Evening star., 1925-02-10
MOTHERS PENSION
BILL PASSES HOUSE
Included in Welfare Board
Measure - Would End
"Farming Out" of Children.

The bill creating a board of public
: welfare in the District OF Columbia
was passed by the House yesterday
and sent to the Senate
TIE welfare legislation sponsored
in the House by Representative Oscar
f. Keller OF Minnesota and which
has the approval of a joint confer
ence of the Senate and House Dis
trct committees as passed by the
House, creates a board of public well
fare of five members which Will
supersede the Board of Charities, the
board of Children's Guardians and
6 the hoard OF trustees OF the National
Training School for Girls. 1t also
creates the office of director of pub
lilo welfare.
=. Before passing the measure yester-
day the House unanimous adopted
an amendment to the bill by Repre-
sentative Thomas l.. Blanton or
Texas providing that the new well
fare board instead of paying money
to an outsider to care for the child,
may pay it to the mother to care for
the child in its own home. This
mothers pension legislation has been
advocated by District authorities and
social workers for years.
Representatives Fight for Bill.
Representative r. Walton Moore
of Virginia, assisted by Representa-
tives Blanton in perfecting this
amendment and Representative Otis
Wingo of Arkansas and Representa-
tive Charles Crisp of Georgia argued
in support of the proposition when a
point of order was raised.
The public welfare bill gives to the
proposed new board of five members
complete and exclusive jurisdiction
and control over the following institu-
tions:
The workhouse at Occoquan, the re-
formatory at Lorton, the Washington
asylum and jail, the Gallinger Mu-
nicipal Hospital, the Tuberculosis
Hospital, the Home for the Aged, the
Municipal Lodging House, the In
Children, the National Training School
for Girls and the Home Training School
for the Feeble Minded
The Blanton amendment started a
bitter debate, with opposition from
those who contended that the present
legislation sought only TO coordinate
the welfare organizations, while the
amendment raised the question of
commitment, which was a matter for
court decision under existing laws.
Representative Blanton attacked as
"barbarous" the practice of the Juve-
nile Court in taking children from
parents because they were poor, even
though they We're of good moral char
acter, and farming" them out to
others for hire TO be kept.
Representative Zihlman led the fight
for preserving the integrity OF the
committee bill, and made the point of
order against the Blanton amendment.
Representative Louis Q. Cramton of
Michigan, presiding in the committee
of the whole, ruled that the point of
order was well taken. Mr.. Blanton
appealed from this decision and won
the support of the House, So to 40.
In supporting the Blanton amend
ment. Representative Wingo referred
to the case of Mrs. Francis Walker
Waters and her two children, whose
bottles were found Sunday in their
apartment. He emphasized that pow
erty had caused this triple tragedy.
II would rather see $4,000 of the
taxpayers money wasted on shiftless
mothers than have one child taken
from a good mother" he declared, and
the House applauded and ch eered.
sCheers were also given to Representa-
tive Blanton when he attacked the
present system. explaining that social
workers go about the city seeking
custody of children whose mothers
are not able to care for them prop
erly. The Juvenile Court, he said,
gives the board custody of these chill
dren and the board in turn farms
them out" paying $40 month for
board and room. His amendment di-
rects that this money be paid to the
mothers. ~s