The times., 1898-01-04
WIGHT DEFENDS THE PLAN
He Says the New Charity System
Pays for Itself.
BUSINESS MEMS PROTEST.
They Oppose. in Largely Signed
Petition, tie Abandonment of the
Old Way, and Giving the Work
TO the Associated Charities and
Central RELIEF Committee.

largely signed protest from business
men in all parts of the city was Tiled
, with the District Commissioners yester-
day, against the abandonment OF the sYs-
TEN OF police cha rity work, and the entire
control of the relief by the Associated
Charities and the Central Relief Com
mirtee.
The petition was circulated 10y Mr.. A.
NJ. RAYMOND and DR.. l.. ID. Walter after
consultation with several business men,
and there are l75 signers. Mr. Raymond
stated 10 Commissioner Ross when he pre-
sented the petition that there were al
Most no iefusals and that there would he
no trouble in securing the signatures OF
many more. Mr.. Ka yInond also stated ttiat
he believed the people generally
were against the new idea.
Commas iouer Wight recently held
meeting ofscharity workers in his office in
the District building, at which, after hear
ing Major Moore, uperintendent of
Charities Lewis aud others, it was de
cided that the police shoEld lie relieved
of all future participation in relief work.
The Associated Charities is TO act as an
investigation organize ton entirely. IL is
To inform the Central Relief Committee,
the other branch OF the charity work of al
cases of distress. The Central Relief Com
nittee is TO collect aud distribute funds,
provisions, fuel and clothing on the recom-
nieudation of the Associated Charities.
This is the plan the petition objects TO.
1t states that duIing the winter OF
hn fana N listr
uted $4,000, and that this work did not
cost a penny fon investigate or dis
tribution. 1t asserts that the Associated
Charities costs ST, 900 in salaries and other
| expenses and that only $500 was dis
tTibuted through this organization. The
Associated Charities is called the peep
ing system" and it is asserted that its
agents are hampered everyw here in their
Investigations 10y being avoided as known
charity workers. I he petition says:
This is system looked upon every
where as unchristian and humiliating,
moriifylng, misunderstanding and grossly
inefficient, system similar to Eon-relief
giving associations of the cities which
upon investigation turn ed out to be schemes
of shrewd men making use Of prominent
citizens as members to lend color TO their
charitable pretensions, in working the poor
with one string, as il Were. and philan-
thropists with another. We do not mean TO
reflect any dishonesty upon the A ssociated
Charities. II is sufficient for us to know
that these methods are costly, inefficient
and not up TO the spirit OF the times in
aiding that class who within the past few
years have fallen to the sorry level OF want.
The substitution of the lame services that
may be afforded the destitute by Mr.. Wilson
and half a dozen old women for the
efficient methods OF the police department
Withtalephone service, ,TnounteJimessengers,
and brass buttoned agents upon every
street, has justly aroused public indig-
nation"
The petition accuses the Associated Char
tiles of absolutely failing to FENDER needed
aid. aud of decrying all poverty as fraud
if possible.
Commissioner Wight said in relation to
the petition yesterday:
The Associated Charities is not to
distribute penny of all the funds given
out this winter, or Clothing anything
else. It's work is TO he that OF iHvestiga-
ton entirely. A IS to the salaries paid the
Associated Charities, they are $4,000,
hut certainly they are earned. The amount
saved by this system i'll the avoidance of
duplicated work and the detection of
frauds will save this salary list and very
much MORE"
Mr.. Wight also spoke of the time spent
by the police in charity work, which is
paid for out of Washington's pocket, as
much as the Associated Charities The
only difference is that the police force is
paid to do police duty, and the A Associated
Charities 10 charity work. Each is best
fitted for the work intrusted to it.
Superintendent of Charities Lewis ex-
presses himself in the same way.
The Commissioners yesterday appointed
the members of the Central Relief Com
mittee for the coming year. The COM
mittee is the same as last year, with
one or two exceptions. 1t is as follows:
Mrs. j. W. Babson, Justice c. c. Cole,
John Joy Edison, l.. s. Emory, 1. L. Biout,
Lawrence Gardner, Miss II. B. Loring,
b. u. whitman, T. w. Noyes, DIR. l.. w.
Ritchie, James W. Somerville, b. II.
Warner, Beriah wilkins, Simon Wolf, j.
F. Cook, John a. Baker, W. F. Blount, A.
T. Britton, c. Il. Church, j. L. Fitch,
b. 7. Janney, 7. a. Lambert, Mrs. H.
b. Mcfarland, Mrs. Fred Mcclure, Rev.
W. T. PaTson, Rev. Radcliffe, Bishop Sat
terlee, Rev. j. Calvin Smith. Surg. Gen.
Sternberg, Rev. Hugh Stevenson, William
Redin Woodward, George E. Wilson, Thorn
as W. Smith and Mrs T homas W. Smith.
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