Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-21

ton committees and in the hurry and bus
tie Of the consideration Of appropriation
biis TO present, IN the fraction Of an hour,
principles and their applications ON which
he has spent months of study: and such
presentation must often be made In seem
ing antagonism to the boards of the par
tlcular lnsutueon with which he Is deal
ing. Such have been the disadvantages I'M
Ger which the office of the superintendent.
of charities has been laboring ever since IT
was created, and such, in part, are the rea
sons why it has proved Inadequate to its
duties.
Another reason for the ineffectiveness of
the present office of superintendent of char
tiles Is the fact that the Superintendent ha :
no power to enforce proper methods in the
conduct or institutions and in the adrnis-
sion of inmates Such a power Is too grea r
tos1ntrust to any one man, but 1t might as
properly be intrusted to a board as the
power to regulate the admission to the
public schools is intrusted to a board.
More Home Rule for the District.
Moreover the committee believes that
the District Of Columbia fs entitled to the
largest amount of self-government con-
sistent with the supervision of Congress
over all the concerns Of the capital city.
In the case of charities, where the ap-
preparations already amount to nearly
half million dollars a year, it is quite
as proper to have board Of charities as
1t Is to have board OF school inspectors
The people of the District are keenly alive
to the Importance of such a centralizing
agency to promote efficiency and to correct
the present abuses. Before the committee
came the secretary of the Associated
Charities "a most efficient organizat ion
wholly supported by residents of the Dis
trict. that is constantly providing for the
poor, who strongly advocated a board of
charities. such as is now in operation in
New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Minnesota
and other states.
Local Sentiment for the Board.
1.-THE charities committee of the Wash
ington board of trade also advocated the
establishment Of board of charities. and
presented the draft Of bill that is less
comprehensive and less definite than that
proposed by this committee. A committee
from the Washington Civic Center also an
peared before the committee to advocate
the establishment Of q board citing in
stances of lack of care for real DEPEND
ents. The Medical Association of the Dis
trict OF Columbia, in a communication
printed In connection with this report, urge
the establishment Of such a board to cor
rec rect the serious abuses they point out in
the administration Of medical charities
The board of cnildren's guardians discuss
the same question in its relation to their
work among the dependent children and
present strong arguments to prove the ad-
vantages of general supervision of the
instrumentalities for child-caring.
Those Seeking Aid.
'The need Of come system for dealing
with the entire subject of District charities
is made apparent by the Size of the figures
representing the dependent population of
Washington. During 1895 no fewer than
26,6D persons were treated in District
hospitals. supported wholly or in part from
the public treasury. Adding the number
treated IN dispenSaries and by the physi-
clans to the poor, the total number of per
sens receiving medical treatment in public
institutions was 5S $50, or about 81 per
cent of the population. To this number
should be added OLA children in subsi-
dized institutions, 1.342 women who were
admitted to subsidized homes, and 6.547
men VINO were provided for at public ex-
pense. making total Of 81 O83 persons who
received care In Institutions wholly or
partly supported from congressional an
preparations. The mex,nng of these figures
is that during four years number of per-
sons at least equal to the entire population
OF the District OF Columbia receives public
aid Nor do these figures include the blind
the deaf and dumb or the insane Even
If no abuse existed In the admission of
persons to the institutions, still ordinary
humanity would suggest that where such
large numbers of people are cared for by
pubic institutions there should be some
re regulation of such agencies, with view to
making them most effective.
1t viii not be seriously questioned-in-
deed, the authorities of the institutions ad-
nlft-that grave abuses exist in the matter
OF providing for those who are abundantly
able to provide for themselves. The diff
Guilty, however. Is beyond the power of any
enc institution to remedy; ard so long as
the size Of congressional appropriations is
based on the number of persons cared for
so long will each institution endeavor to at
tract TO Its doors as many persons as pos
sible 1t Is manifestly a wrong to the COM
munity thus to encourage imposition and
fraud; ard 1t is also a wrong to the tax
payer OF the District and to the treasury of
the United states to allow SO fragrant an
abuse to continue"
The report then shows the operations of a
system similar to the one the committee
proposes for this city in New York.
Some Existing Abuses.
''The case of New York city," the report
says, with Its enormous influx of foreign
ers. Is paralleied by, that of Washington,
with the great numbers of persons who an
nrally visit the seat Of government to seek
office, to prosecute claims or to enjoy the
privilege of free care and treatment for
out the land 1t has come within the OBJ
servation Of the committee that children
are sent to Washington from states beyond
the Mississippi to enjoy free asylum and
hospital privileges; the statistics of the
hospitals show that the ne.ghboring states
take advantage of these privileges to
great degree, and the officers of institutions
assert that In many instances patients are
publicly assisted to come here.
1t Is stated that women have been
klewn actually to spend three years in
idleness In one public institution after an
other in the District, and the facilities for
so doing are at hand. Under the present
system a woman may come to Washington
and with perfect security from publicity
may give birth to child, and then herself
receive years of support. while her child.
without her intervention, can be passed
through chain Of institutions that sup
port 1t for eighteen years, largely at the
cost of the District! Such a system Is as
bad for the Individual as it is for the COM
munity. While it may be impossible wholly
to reform this abuse. yet it is possible to
minimize 1t by suitable rules regulating the
ADMISSIONS and discharges to public insti-
tutfons. AS the discussion of the situation
proceeds, other arguments for the estab-
lfshment of board Of charities and the
application OF such a solution to existing
problems will follow. The committee will
now take up in some detail the questions
submitted for Its consideration in the act
In accordance with which 1T was created.
Sectarfan Institutions.
zone question asked in the act Is as fol-
lows:
What portion, IL any, Of appropriations
heretofore made to them Gnetitutions) has
been used for the purpose OF maintaining