The San Francisco call., 1906-12-19


charity have petitioned the executive
committee of the board of directors Of
the San Francisco relief and Red Cross
funds to surrender the work 1T has
carried on since the disaster and turn
the money over to those institutions
that time and experience have proved
worthy of the trust. The fraud on the
part of many seeking RELIEF and the
waste on the part of many Of the sub
ordinates administering the same are
pointed out as reasons why this coios-
sal work should be turned over to more
experienced hands that existing evils
may be corrected.
On receiving the petition James D.
Phelan, chairman of the finance COM
mittee of the Relief Corporation. noted
that 1t was a document OF interest 70
the public press, but as II contained
certain statements that failed to meet
with Phelan's approval he caused to be
prepared copies of the resolution, elm
mating the disapproved portions and
the signatures. These abridged copies
were supplied to the press. From other
sources, however, a complete copy OF
the resolution was secured.
PETITION IN FULL
The petition Is as follows. the por-
tions appearing in black-face type
being those Phelan chose to eliminate
in the exercise of his Office as censor:
To the Executive Committee and Board
of Directors, San Francisco Relief
and Red Cross Funds, Inc: -,
Gentlemen-The undersigned resi-
dents of San Francisco, interested IN
ali the various forms of charitable
work hitherto carried on In this city.
opinion the relief of distress should be
as rapidly as possible transferred to
the institutions which have hftherto
carried it on, and that when necessary
they should themselves be assisted to
an equipment at least equa! to tnat
which they had on the 1st OF last April
in the expectation that for their cur
rent expense they Will oegin agalh 40
fast as rehabilitated and equipped with
a competent staff each should be given
work to do. their recommendations IoI
be conclusive. Extraordinary RELIEF
should be referred to headquarters
with recommendation, and II granted
disbursed through the institution rec
ommending. If for any reason any two
Jurisdictions should overlap neither
should grant relief until assured that
the other had not granted.
The foregoing opinions and request
are based on the following considera-
tions:
/. The plan outlined would reintro-
duce the element of human sympathy
induced by continued contact OF the
helper with the helped which Is the
most valuable element of all charitable
work and which is not possible In any
plan of wholesale relief.
PREVENT IMPOSITION
2. 1t would tend to prevent imposi-
tion by the personal kno Jledge pos
sessed or easily gained or the char
acter Affiliations and history of the
applicant to greater degree than
will usually be possible to a special
8. It would tend to prevent waste
by the personal influence of the dis
bursing agent co1tinno9siy on ,,o9 eAerted IN
A. 1t would greatly diminish the cost
of administration becausesa multitude
of applications which now come to the
committee would nsan nsyer 49, oe n,ics mace q
would know to be familiar with his
circumstances, but which now have at
least to be investigated.
8. In that way 1T would check the
tendency toward pauperfzation OF those
able to help themselves. which is al
legged to and probably does exist, ana
benefit of those not able to do so.
6. 1t would hasten the restoration
of normal conditions of charitable
work. which is as important as to re-
store normal conditions in anything
else, and which is certainly now possi-
ble since eight months has been suf-
icient to relieve immediate and des-
perate wants.
In this connection and finally it must
be said that existing methods of adj
ministering this great relief fund are
actually tending to the pauperization
of the people and the destruction Of
the agencies through which charitable
work has hitherto been carried on and
upon which reliance must be placed
when your relief fund is exhausted.
Impaired and in some cases almost de-
stroyed.
Our business men are mostly now
well established and making money.
They could contribute TO the support
of institutions which they have been
accustomed to assist, IL not 80 abund-
antly as formerly yet substantially and
in increasing amounts. 1T Is time
they began to again assume their bur-
den. There Is NO reason why they
should while a great machine is at
tempting to do the work of all of them.
On the other hand, the destitute and
suffering no longer look to those upon
whom they have hitherto relied and
from whom they have received not
only such material aid as was posi-
BILE, but personal sympathy and guild
ance.
In other words, the systems of char
ity which existed are being broken up.
They are losing the confidence of the
poor. who see that they no longer have
influence to help. Even their recon-
mendations to the great committee are
fiuence- 1t appears to US that when the
relief fund shall be exhausted there
will be nothing effective to take its
place and do it's work
POOR SHOULD BE PAID
1t is our opinion that nothing is so
essential to the welfare of the poor OF
this city as to place the established
and indorsed charities and social CEN
ters of this city fairly upon their feet
their debts, if any, paid and thus placed
in a position to once more appeal to
those who have been accustomed to
support them and once more gather
about them those whom they have been
accustomed to aid and uplift.
The general business of relief should