The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-01-14
MAYOR merriam TO
attend CONVENTION
Of Mayors in Jacksonville
Next Wednesday and
Thursday.

Mayor Bowden of Jacksonville has
called a convention of Mayors of sew
eral southern states to meet in jack
sonville next Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday to consider matters of i'm
portance to every mayor. This
meeting has been also justly called a
Civic Conference, and many matters
will be up for discussion
Mayor Bowden in a letter to The
News says:
"The reason for calling this con-
vention was not for the purpose of
considering the wandering hobo that
travels from place to place by his own
efforts or of his own volition, but for
the purpose of regulating and putting
stop to the sending of the dependent
from one community to another.
Those who have not come in contact
with this evil cannot appreciate the
extent of this evil for the reason that
they know nothing of the conditions.
There is a humane side to this subject
and the humane side is the principal
reason that induced me to issue this
call. People without a penny
earth; women with little children de-
pendent upon them are sent by one
community to another leaving the
community where they have friends
and someone that understands their
condition, dropping them at the depot
in a strange community with no place
to go except the police station; no
one is interested in them or cares
| %L,,,c. bout fhar, This 1noc nof np.
cur only occasionally but it is done
every day.
"Only week before last town in
Florida sent to Jacksonville woman
with seven children, the oldest being
twelve years old and all she had when
she landed here was $2.85 which had
been contributed to her by those on
the train while in transit. Of course
our charitable institutions had to
tal-e charge of this woman and these
children. A few months ago man
over six feet tall hobbled into my Of
flee and told me that a collection had
been made for him in South Florida
town and that he had been sent to
Jacksonville for hospital treatment;
he had an incurable disease. The
laws of this City or most every other
City prohibits the acceptance of pa
tients sent from another community
for the reason for which this man was
sent here. Having no other course
II ascertained where this man had
Originally come from before going to
South Florida, / found that he had q
father and l sent him to his father
Had l not done this he would have
been care upon this community and
was sent here by some other communi-
ty in order to get rid Of him There
are hundreds of just such cases that
come each year."
Mayor Merriam of Palatka will at
tend the convention and will have a
part in the discussion. He will also
have a conspicuous place at the ban
quet table, and will respond to toast
| Among prominent Mayors of South
ern cities who will be present and
who will make addresses are: Hon
Wallace J. Pierpont of Savannah
Hon. o. B. Eaton of Winston-Salem
N. c., Hon. Chas. w. Patterson of
New Orleans, Hon. Bridges Smith Of
Macon, Hon. VIM. M. McGrath Of
Birmingham, Ala, and others. Flori-
da will be we'll represented.
The addresses Of welcome will be
delivered by Hon. ]. E. T. Bowden
Mayor Of Jacksonville, and Hon. Chas
H. Mann.
Great preparations are being made
flor the "Mile Dinner" on Tuesday
evening. There will also be an Orange
Festival in Hemming Park at p. m
that day.