Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-29
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
HUMANE METHOD OF THE BOARD
OF CHARITIES.
Not Tagged and Sent Away Like
Freight-Provided for and
Sent Home.

81 noticed dispatch i'm The Star a few
days ago regarding the tagging and ship
ping of a sick man from Reading Pa.
to Trenton. n. j. said Secretary Wilson
of the board of charities TO a Star re-
porter. 1t seems that the city au-
thorties at the former place. as was stated.
fearing that he would become a charge
upon the city. tied tag to him Tearing
his name and address and shipped lin to
Trenton. AS he was desperately i'll. he
lasted as far as Trenton Junction, where
he fell unconscious on the platform Of the
depot and died shortly afterward in the
hospital to which he was hurried.
There may have been circumstances In
this case with which the public not
familiar. but the practice nowadays of
tagging and shipping persons who may be
come public charges from one city to another
Is so unusual and out OF accord with the
general rule among the charity authori-
ties of the various cities OF the United
States that II certainly deserves notice.
This practice of tagging and shipping
like n piece OF freight persons who were
likely to die to become sick upon the
hands Of municipality was once very
common. but thanks to more enlightened
and humane sentiment this brutalizing
custom has been practically relegated To
the oblivion to which IL justly belongs.
though l regret to say that in some sec
tons among the smaller towns and cities
1t Is still more or less followed.
"Our system in Washington has worked
out admirably. and had this unfortunate
man been found here he would have been
sent to hospital until he was able to
travel and we would not have permitted
him to have left town had there been any
probability of his dying Ell route. We have
found that the detention and investigation
system which has been In vogue In Wash
ington during the past five years has work
ed most successfully and has practically
solved the problem with us as to the dis
position of unfortunates who come TO us
who are likely to become public charges
for lack of funds or through i'll health.
The Washington Plan.
prior to that time the contrary rule
was adopted here-that OF getting this class
of undesirables out OF town quickly as
possible. irrespective of what might be
the actual facts in their cases, and thus the
undeservng with the really deserving were
shipped from city to city at public expense.
Now Washington would not think of send
ing a person who Is likely 10 become a
public charge on to Baltimore, Phladei-
phia New York, Boston or Chicago, In
particular, and other cities In general. nor
would the charity boards of any OF these
cities send Washington such person with
out preliminary investigation in all cases.
AT the outset of the Installation OF our
plan we proceeded upon the theory, which
was based upon actual experience and
knowledge, that a majority or these cases
were imposters and unworthy or pubic
assistance, and that Congress had appropri-
ated funds for this specific instance of
public charity for the deserving poor alone
It was at first found somewhat difficult
to overcome the old theory and practice
of getting them out of town quick. but
results have proved the correctness OF our
position
Not only do we accomplish practical
results render actual aid to the deserving
in a score Of ways. but we have kept within
our slender appropriation for this purpose
and have even not exhausted 1t all In some
years We do not furnish transportation
and render other aid sought tndiscrimin-
ately upon the mere statement or the APP
picant or the apparent worthiness or the
case. Unless an applicant Is an out-and-
out tramp who should be dealt with by
other officials, he she has home or
a claim to a home somewhere. With some
person connected Herewith, or with the
charity organization of the city or town.
we communicate. Pending reply we have
three or four places In the District to which
We can send both male and female appii-
lodged and fed. We find SO many instances
of Misrepresentation that they substantiate
the Washington plan every day.
Women Well Cared For.
'Where the result of our Investigations.
which can be quickly made by telegraph If
necessary show that the applicants story
be true. We send him or her forward to
their destination. even though it may be
west Of the Missouri. for we do not give
them a halfway fare only to have them
dumped upon another intermediate munic-
ipality In the meantime the applicant has
not suffered, and is often logically aided,
and this is the only way to dispense this
kind of public charity.
''In the instance of women and children,
of which we have number, we take pride
In having three or four places in this city
where noble and charitable women will care
for them, no matter what their past sta
ton in life may have been, and our places
of abode for men who are really deserv-
ing are equally as comfortable. Some cases
which are not at all deserving appear the
most so from outward earmarks. Thus
crippled woman who hailed from Denver,
COL recently applied to for assistance,
showing all the evidences Of utter destitu-
ton.
Suspicion as to the truth of her state
ments, aroused by her preliminary exam
ination. subsequently proved true, for an
examination of her clothes revealed $500
in cash, and we later heard from Denver
that her home was in that city and that
she had received $4,000 In cash as dam
ages from a railroad company for injuries
inflicted in an accident. This Is typical
case of professional beggars and dead
beats but deserving poor stranded In Wash