The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-09


/ tration OF the Sloane hospital 10 excellent. and
| work that could not be duplicated by the city Ia
done there. As to the Gerry Society. can only
| say that any organization that receives money
from the city should be willing to show It's
hands, so TO speak. and produce indubitable
evidence that that money 10 well spent"
Ex-MAYoR sTRoNas VIEWS.
Ex-Mayor william L. Strong said: Il think
| Mr. Coer's plan is a laudable one There Is no
| doubt that the city pays great deal Of money
to these institutions which they are not entitled
| to receive. This state OF affairs has existed for
| long time and is by no means a remarkable
| discovery by the present Comptroller. The
matter was laid before the Board OF Estimate
BY Comptroller Fitch and by some OF his prede
cessors think. No action was taken by the
last board for the reason that We felt that
| all the institutions receiving aid from
the CITY were doing some good and
that II We didn't get return OF 100 cents on
| dollar we were at least getting fifty. 1t does
seem sometimes as II there we're too many
| charitable institutions and. no doubt without
| the clty's aid or with funds distributed on per
capita basis. some OF them would become
bankrupt. However in this day OF specialties
| there has been tendency to establish institu
| tions for particular diseases and purposes and
| consequently their number multiplies. One
thing. however. am sure OF and that Is that
| the present city Government will spend more
| money In increasing salaries and other eN-
penses than 1t will ever save by cutting down
| gifts to charity"
OPINIONS FROM THE BENCH.
President Duel Of the Board OF City Magis-
| trates said: Il think the Comptroller Is on the
right track because the more light we have on
| the subject Of charities the better. and the
specific abuses which he calls attention to
| should be abolished. For instance. he refers to
| one organization that used its appropriation
! from the city to swell building fund and not
for the relief Of the sick poor Such u society
should be wiped of the list OF beneficiaries
| at once. So should those societies
| that sell articles made or raised by the in
mates at less than the market prices Honest
labor should not be allowed to suffer from COM
petition with criminal or pauper labor. But
| II Mr.. Coler proposes to cut of all private
| societies. he is making q mistake. The city
| can't do all the work itself. 1t would be dis
| astrous for instance. to have children taken
care OF In city institutions. the places in which
| could be controlled as political spoils. Neither
| could tho city handle all OF the adult cases
| OF poverty and sickness. How would 1t do
| 1t? 1t certainly has not got money enough to
| build hospitals and asylums to take the places
| OF those that are now owned by private organ
very large percentage Of the money for the
| support OF unfortunates comes out OF the pub
| lie treasury while in other cities. which he
| enumerates. the bulk or the money is raised
| by private subscription to the charities.
| There isn't much difference after all. In both
cases the people pay. only in one it is q matter
an enforced tax and in the other matter OF
voluntary tax. It's tax. anyway and 1t must
be paid or else the needy must be left uncared
for and that would never do"
Il am In favor OF having all money Of this
| kind spent for the purposes intended" said
Police Magistrate Olmstead, and in a way
which will do the greatest good for the charges
which the taxpayers have to support. Any plan
| which would tend to prevent waste. II waste
exists. has my heartiest approval"
| Magistrate Meade in the Centre street court
| said: The city should know whore the money
goes which is appropriated for charities. II the
heads Of these institutions are honest. they
surely cannot object to making their accounts
| public" -
| Justice Jacob. In the Court OF Special ses-
| sons. said: II the popular idea is correct
| one. there is need OF this bill or some other
| OF like character. Take the case OF children
who have been placed In charitable institutions
because their parents could not support them.
In many cases the parents afterward become
moro prosperous. but they do not as q rue'Ro
after their children and the institutions do not
give them up. They are receiving per capita
appropriation for those children and tho re-
luctance to release them would indicate that
the appropriation moro than covers the OK
pense OF their support. This Is only one in
stance. Theoretically l think Comptroller
Coler's plan Is very good but the selection OF
a suitable board to have charge OF these affairs
| 10 practically the sticking point. Racial. sec
tartan and political prejudices must be over
some before the plan can be successfully car
ried cut"
DIR. ]. c. Schminke. the Secretary Of the New
York Medical League. said: The League has
been fighting this unjust distribution OF the
citys money for tho past two years. and. nat
urally. 1 am entirely in accord with the League.
Our Committee on Charities appeared before.
the Board OF Estimate during Mayor
Strongs administration. but We were defeated
and the different institutions got practically
all they asked for l hope the Comptroller will
carry his point and cut down this enormous
expenditure which now goes to private institu-
tons understand that the City Hospital and
other city institutions have been seriously
crippled for lack OF funds because OF this
drainage to private sources"
sEcTARIANIsM UNAVOIDABLE.
Henry Rice. President OF the United Hebrew
Charities. said: while Mr.. Color has some
excellent ideas regarding proper supervision
| OF public expenditures for private charities, I
think he Is too much inclined to grumble over
| tho amount Of money thus spent In my
| opinion not a cent too much is spent. IL
| it Is properly supervised. I believe the
State should care for those members
| OF society who are unable because OF age
| youth or intirmity to provide for them selves.
| Now the question arises who should admins
| ter public revenues devoted to charitable pur-
| poses: can II be done better by corrupt politi-
| clans attached to Tammany Hall or by societies
OF ladies and gentlemen with no political
! stake? Charitable Institutions must In
| the nature OF things be sectarian. The
Hebrew does not want his boy to become
| q Catholic and the Catholic doesn't want his
children brought up az Hebrews Therefore
sectarian societies should administer the
revenues As a general thing tho State should
| care for charities. but / would not carry that
| theory to an extreme such az to inhibt the
| nhila inRtinct n DriVatA indI viduAls