Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-04-28
COMMISSIONERS SUSTAINED
Aldermen Did Not Take Mayor $
Talk Very Seriously.
Members Of board OF Charities Nuic
Exhaustive Reply TO Mayor
Uu.kc's Cr,tirisms. Charging
Ncdd,csOWc Activity.

ber Of the heard If charities to succeed
{. i. smith. tho names of Dr. j. !.
lAliocquc and Iutique Gravel. recon-
m"nd"d by the mayor. having hcon held
NY by the board The meeting TO
suited IL lots Of ialE, another re-
communication and no appointment. the
inr"'rg being adjourned tndofiuitcly. 6.
y smith. aS member Of the board ot
charities read report. stating the posi-
ton or the board of charities. and he was
followed ny the mayor. VINO talked a long
while and repeated all that he had stated
at two previous meetings. Alderman
Clarke was present. making Il fun board.
At the hc2i'ning. a letter from Dr. J.
t.. l.aRocquc. declining To be considered
as a nc1nbcr Of the board Of charities,
was read and accepted. The mayors re-
commentator Of tho appointment Of
/ntique Grave To- ihc office vas then
read nv pr"eiicri Dion. whereupor
Alderman Sulliran moved that tie board
90 into executive session. Mayor Eurk"
Objected saying that the board had met
TO take action on the appointments of Mr..
Gravol and nothing else and he askci
that inc meeting hc Public. concerning
the poor department the mayor stated
that he would later demand an inrestiga-
ton and would make charges TO that
effect. President Dion also spoke. uphold-
Ing tho naVor's position Alderman
CO.'S Ic. tbcu moved that tn" members OF
the charity, commission ne heard, ana
tn" motion vas carried
G. j. smith then read tho following
To the Honorable BOARD Of Aldermen:
In view Of the criticisms made by tho
mayor it seems proper that the hoard ~
charities should mako statement TO
Your honorable body
Whom the present members Of the hoard
con scented to serve. it was With tho hope
on their part that they might organize
the department. in such n WAY that 4
woiild be of pcriuareat b"uef to the city.
The question Of how 10 care for the
worthy poor sud pr'yen, the city being
imposed upon by nupostors and unworthy
people Is ono with which every city is
Struggling to greater or less extent.
TIE aim of the present board has been
10 care for the old and unfortunate, 81
assist others In need and. If possible,
educate them ont Of pauperisrn to q point
wher" they could maintain themselves
| we have tried to find and furnish EN-
| ployment 90 prevent their forming tho
| habit Of coming 70 the city for aid and
| SO destroying their self-respect and prd,
and bringing their families III In rhupor-
ism Just how TO care for the chidrer
whore the parents are unWort by IS :
very difficult problem and is one that
the commissioners have given Sreat
deal OF thought aud attention. Letter,
and reports received from large NUM-.
Der Of cities in New England indicate tina
| 1t is one Of tho very difficult problems
and MANY Of the cities are refusing e
pay rent but arc furnishing what tho'
call city homes whore families Of shift
less and unworthy parents can ne carcc
for and the parents forced 70 maintai
! thems. !v"s
| We have endea Vored 10 worN In har
| mony with the charitable organizations a.
the city and have found them quite will
ING to render all possible assistance &c
tn" department. Each city mas it's owl
problems peculiar 20 Itself and with tn
tcxperirnce the board has already had il
the past three wears. during which tim.
many experiments have been tried. ",
were in hopes this year to be able l.
make some definite recommendation Il
your honorable board
When the board appointed by Mayo
EigeioW consisting OF the Rev. =. j
Barrett. Dr. John r. Vince err, and 6. =
Smith, organized. knowing that there ha,
been lack Of harmony between tn
former mayor. Mr.. Burke. and the poo
master, Nj, kiila". they thought hes
to avoid any embarrassment that Nigh
come to the board from III trouble an
a In. rl M T. bo 10
a acmber of your honorable body NJ
Sanborn would not consent to serve on tn
pre- ent salary of $500. so the member
of the board. feeling that as they wer
going to aVe their time to the vori,
preferred TO do so without any embar
easement and personally volunteered /
pay the other 500. making his saar
1000. When the appointment came t
The board of aldermen for It's approva
II was rcfus ID on the ground that Will
thcN recognized tho exceptional qua Iii
cations of Mir. Sanborn for tn" position
they felt that Mr.. Killam hal been
faithful overscer, doing his work vel
and that he had been embarrassed dur
ing tho year by MAYOR Burke. who wa
opposed to his appointment. The boar
of charities accepted the situation an
assured Jr. hiilam that they woul
sustain him in his work and give him a
opportunity to prove what the board {
aldermen had claimed for him. The con-
nissioncrs found that Nj. i>!llam ha
had much valuable experience and wa
willing in every way That he could 10 a.
} sist in carrying ont their wishes.
one OF the first questions that the boar
} had to deal with was the method OF fun
nishing supplies. Finding that much
the time OF the overseer of the poor wa
occupied IN delivering goods In the di
ferent familc, from the store which wa
maintained a. his o.iico they decided 10 T
the method of giving orders to the diffe
t ent merchants Of the city. which is II
plan OF nearl! all the cities OF our Sit
}. and smaller throughout New Englan
e BY so doing the overseer of the poor Wa
= given time to make tho necessary inve
: | tIgations that he might do his work n
telligcntlN In the opinion Of the boa
to maintain the city store would requir
additional help and they dou5; wheth.
the results would he satisfactory or ec
nomical although 1t il a question the
are stil studying with Interest
The commissioners dislike to cri,lcl;
o the conduct OF the mayor but seem fore,
Z TO do SO. 1t is unfortunate that he hi
i ohosen to assume Tie attitude OF crit
G rather than TO render such assistance ,
s he might. In newspaper interviews n
mayor Is reported To have said that
= did not object TO the amount Of mon,
T expended by the commissioners but tn;
q lie though eight dollars a ton for coal W;