The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-12
SALVATION ARHY DENIAL.
aATs ATTtrNs tRE H4sELsss.
SIR AWE va DGT4IiA
ssaisuseaf f,sHsa ID Hepfy - ~ % aaieHs
Apverr's tSitieisms tbsstty Wofhsrs
llese aag mat the tsmt's teesuHfs
- aaas Fusus zee Tsa VaaHs

~" "N NN"NNN WV.
~ bsttearina me'hoia mads ~ Tho
pbtissislrhia fbsfilaa .0ufafHnos ~ thaFa.
dar ~ fisin " tilsnhHfss f ~ NlnnsH
apniis dfss f1fib , rrrly from no iony
yaRsfttv
Tbe espiy. ytish 49, rvsn 1pt ~ 'oi
Cos. bsftfy arre.ftfv md edit1f ~ the
wss nv sni ybirh bod ~" authorization
~ Mss pfysb. stys that VIZ tplenbsT Rsf .
hNlr,- giving ihs buh1IHr ~ shoth put'
al,ls smplpvoani sna found ~ Ne army
IN iaua and tEs AMI ahDsinH % diminu'iun
~ the numlrf N ssfpn unp IN tho '~u
years. w~fr taken ffum thr"" ~pamphl"'e
lsanei ny tho army m dif"ren' fafta ~
the oDuntfy ~ ynfip,s tir"4 CONTINUING
the statetn"ui aiy4
'On the fap, ~ N, thra" figures ~ not
sasm "a h%afmpriyN. but Tho ufiny's frpre'
sentative ~ tho conference "Hplaln"d That
the statistics cpyefed ariou departments.
NJ that while they apparently disagrc" "
dnra mt -neorsuirly follow that ~" diherrh'
statements arr Inaccurate, u y einphait'
caIly deni@l hat The statements puhli~h"d
by tho salvation Army are other than
correct.
Nothing could he further from tho truth
thar Mr. SolenherErr'- assertion that the
40 callod charitable work ~ the Salvation
Army II largely suh=eryieut 90 financial
interests and that the lodging houses Or any
other depart mrnt ~ Salvation Army chari'
ties arr maintained Tor "a prom WINE
the laudahle object ~ the army u ~ make
ita institutions self lpporting. many OF
them are necessarily maintained az a con-
siderable financial luss.
at h much tn be regretted hat Mr. Saen
berger should have made his staielnentA
- -WLN lad sill
the national headquarters. where the armys
financial books. statements, reports ana
annual balance sheets. audited by "A publc
auditor. are open To all who earnestly de-
sire such Information M they contain:
1T IL significant that at the close OF Mr.
aolenberRer = address n Salvation Army
officer arose and read a recent letter re-
ceived by the manager OF the arny'S char1t-
able work, in which MIR. ~SolenhergeF hlghly
commended the work ot the organization
he so severely criticised.
When complaint was made TO Col. Peart,
the army's chief secretary and commander
Booths right hand man, that this statement
did not seem 10 answer the charges mace
at the conference regarding the armys
lodging houses and its system OF account
ing. Col. Peart admitted that more might
be said, but after a consultation OF stan
officers ne announced that the statement
was all that the army had TO give out,
Brig. Gen. Ferris. who was ut this confer
GnCF, seemed 10 Dt lBllN llbiBhdhl Nhd
the army's methods had been questioned.
Gen. Ferris IL the chief counsel for the army.
He accused Mr.. Solenberger of being two
faced, because Of Mr.. Soleuberger's letter
to the army praising the work OF an in
dustrial home in Minnea polls. Gen. Ferris
and the other officers here seemed TO think
this letter settled the whole business. As
n matter OF fact, Mr.. Solenberger's charges
do not seem To be directed at all against the
Industrial Home in Minneapolis. but go
=. .-lN s--t - Nhn an NpN tta RIM -
cial statements TO the public and to the con
dition Of it's lodging houses, which, he said,
had all the defects of those privately owned.
Our financial reports and balance sheets
nave to be filed at Albany every year like
those of any other society > said Gen. Ferris.
"They are there for any one 70 sec, so tho
charge Is baseess. That is all we have TO
say on this ubject for the present. IL
we deem it necessary we may make some
statement later on, but we don't think 1t
of a lodging house in an Eastern city that
was closed when the authorities enforced
the sanitary laws. That lodging house,
] am informed, was in Minneapolis, and
was the very one he praised In his letter.
Col. Peart said that the accounts were
regularly audited, but he, too, didn't care
10 20 into the matter. The charges seemed
TO have stirred up the army, and there
were frequent conferences Of Colonels
Yesterday over the matter. Officers from
ALI over Un0 COunt1y ao kaNliti Jug Icto
1ust now for tho annual congress, which Is
10 begin on Sunday.
According to some charity workers,
Mr., Solenberger Is not alone In believing
That the army has not been quite frank
enough In its statements to the. public.
"The Salvation Army sald one man
Yesterday, Handles. | believe, nearly
xSOO. 900 annually at general headquarters.
Tbis docs not include the amounts necessary
10 support the various posts. 1t issues
an annual financial statement made up OF a
few pages, and 1t takes more than an ex-
port bookkeeper 70 puzzle everything out.
hfhe trouble Ia that there Ia a general lack
Of o~learness and no way Of following the
contributions received 70 their ulumate
d~isposition, except In the largest lump
sums,
sThen, too, one comes across In a state
ment Of receipts and expenditures OF It's
general fund such an item as depreciation
Of furniture and depreciation OF property
but nothing moro specific than that, In
nearly all large charitable. organizations
the report made TO the public shows the
disposition Of almost every dollar and
niyes the smallest accounts. The Salvation
Army gives the amount contributed as
ppecial funds like the self-denial fund and
the Christmas dinner fund, and q few, gen.
eral items Of expenditures and that Ia all:
This lack OF clearness has been the cause OF
most OF tho criticism
Some time ago this was pointed out TO