The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-12-14
The Necessity Of Acquiring One
in Clatsop County Apparent.
MUCH NEEDED INSTITUTION
A County Poor Farm Can 30 Made
Self. Sustaining, While With the
Present System the Cost 10
Enormous.

lue necessity for Clatsop county Is now
generally conceded, The expense of
maintaining the county poor has
reached such proportions that re-
trenchment is matter that is being
considered by the county court. So
ciety may be slow In reaching a solu-
tion OF the problem Of what TO do with
the homeless, helpless and hopeless OF
the world. but public charity. dispensed
by public officers In taking care OF the
poverty stricken. destitute and indig-
ent who become public charges, with
out ostentation OF any kind, yet gem
erously and with sympathy. To pro-
vide for the unfortunate who have
fought life's battles and failed. Is the
duty Of those who have emerged from
the struggle triumphant, or who are
resisting it successfully, II Is, there
fore, "A compulsory charity that makes
possible a public haven of rest for tne
defeated. but throughout the world
there is manifestation OF desire on the
part OF people to promote personal
comfort and happiness wherever sor-
row and misery lurk. and It Is on the
broader scale that this charitable
duty" should be considered
Pierce county. Washington, has a
population five times as large as that
of Clatsop county. yet, the number OF
paupers are no more. This Is attrib-
Iuted to the fact that Pierce county has
a poor farm. owned and managed by
the county. and II is a well-known fact
that poor farms decrease the number
OF paupers In order to give our read
ers an idea OF the benefits Of poor
farm. a few extracts from the Tacoma
Ledger will prove the contention OF
the Astorian:
In Pierece county there are many
people who shudder at the thought Of
the "poorhouse" as place OF perma-
nent rest, believing that life in such
an institution Is worse than death. Yet
| all Is not sadness under the roof OF a
poor house. nor are the inmates com
pletely "cut or from society, because
they are part Of society In general
and form a particular branch OF so
ciety.
Two miles beyond the limits of the
little town Of Sumner Is located the
Pierce county poor farm. Established
l15 years ago, 1t has grown to be an
institution OF great value and useful
ness, and today Is one Of the best con-
Quoted eleemosynary refugees In the
state OF Washington. Through its por-
tails have passed hundreds OF men and
not a few women, and every name In
scribed on the records OF the farm tells
tale OF sorrow and suffering-some
tragic, some romantic, with spring
ling Of comedy and pathos-but each
a record OF a human failure. There
are IS inmates at the farm today. ven
erable men and women, with the weignt
of years upon them, abandoned by
friends, forgotten by relatives, all ie-
pendent on public charity for support.
In the face OF cold facts sympathy
and sentiment crowd out censure and
protest in discussion Of what brought
these people to the door OF poverty and
made them knock at the door Of char
ity as paupers. Aged, infirm, some Of
them blind, all senile. their condition
challenges the observer to halt and
think before passing judgment on
them.
That there can be happiness ana con-
tentment under such conditions VIII be
admitted after visit to the Pierce
county poor farm. The home is com
modious, the rules and regulations gov
erning the conduct Of the inmates are
not severe, the food Is wholesome and
there is plenty to eat at the proper
time.
After supper the inmates retired to
the sitting rooms, where a pleasant
hour was spent. The daily papers and
several monthly magazines were on file
and other diversions were INDUCED in
besides reading. Every inmate Is al
lowed a pound Of tobacco per month,
smoking or chewing, as he prefers, and
from an invoice produced by the su-
perintendent Of the farm the good
brand of the weed was fully estab-
lished.
American people have just
cause for pride in the statistics of the
Pierce county poor farm. Fully 95 per
cent of those who have been sent there
are foreigners by birth. Only a small
percentage Of poor house patients In
the United States are natives OF this
country. It is a tribute to American
enterprise, persistence, application and
courage and, to be quite fair, perhaps
little American luck, but certainly
American pluck.
The Pierce county poor farm Is quite
an imposing structure. 1t resembles
the home of wealthy rancher rather
than an eleemosynary institution.
! Eighty acres Of land belong to the