The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-12-06
NO ERRORS in IT
Executive Committe Of State
Charities Aid Defends
It's Report.

The annual report of the State Chari-
ties Aid Association, having stirred up
a hornets nest, rumors about it are thick
and fast, and one of the latest is that
Governor Franklin Murphy has asked
the executive committee of the Associa-
tion to furnish him with better proof of
the conditions of the county jails and
public institutions SO freely criticized in
the report.
1t was also said that the Governor
intimated to Secretary William H. Allen,
Of the institution, that, unless such addi-
tional evidence We're forthcoming he
would blue pencil the document before it
was sent to the public printer.
Still further it was said that Secretary
Allen had admitted that he had made
a mistake in criticizing some of the jails,
but said that the whole report should
not be condemned for one error.
Secretary Allen was seen this morning
by a .News" representative and asked
to deny or substantiate these rumors.
He was in his office in the Commercial
Trust Company's building, and when
asked as to the statements, Immediately
called up Mr.. Hugh Fox, of the Associa
tion, on the telephone. They had a con-
sultation and the secretary then dictated
the following statement.
NO DEMAND FROM GOVERNOR.
'The executive committee of the asso-
citation has seen the statement printed in
the public press that unless we furnish
better proof touching the conditions of
certain jails the Governor will blue pen
Gil it before sending it to the public prin-
ter |. have only to say that we have re-
ceived no official communication what
ever from the Governor on that subject.
The association would welcome an oppor-
tunity to substantiate the statements
made in its report. In fact the whole
purpose of the report was to move the
State administration to such an investi-
cation. The association has no admins
tratiye functions but exists solely to place
before the proper authorities and the
public the facts with regard to penal
and charitable institutions. w
INDIVIDUALS NOT ATTACKED. /.
The report went to the Governor as
a communication to him, and not as
report to the newspapers. The state
ments are conservative and express the
deep-seated conviction of persons famil-
lar with our jails. Individuals are not
attacked. We did set forth the wrongs
of the fee system. When the entire re-
port is published it will be seen that
throughout it presents facts calculated
to prove the need of a State investigation
and continuous State supervision. It
was expected that portions, especially
certain portions that had been printed
before would not be given out to the gem
eral public. But it was deemed impor-
tant to speak with fullness and candor
to the Governor. There has been no
adm ssion of error as to facts. The idiot
boy referred to was not committed to
the feeblc-minded home until after the
story appeared in the Review The case
was cited as illustrating the lack of ade-
quate facilities for caring for the feeble
minded. The report stated that this case
was quoted from an earlier Review. A
report of 100 legal cap pages cannot fair
ly be judged from newspaper extracts of
a column or less"