The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-07-24
Interesting Figures are Published
By The Government
NUMBER OF PERSONS IN ALMsH0usE
Reflect Rather Influences of Laws
Governing Poor and Methods OF
Administration.

Some interesting figures are pub
lished by the government showing the
number of persons in the almshouses
of the country. Since the figures deal
only with paupers in almshOuses, and
not with all the dependent poor, they
reflect rather the influence Of the laws
governing poor relief, the almshouse
facilities afforded, and the methods of
almshouse administration, than the ex-
tent of pauperism is the report that
comes from Washington
At the close of 104 there were in
almshouses of the United States 163, 176
persons, 777,S17 males and $3.50 fe-
males. The number of paupers emu
merated in 1880 was 66,2O3, and in
1890 73,045. The increase has not
kept pace with the growth of popula-
ton, and therefore the ratio of aims
houses paupers to population is de-
per 100000, in 1890 it was 1855, and
in 1903 it was 101.4. The government
reports find that a part of this de-
crease is due to change in the treat
ment of the mentally and physically
defective, who in former times We're
sent to poorhouses, but are now cared
for in asylums and hospitals, and a
part TO the development of nationally
organized charity, which strives to
make the poor self-supporting and to
place destitute children in families
and not in poorhouses.
The figures show that almshouse
pauperism is decreasing more rapidly
among females than among the males.
The chief distinction between the
sexes seems to be that females having
once entered a poorhouse are there for
good, while men, to a large extent, are
merely winter boarders
Ratios Have Declined.
The ratios of paupers in almshouses
to population have declined in most of
the states. The states in which a de-
crease did not occur were, for the
most part, those in which an impor-
tant function of the almshouse is that
of hospital, and the newer states, in
which organized indoor relief is a COM
paratively recent development.
Although decreasing the ratios are
still high in some Of the older COM
monwealths located in sections with
large urban centers and a compare
lively severe climate.
The mobility of the pauper popula-
ton is a striking feature. and is
shown by the fact that of the total
paupers who were in alnfshouses at
some time during 1904, SLAP, or 49.9
per cent, were admitted in that year
and 54,199, or 1872 per cent, dis
charged. In the states these percen-
tages show wide variations, which re-
fleet largely the varying influences of
climatic and social conditions and of
pauper laws and methods of aims
house administration. For example,
states with large urban populations
and states with methods of aims
house administration allowing great
freedom of ingress and egress show
large percentages Of admissions and
and states with mild winters show
CORRESPONDENCE small percentages.
The percentages of discharges do
not. however, signify that the dis
charged never return, for of thousands
who are discharged with the opening
of summer. the majority can be de-
pended upon to return with the cold
weather In fact, the number admit
ted during 1904 were for the most part
seasoned inmates.
This mobility of the almshouse pop
ulation suggests that many inmates
are able to provide for their own sup
port for a part of the year at least,
and this is found to be the case, since
about three fourths, 74.6 per cent, of
those discharged were discharged to
their own keeping, rather than to the
care of relatives or friends.
Not Many Negroes.
Negro paupers do not constitute so
large a proportion of the almshouse
population as negroes form of the gen.
eral population, which is surprising,
since the position in the economic scale
usually determines the extent of pau
perism. A probable explanation of
this seeming paradox is that negroes
are represented in the almshouses in
accordance with the provision made
for them rather than for their neces-