The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-12-14
TUEASURERDECLINES ORDERS
Asserts That He Has No Fund from
Which to Pay Them and Appeals to
Officials of County for Solution of
Difficulty-C Claims Against County.

With the Christmas greens every
where in evidence, with the message
of 'tGood Will to Men, being preach
ed from every house top and in every
pulpit, sixteen families in Kenosha
county are without any means of sup
port. These families are made up of
widowed mothers who have been try
ing hard to support little children.
Mothers who have found the burden to
heavy to bear and who on this account
had appealed to the courts of record
in the county, to be included in the
list of people receiving aid under the
so-called "Mother's Pension act. -
These sixteen women have been mott
fed that they can not secure any
| further monies from the county. Act
ing County Treasurer James W. Blair
has declined to pay the orders for
these pensions delivered to him.
1T have no alternative in the mat
ter" said the acting treasurer this
morning. "The fund for the payment
of these orders has been entirely ex
hausted and I have no fund from which
to draw this money without being per-
sonally liable for it. I have appealed
to the proper officials for guidance in
this matter and until I get an opinion
as to what can be done ] must abso-
lutely refuse to honor these county
orders. [ have been advised that these
orders are just as much legal claim
against Kenosha county as any other
orders issued, but I can not pay them
on account Of the absence of funds
appropriated for this purpose. It is a
matter of deep regret to me that I can
not relieve this suffering by payment
of these orders, but / can not act with
out warrant. / am hopeful that the
matter will be cleared up so that
these families may receive their
support from the county again before
Christmas day"
The sixteen families under the pen
sion law have been receiving in. the
neighborhood of two hundred and
twenty-five dollars monthly from the
county made up in payments varying
from. ten to forty-fve dollars month
In every case the Judge of the Mum
cipal Court or the Judge of the County
Court has investigated the conditions
before the pensions were granted and
has held that the people receiving them
were worthy of the support of the
county. Of course these people can
appeal to the regular pauper officials
for aid, but it is doubtful if these Of
fcials would furnish any aid to them
with the knowledge that they have
already been granted the pensions
from the county. In some cases the
need of the people is very acute.
Many Of the mothers whose pension
checks have been held up have large
families Of small children dependent on
them. There is no way for them to
secure support for the children and
with bitter winter weather coming on
they are cast into gloom.
It is probable that an effort will be
made at once to find some way to give
the county treasurer power to pay
CneSe ORDERS. IneSe orders nave not
been negotiable in the past and it is
probable that any attempt on the part
of the pensioners to negotiate them
would be unsuccessful. Of course the
county must pay these orders some
time, but the payment of them may
be held up until after the January
meeting Of the County Board