The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-01-17
D. c. WELFARE
BILL NEEDED
MARSHALL
Vice President Endorses Curtis
Measure at Hearing Before
Senate Committee.

Coordination of all Of the various
charitable and welfare organizations
in Washington under the direction
of the Board of Public Welfare, COM
posed of citizens who would serve
without compensation, was strongly
urged by Vice President Marshall to-
day at hearing by the Senate Dis
trict Committee.
HEARING ON CURTIS BILL.
The hearing was on the bill intro
duced by Senator Curtis. providing
for compulsory school attendance and
prohibiting the employment of chill
dren under fourteen years OF age in
any line OF industry In the National
Capital.
Vice President Marshall said that
the National Capital should have a
model board OF public welfare to be
used as a guide by all the cities OF
the country. whereas at present there
are a score or more of Independent
and unrelated charity and welfare or
ganizations frequently overlapping
and duplicating each others efforts.
Senator Sherman and Senator Shep-
pard expressed their accord with the
views given by Vice President Mar
shall with regard to the necessity for
the suggested board.
The Vice president accompanied his
suggestion with a codifcation OF the
welfare laws Of Massachusetts and
Indiana, said by him to have been
pronounced by the intentional Con-
gress of Charities and Corrections to
be the best In the world. and urged
that this codification be introduced
in the form of a bill to apply 20
the District of Columbia His sug-
gestion in this regard was followed
by the committee and the bill will
beintroduced within the next day or
two.
WOULD CONCENTRATE WORK.
81 am a firm believer in the prin-
ciple that the world should be gov
erned by law and not by discretion"
said Vice President Marshall. II be-
lieve that the various activities which
a government Is compelled to assume
should be co-ordinated so as to pre-
vent duplication of effort and work
tremendously toward a common end.
that comon end being the public well
fare. / believe, therefore. in the Dis
trict of Colubia these various activi-
ties should be a branch OF depart
ment of public welfare. presided
over by a board Of citizens who are
III inc oh'
will give their time to furthering 1t
without compensation at the hands of
the government. am quite well
aware that this may meet with oppC-
sition at the hands of public officials
and that IT must run the gauntlet Of
that strange human nature, which in
sists that the thing which is being
done is the all important maer ana
all oilers are merely secondary and
Incidental"
Vice President Marshall said that the
manner in which insane people are
committed to asylums is appalling. He
said these people are sick and should
be handled AS such. but instead they
are treated as criminals. He charac-
terized the absence of law governing
the boarding of the insane as little
short of a crime" He strongly urged
the speedy construction OF a home for
the feeble minded and immediate
treatment for such patients, saying
that rs per cent of the insanity in
Washington could thus be prevented
WANTS ORPHANS ADOPTED.
The Vice President also stated that
there was a crying need for better
laws providing for humanitarian
treatment for illegitimate children,
and for the care of orphans. He said
that instead of being placed in insti-
buttons the orphans should be turned
over to the care of childless husbands
and wives who would provide good