Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-04
COLORED PEOPLES HOME
REPORT OF HOUSE MILITARY COM
MITTEE ON THE BILL.
Indorses Opinion Favorably Expresss
ed In n Senate Report on
the Measure

The report of the House committee on
| military affairs on the bill III r. 1o205, 20
| provide home for aged and infirm colored
people has been presented by Mr.. Brown
low. 1t quotes previous report on the
bill follows:
BY this bill 1t is proposed. for the pur-
pose of Establishing national memorial home
for aged and infrm colored people to make
use of sum of money lying in the
treasury of the United States which Is due
the estates of deceased colored soldiers.
This sum is that remaining from the moneys
certified to be due to colored soldiers, and
which has not been paid out because Of the
lack of properly certified claims against It.
The law governing the proper adjudication
or these claims requires that the heirs Of
the deceased soldier must prove their law
full marriage relation by record evidence
and that to be certified to by notary pub
lie or clerk of the court In the several
states. No marriage record OF slaves was,
however kept. and in a great many In
stances the requisite proof cannot be made
and the money claimed cannot in conse-
quence be paid out to individual claimants
What the sum unproven and unclaimed will
nnally amount to II Is at present impossible
to tell. but according to the report Of the
second auditor of the treasury to the Secre-
tary Of the Treasury. July q. 1894. there
at that time remained unclaimed $780,
H1S.S4 Owing to tho mpossibilty OF max
ing the required proof. 1t is probable that
by far the greater part OF this amount will
never be paid out to heirs of deceased COL
ored soldiers
1t is this money that will never be paid
out IN the manner originally designed that
II Is proposed to appropriate for the estab-
ilshment of a national memorial home for
aged and infirm colored people. The money
clearly belongs to the colored people and
numerous requests have been made that It
be used for the benefit Of their race One
OF these requests is indicated in the bill
now under consideration. The institution
IN whose aid the appropriation is requested
Is proposed by a number of coiored men of
the District of Columbia, who have formed
corporation to carry out the plan. BY
private subscription they have acquired a
tract of land sufficient to erect a suitable
building, and now ask Congress to transfer
in the United States treasury, which euuit-
ably belongs to the colored people. to as
sist them in their very laudable work
1t does not appear to the committee that
there can be just or reasonable ground for
objection to the use of the money appro-
when proper safeguards for Its expenditure
and for the protection of the United States
treasury are provided
" our committee approve and adopt the
foregoing portion of the report of the Sem
ate committee. The corporate name adopt
ed by the association is THE Home for
Aged and Infrm Colored Persons While
the sum proposed to be appropriated for the
erection of the home is limited to 100000,
yet the measure also provides that the re-
mainder of the fund Is to be invested as an
endowment fund for the maintenance Of the
home, except as to so much as may be held
10 pay on the claims against such fund
not presented by such date are to be
barred"