The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-03-09
WOULD HAVE LESS PUBLICITY
Method of Dispensing Aid Through Pau
per Officials Is Cause Of Woman De-
clining Aid Officials May Demand
Change in Methods in County.

An unusual condition has arisen in
connection with the dispensing of
mothers pensions in Kenosha and the
very first woman who was aided under
the state plan has declined to accept
this aid on account of methods en-
.ployed The first order amounting to
forty dollars, which was issued on the
first of February, remains unclaimed
and the woman is still struggling
against heavy odds to provide for the
support of her family Of three little
children. It is an unequal burden for
her, but she declares that rather than
subject herself to the demands of the
officials in charge of distributing the
aid, she will decline to accept county
aid. When the first pension was pro-
vided for Judge George w. Taylor
named the city pauper commissioner
as the distributing agent and he has
insisted that the beneficiary Of the
pension come to the city hall and line
up with the other paupers to secure
her portion of support.
"This is hardly contemplated in the
law said Judge Taylor this morning.
my understanding of this humani-
tartan movement was that it was to
provide for the distribution Of aid to
these people without the necessity Of
publicity. / have no words of cri-
ticism for the city pauper department
and / believe in Mr.. Saftig and his
methods, but ] can also see the point
made by this unfortunate woman. We
shall be forced to make some other
provision. Perhaps the methods can be
changed just a little so that the dis
pensing of the aid granted under this
act may not be SO public as the usual
pauper transactions. I feel deeply
the value of this county aid to the I'M
fortunate, but at the same time feel
that we should seek to pay it the same
as other pensions are paid. It is made
easy for other people pensioned from
the public funds for them to accept
this aid and this was my idea of the
enforcement of the present law
But two orders providing for moth
er's pensions have been issued and in
both of the cases the people in ques-
ton have not been dependents on the
bounty of the city and county. The
big question as to just how far this
dependency is to be recognized re-
mains for the solution of the judges
who may have charge of the expendi-
ture of the funds provided by the
county. Both Judge Taylor and Judge
Randall, who have equal power in dis
pensing the fund, have held that the
names of the people being aided should
not be made public. It is held that
this is temporary aid, considered as
ar investment of the county to pre-
vent pauperism and to prevent the
Suffering of women and little children
and that for this reason that as little
publicity should be given the admins
tration of the act as possible. It is
probable that conference of all the
pauper officials of the county will be
held next week at which time an eff
fort will be made to work out new
plan for the distribution of these funds
of these funds so that they will not be
so that they will not be handled in the
same manner as those of the pauper
departments of the city and the vari-
Gus towns.
Chicago.