Omaha daily bee., 1906-05-11
ARMY ATTACKED
Speaker at Conference of Charities and Cor
reotiOns Makes Surprising Statements.
CRITIClsIs ORGANIZATION FOR WORK
statistics Alleged 10 He Faulty aud
Public IL said to he
MIsied as to the
Facts. e' ...r

PHILADELPHIA, May lO-The FIRST bust
ness session of i>the thirty third national
conference Of Charities and Correction open
today In Horticultural halk After the
presentation Of the report of Lee X; Fran
kel, manager Of the United Hebrew Chair
ties OF New York, a paper on Relief Work
of the Salvation Army" was read by Edwin
d. Solenberger general manager OF the As
ISOLATED Charities. Minneapolis He de-
clared that the social relief work OF the
Salvation Army as carried on through its
homes lodging houses and other agencies
is poorly organized and poorly admins
trated, and that the so-called charitable
work Of the army is largely subservient
to financial interests"
Continuing, the speaker said:
One of the chief difficulties in try ing TO
arrive at definite conclusions concerning
the army's work is untrustworthiness of
their statistics, probably due largely 20 lack
Of uniformity in recording and summarizing
data.
For instance, the 1905 report says that
outside employment was found for about
1865, while the 1906 report says that 14,9OI
dated leaflet says that 5000 found outside
employment during the year.
find that. somehow most people have
gained the impression that the army has
large number of farm colonies and that
thousands OF poor people from the sluins
have been transferred to them. There are
at present but three colonies, one each IN
Ohio, Colorado and California, having
total Of but $50 people. These colenists
have become self-sUpporting, but it would
be interesting TO know what percentage Of
them while living in the city had been
recipients of either public or private re
hef or even dwellers in what the Salva-
ton Army calls the sluns.
The Salvation Army maintains at present
about seventy-four lodging houses In our
various cities furnishing beds at the rate
Of 10, and Is cents a night. In its appeals
for funds the army speaks Of lodging
thousands of homeless and lost people
gain 'tileSnIIIressfop that such lodgings are.
| I'M pass IN laast a charity and that The
accOipmodations furnished are much su-
perior to those of the ordinary cheap lodg-
ing house, run for private profit. Reliable
informant .froneea large nuTlber Of typ
ical American citizens Indicates that the
system OF cheap lodging houses conducted
by the army have all the defects -of the
poorest Of the privately, owned lodging
houses, and few. II any, adYantages oyer
walton Army lodging house. was CLOSED
when the local board, Of health began to
enforce the sanitary ordinances. while
from widely separated cities come accounts
OF specific glarfhg evils 80 ''
1t IL exceedingly difi1cult. TO secure salts
factory information about, the, Anan Ella
ance sheet and the statement of accounts
at the headquarters in New York City are
accountant cls n but this Only Eukrantees that
the footings and the balances are correct.
The business affairs OF the salvation
| lions and those who give financial support
| to the organization certainly have right
| 10 expect eleaT financial Statements
Reply by BriEadier Damon.
Brigadier Harper of New York and Brig
adler Damon, reader OF the Salvation Army
of, this city. replied to the criticisms OF
Mr. Solenberger BriRader Damon's most
effective argument was letter written
| a la in
which he spoke Of the fine showing the
army had made in its industrial depart
ment in Minneapolis and the economical
way the other departments are being
handled. Brigadier Damon said Mr.. Solen-
berger's remarks were absurd and that
everything the Salvation army does is done
openly and above board
During the day four sectional meetings
! were held. ~-' r.rs- ,-,
DR.. NJ p yRavenal assistant medical dl
rector of Phipps institute, Philadelphia,
in the section for the care OF the sick,
spoke OF the great difficulty in obtaining
funds TO night the ravages of consump-
ton. While pralsing the generosity of
| the people in sending millions to San
Francisco, he said Il was hard matter
ITO get funds for destroying conditions that
made the destruction OF loved ones by
consumption so great ithat'the horrors of
the great FIRE paIed into insignlfcance be-
side this destruction
At the general meeting OF the conference
tonight child labor was the general topic
discussed Among those who took part
we're Charles p. Neill United states CON-
missioner Of labor, and Mrs. Florence
Kelly. secretary or the National Consum-
ers' league. ft
/ t.~e