Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-09-10
IS COMPLIM ENTED.
AMERICAN HOME FINDING Asso.
CITATION PRAISED INSTEAD
OF cENsuRED. Vi
Investigation Caused by Frank D.
Whip of Chicago Decidedly in Favor
of Association-Disin Conn
mittee Finds Statements False.

| nittee Finds Statements False.
For some time there has been bit.
| ter controversy between the American
Home Finding association of which
Rev. U. B. Smith of this city is gener-
al superintendent and Frank D. Whip
assistant secretary of the Illinois state
| board of charities. It is stated that
Mr. Whip was not satisfied with the
| methods and management of the af-
| fairs of the association in Chicago and
as result of recent investigation
! made by three disinterested business
men of that city, report has been
/ made in which the statements made
| by Mr.. Whip are branded as wholly
false and it is asserted that the moral
tone of the association is high, that
its officers and directors are above re-
proach in their business dealings and
| that there has been no mismanage.
ment nor misstatement OF the ex-
| act financial status of the association.
| Although the alleged mismanage-
ment was not in any way directed
| toward the Iowa association or toward
| Superintendent Smith. the outcome of
| the investigation and the manner in
which the association is praised by the
committee of business men, will be
noted with pleasure by the many local
friends of the association
Secretary Whips Assertions.
In the report of Assistant Secretary
Whipp the outgrowth of a petition of
4 the Home Finding association for
certificate permitting it to receive
children from state institutions and
i provide homes for them it was alleg-
ed that the association was insolvent
and that it's financial affairs had been
mlsmanaged in number of instances
/ which We're cited. In addition to this
the report said that the association
was "traftlcking in Infants and that
its moral tone was not such as it
should be,
Find Association Solvent.
AS to the allegation of mismanage-.
ment of the finances of the association
the members of the investigating com.
i mittee said in their report:
| After carefully auditing the books
OF the association we find that it has
assets to the amount of $7,7O0 and to-
| tai liabilities to the amount of $4,292..
| 65, as opposed to the staten emit of AS
sistant Secretary Whip, which gave
these figures at s601.S3 and S6,4S3.S3,
The difference in the assets found by
Mr.. Whip and the investigating COM
1 mittete is accounted for by the fact
that Mr. Whip did not include in his
report the monthly publication owned
and published by the association.
which yields monthly income of 1851
to the association.
Il r.,
stated that the report made by the as
sociation to the state board in January,
\ 1902 showed that the association was
i solvent, when as a matter of fact the
association was in an insolvent condi-
4 ton. This statement we have also
carefully investigated and find it to ba
untrue. In the report referred to the
association did show assets of $27,-
! 124.93 and liabilities amounting to S14..
$50. Included in this statement were
two pieces of property the association
has recently acquired One of these,
located at Park Manor, was valued al
$4,000. The other property was al
Rantoul, Ill.,, and was valued at 81 900.
Y The transactions by which these two
pieces became the property of the as.
) ISOLATION proved later to be unprofita.
Bile and the properties We're allowed ia
revert to the original owners"
Praise for Officers.
4 In commenting on the general busis
ness management, the committee CONS
!, pletely exonerates the officers of the
association who conducted it's business
: affairs from any charges of misman-.
i agement or of lax methods. On the
| contrary these officers are commended
t for the "singleness of purpose in amel.
t iorating the conditions of the poor and
) unfortunate ones wholly unable to care
for themselves"
3 The committee states that 1t found
that the officials of the association
accomplished the WORK of the associa-
) tion only through great personal sacs
) rifice. None Of the dealings of the
i officers of the association, in the find.
ings of the committee, has been char.
' acteriZed in any other way than by mo.
tives of charity and the highest form of
integrity"
Children Well Treated.
!, A considerable portion of the com.
mittee's report is devoted to the
> charges of "trafficking in infants"
) made in the report of Mr.. Whip. In
! reference to these charges the report
: staies:
1.-The home of the association has
been visited and carefully inspected
by The members Of the committee. This
home is used for taking care of chill
dren until suitable homes can be pro-
yided for them. There were seven
CHILDREN in the home at the time the
visit was made. Some had been at
the home for several months and 9th
ers for but short time. The home
was found to be in excellent sanitary
condition, the rooms nicely and COM,
fcrtab bly, furnished and all scrupulously
c'ean. 1t appeared to be the aim of
:. the association to find homes for the
? children as rapidly as possible and
several of the children seen had pros.
> rectye homes awaiting them.
Children of all classes are taken
care of by the association Many Of
these are orphans, some are found
lmgs of whose parentage little or
nothing is known and a few are of il
lie Ultimate birth The incident or oop