The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-02-10
PRESS COMMENT
A City Council Joke

Read this.
Finding that there was no place but
the city or county jail in Miami 10
which delinquent girls could be sent
for safe-keeping, a group of Miami
citizens undertook to establish a
home where there would be a chance
to set unfortunate girls on the path
to happy useful, honorable lives.
Going before the county commits
sioners these citizens, after many dis
appointments, arranged to take over
the county poor farm for such home.
The county agreed to give fifteen
thousand dollars year for such an
institution provided that the city
would give a corresponding sum!
Going before the city council, these
citizens succeeded in getting the prom
Use of the fifteen thousand from the
city. With the resolution of the city
council passed, the committee went
back to the county commissioners and
were given possession of the county
poor farm, with the burden of caring
for such indigents as are living on the
county's bounty to care for in addi-
ton td the work for the girls.
Having taken possession of the poor
farm, the committee Immediately be-
gan to improve the buildings and in
crease its equipment. A woman was
put in charge who is said to be re-
markedly capable and of fine charac-
ter. The poor farm was changed from
a repelling, disgraceful- looking place
to a really attractive one, and as the
work continues, it will be a place in
which every Dade county citizen may
feel pride.
Most of the improvements have been
represented by scrub brushes and
paint and intelligent spending of the
little money that has been used. There
has been a careful husbandry of the
funds, and, depending as it has upon
the money promised by the city, the
committee has stayed we'll within it's
supposed income.
But here is the. point of the story.
That money PROMISED by the city Is
not available. Without notifying the
committee, the city council cut the
amount promised this worthy cause
from the budget. And in the mean
time the committee has been spending
the promised money that it believed
belonged to it!
Thirty-six hundred dollars would be
due the committee from the promised
fifteen thousand. An Indebtedness of
twenty-seven hundred dollars has
been incurred on the strength of the
thirty-six hundred dollars, believed to
be available.
Remember that nobody notified the
committee that the city council had
gone back on it's word. The city coun-
Gil promised the money, voted to give
it, passed resolutions authorizing it.
And then slipped it out of the budget,
without saying a word to the people
who were depending upon receiving
the money to meet the cost of a most
worthy public work!
What is to be done? The Metrop-
oils does not know. 1t seems that
nobody knows. 1t is just one of those
things that is done in a city man
aged after the plan of which Miami's
affairs are managed.
The institution is one that Miami
and the county at large needs very
gravely. 1t is in the hands of a COM
mittee that is unselfishly devoting
valuable time and energy to upbuild-
ing. with every care to the wise eX-
penditure of the peoples money.
But there is no peoples money"
from Miami. The city council has
seen to that quite jokingly!-Miami