of
the principles which universally control
Wherever charity is administered as to
do more good than harm.
There is scarcely a paragranb of tb
whole document that might not he dis
proved either by citing well-known facts O.,
by the application of accepted princiules
ORGANIZATION Is the direct antithesis of
conditions which have too long prevailed in
Washi gton. The aggregate of unoreaniz
ed charitable effort is a tremendous power
driving 1t knows not WHITTIER without mr.
| pose, without direction, control or destina-
| ton.
| Product of n Wise Desire
THE Associated Charities of this and
other cites are the product of wise de-
sire 10 lay hold of this force and SO direct
| it that its destructive power may be cur
talied and Its beneficent efficiency en-
hanced. BY whom are Its methods called a
'pecping system or denounced as .un-
| christian, cruel, humliating. mischief
| breeding and grossly inefficient, EXCEPT by
those who would like to see every police
| station In the city turned into a tramus'
| lodging house, crowded nightly with i'm
ported Migrants. who would stand in line
| for two hours twice day waiting for their
turn to receive bowl Of free soup.
mo movement begun within the last
| fifty years has taken more firm hold unon
| the judgment of thinking men throughout
| the United States than the movement for
| the organization Of the charities of cities
and none has been more effective in pro-
wang for the destitute those things which
| they could not with proper exertions pro-
| vide Tor themselves; and If the Associated
| Charities OF Washington Is less effective
| than are similar organizations in other
| cities it is because it has labored in a field
| beset by persons who sign petitions and
| protests without knowing what they con-
| tain.
| 1T seems to be the case that every pro-
| posed advance toward better and more
| business-like methods in the administration
| OF the charities Of Washington has to bat
| ter itself against strong wall of ultra
| conservatism, which can give no better rea-
| son for its existence than that 1t has al
| ways been So
| There is no more reason for asking the
| police department to do charity work than
! there is for asking the charity department
| to do police work. Each is best in its own
place and about its own business