The Washington times., 1922-07-04
REVISION
Of LAWS
FAVORED
Animals Are Assured Quick
Action, But Children Are
Not, Heap Declares.

"Commercialized charities" in
the District of Columbia have made
prosecution of cases of cruelty to
animals far easier than instances
in which children have been NAL
treated, declared John P. Heap,
secretary of the Washington HUI
name Society, today.
"The work of seeing that animals
are properly cared for" said Heap,
'is barely provided by private sub
scriptions and membership fees.
Most of the money sent to us is
specifically given for the purpose
of animal work. With this money
tied up, and with no appropriation
from Congress, we cannot go far IN
prosecuting children's cases."
Delay BY. Board Assailed.
1t was pointed out that a person
arrested for tormenting an animal
may be arraigned and fined or SEN
fenced within twenty-four hours.
II a case of cruelty to child Is
brought into court by the society.
sentence or fine is imposed-and
there the jurisdiction of the Humane
Society ends. For the further care
of such children the Board OF Chill
dren's Guardians was created.
If, as has been the case in recent
years, the matter is reported by the
society to the guardians board. a
week or more may be consumed IN
preliminaries before action benefit
ing the child is taken, Heap said.
"You never know how long the
Board of Children Guardians Will be
in reaching desperate case. ne
declared. by the time the board
makes an investigation and the
Juvenile court orders concerning the
disposal of the child, ii may be
starved to death. This has been my
experience in the past. The principal
trouble with the care OF children In
the District Is mismanagement.
The business of the city's child
welfare agencies, according TO heap
Is inextricably bound up in red tape
which can be cut only through dras-
tic revision of the laws governing
children in the District.
Gard Indexes Come First.
"The problem OF child care here
in largely a matter Of bookkeerinS,'
he charged. "A child's past, present
and future has been lowered to the
level Of a card index record. Ihe
human element has been LETT out
almost entirely in the craze for sys-
tenn and the intense desire to show
q record for the years work.
This rule not only applies to tn"
welfare of District children, bus 10
District charities in general. charity
Ia not merely a collection or 1lgures
to be posted on a ledger. 1t i3 not
a thing that can be subject to stand
srdized rules. The immediate cir
cumstances must prevail in all cases.
But, in Washington, the real essence
of charity is lost in commerc!alism
and hard-and-fast system.
The Association for the Prevention
OF Cruelty to Animals was chartered
by Congress in 1870. and its maine
was changed to the Washington HUI
name Society by the act OF Feb
tuary 10, 1885, when its powers were
enlarged to cover cases of cruelty 10
children.
Powers Later Curtailed.
BY this act the Commissioners
were charged to cooperate with the
society through the Police Depart
ment, by detailing policemen to tho
work Of the organization.
This benefit was taken away by
Congress in the act of July 26, 1892,
which created the board of Childr"n'S
guardians. While the society was
allowed to protect children. II was
rendered powerless to do anything
but bring the offenders to court.
The 1892 law put into the hands
Of the guardians board almost ahso-
lutte authority over children com
mitted to it's care. but provided for
no adequate supervision of the board
by the commissioners or the Board
OF Charities.
The law provided that the boarc
shall be the legal guardian OF all
children committed to it's care by
the courts, and shall have full pow.
er to board them in private families,
TO board them in institutions willing
TO receive them, to bind out or ap'
prentice them, or to give them IN