The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-08

in detail In a bulletin soon 10 be issued by
the Bureau OF Statistics and sent out 70 the
people OF the State for their Information
as TO the effect Of the county and township
reform acts of the last Legislature Tho
facts suggest nothing 20 Induce the de-
STABILITY OF return 10 the old system
and laws which authorized a public officer
TO levy taxes, contract debts. expend the
money and audit his own accounts.
THE Bureau OF Statistics IL constantly
In receipt Of inquiries from other states
asking about the effect and results under
the reform legislation upon county and
township administration. and, considering
the sources OF these inquiries, there Is
muck reason to believe that Indiana has
set the pace for reform I'm very many or
them. for no State has yet taken so adj
vanced step in their local. governments"
Under the estimates and appropriations
under the new laws IL was shown that the
and the appropriations Ssli.es3.
POOR RELIEF LAWS.
Amos W. Butler. secretary OF the State
Board of Charities, submitted a paper on
Some facts about the operation of the
scription of the law OF 1885. which requires
township trustees to make a detailed re-
port of all poor relief administered by
them, and that of 1897. which provides that
the money advanced to the trustee for poor
relief shall be reimbursed TO the county oy
a township levy. Mr.. Butler stated that
there was no doubt that the enactment OF
these two laws had materially lessened the
amount expended by the public for the re-
lief or the poor. Prior 10 1895 the township
trustee gave assistance to whomsoever he
would and drew the money TO pay for il out
OF the county treasury. He reported TO no
one, simply stating to the Board of County
Commissioners the amount OF money need
ed. which was granted, as a rule, without
question. AS result there existed in
many localities serious abuses.
From the reports made by the trustees it
was learned that during the year 1897 the
first in which fairly full returns were re-
ceived, 2,2S5 persons had received help. at
an expense of $SSS. During the same
year Massachusetts,. whose population. ac-
cording to the census of 1890 was 1880
greater than that of Indiana, aided 30,363
persons, at a cost OF Sl5, 07.49. Much OF
the relief given by overseers of the poor IL
doubtless bestowed upon needy and worthy
persons, yet one who looks over the re-
ports OF the trustees cannot but feel that
frequently proper investigation and right
decision are not made. 1t Is possible for
people TO come to expect relief: TO depend
upon the trustee as one to whom they can
go for help when their earnings are gone.
Mr.. Butler cited a number OF instances OF
the abuse Of public relief giving. One was
that OF family who has been dependent
on the township for eleven and one-half
years, having In that time received s2o05.5l
from the trustee. The family consists of a
man aged forty, his wife and seven chill
dren. of whom there are two boys. aged.
respectively, twenty and seventeen. They
live upon small rented farm but nothing
is done toward making a living. Perhaps
the most unique report received by the
board was that of $3.50 for a marriage IL
cense.
In a great number Of townships in the
State the number OF persons helped fell be-
low one in ten of the entire enumerated
population. The amount of the tax levy for
poor purposes in different townships is an
interesting study, reports showing that the
highest levy is not. as rule, in the town.
ships containing cities and towns, but in
the country districts. He said:
1.-The law OF 1899 presents 10 the township
trustees directions for a uniform and meth
odical system of administering poor relief.
The trustees shall encourage the able
bodied to seek employment; shall cooper
ate with relief-giving societies; shall ascer-
tain whether there are any relatives who
will assist them; shall not help except by
labor any able-bodied nonresident, nor give
transportation TO any able-bodied tramp,
nor TO any nonresident who is sick or in
firm except in the direction of his resi-
dence. unless the trustee can be satisfied
that he can be cared for elsewhere. When
the trustee has given relief to the amount
Of SIS, or regularly for a period of three
months, he is required TO make a formal
statement of the case to the Board of
County Commissioners and secure their
authority before granting further relief.
In this law is embodied the practice of
several of the better known trustees. and
In reality, save In the limitation of the
amount of relief, il is but little different
from the former laws In the way the more
businesslke trustees administered them.
1.-THE law has met with much opposition
among many trustees. Predictions were
made that the poor asylums could not hold
care. yet the reports received quarterly by
the Board Of State Charities from the
county poor asylums show but a natural in
crease In the population thereof. while
word has come from many localities that
persons who have been dependent upon the
public for years have now gone 10 work TO
support themselves In one township alone
the trustee cut of 116 persons from his
list of permanent dependents. OF this num-
Der three went to the county poor asylum.
and the others have gone TO work, left the
county at their own expense or are being
cared for by relatives who are amply able
to do so. The trustee writes that, so far as
he can learn. there has been no suffering
among them
In conclusion Mr.. Butler said: This law
will be helpful to all the trustees who earn
estly desire to be helped. II will assist
them to administer to better purpose the
responsible Office they hold. and at the
same time no needy person need suffer.
Puzzling cases will present themselves.
Is given and there is a thorough co-opera-
ton between the township oyerseer of the
poor and county officials. each case will re-
ceive what IL merits. one will suffer,
and the people will be better served. II
nothing more was gained from this law
than what has been accomplished IL has
been worth while. But the results that
have been achieved before IL really began
to be operative lead US to believe that
greater fruitage yet awaits us. IL has been
termed by student OF sociology the most
advanced law OF poor relief upon the stat
ute books Of any State. We believe We
are equal to the emergency OF satisfac-
torily administering such a law.
PRELIMINARY MATTERS.
The meeting was presided over by Will
lam Fortune. of this city. and C. J. Muir
ply, of Evansville. acted secretary. The
latter reported representatives present
from twenty-nine business and commercial
organizations throughout the State Brazil,
he said, was the only city containing q
commercial association which was not rep
resented.
President Fortune. I'm calling the meeting
10 order, made a happy reference to the
scope OF the organization, referring TO the
county and township laws passed by the
last General Assembly being its great
est single effort and as having been ac-
complished since the last meeting The
principal matters to be taken up to-day
will be the papers 10 be read by Governor
Mount and Attorney General Taylor on
Trusts"
A Smoker Tonight.
The Board OF Trade and the Commercial
T.-1f