The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-01-13
BETTER CHARITY
FUND SYSTEM
Cleveland Plan ReVOlutIOnizGs
Method Of Administration.
HELP WHERE IT IS NEEDED,

Unifieation Scheme Designed to Guard
Against Possibility Of Philsnthropio
5equests OUTLYING Their Usefulness.
Provides For Conditions Which Givero
Cannot Foresee.
tion for philanthropic and charitable
purposes which is intended to group
together large number of requests
and donations of all sizes and to insure
the expenditure of their income where.
in the opinion Of the trustees of the
fund. the money will do the most good
to the people of the city.
Under the plan as worked out man
may leave his property in trust for
such individual bene6ciaries as be may
name during their lives, the income on
their death to be expended by the trus-
tees of the foundation for such philan-
thropic work as in their opinion seems
most deserving at the time.
On the other hand, If he wishes to
do so the donor may indicate the phil
enthropic purpose for which he de-
sires the money to be used, and it will
be used for this purpose until. in the
opinion of the trustees. the need for
the money in this direction is no longer
felt.
The Aims Described.
When this occurs the trustees will
have the power to turn the income
back into the general fund and to ex-
pend it as they believe will most bene.
fit the city and its inhabitants.
Frederick I'll. Goff originated the plan
He worked over it for two months with
various men and women of Cleveland
Interested in philanthropic undertak
ings.
"The plan as it has been worked
out" says Mr. Goff, provides for q
sort Of community trust to be knowr
as the Cleveland foundation. The
Cleveland Trust company is to act as
trustee, and the trust properties are tC
be controlled and managed by the com
pany. The income of the foundation
when available, is to be disbursed by 6
committee of FIVE trustees.
"The committee is to have absolute
control of the disposition of the income
of the fund. The members of the com
mittee are to hold Office for five years
one member being elected every year.
'The committee will serve withou
compensation. There will be paiC
secretary to be appointed by the trus
tees
"The trustees will publish annually
in the Cleveland newspapers state
ment of all the donations. the incOm,
received by the trustees in the preced
ing year and the disbursements. ThC
public accountants. and visitorial pow
ers will be given to the attorney gen
eral of the state and to the law office
of the city-the corporation counsel.
ut is intended that the philanthropit
purpose of the foundation shall bt
broad enough to include scientific re
search, the prevention Of disease ant
OF poverty, educational and hospita
purposes, Fairgrounds. recreation cen
ters and any other purpose which il
the opinion of the trustees will mos
benefit the inhabitants of the city.
Funds That outIive Usefulness.
Under the present system of be
quests for such purposes it not infre
quently happens that by the time tn
money is available for the charitable
use designated by the testator the neet
for it has passed
There are many funds in existence
which are tied up by a provision tha
they be used for a specific purpose
which have long ago outliyed their use
fulness because the need which existe'
when the testator made the beques
has been outgrown. We have sucl
funds today in Cleveland and in 9th
er parts of the country.
"An extreme example is the Englis
} fund established many years ago TO
] buying spinning wheels for the girls o
, England. Spinning wheels have give
way to machinery, but the funds puI
| pose is III Uidch anu Nhte ~ Aoui
has large fund the founder of whic
prescribed that its income should b
used to assist the pioneers who wer
: travelling overland from the east t
! settle in the great west 1t was
!. worthy cause in those days, but tn
+. fund has outlived the need to suppl
;. which it was created"
9 Mr.. Goff said that $5,000.000 in be
quests, subject to life incomes for heir
at law, already had been promised t
i the foundation.