Evening star., 1926-04-22
I'VE, the People of Washington. ,

AT So-Called mass meeting OF citi-
zens held here last night it was voted
| to indorse for enactment by Congress
the bill providing for a system of aid
TO dependent mothers and children, /,
which has been proposed and pro-
| NOTED by interests alien to Washing
ton, and which differs in a material
degree from that which has been pro-
posed by the District Commissioners.
The mass" meeting was attended by
less than forty persons, most of
whom were from elsewhere than
Washington. The vote, therefore. has
| no significance as a reflection of local
public sentiment. In point of fact
local sentiment is overwhelmingly in
favor of the Commissioners bill now
before the Senate, with favorable rec
ommendation by the District commit
tee as substitute for that which has
been passed by the House, itself pre-
tended compromise, though in fact in
its essence the New York BILL"
1t is. therefore, in order to demur to
any statement that may be made to
Congress, the Senate particularly, to
the effect that the sentiment of the
District people is in favor of the sep
arate board mothers aid bill as at
tested by last nights meeting. 1t is
likewise in order to protest the state.
ment made by a member of the House
of Representatives who addressed the
meeting, to the effect that unless the
local people subscribed to the New
York bill no mothers pension legisla-
ton would be enacted at this session.
Argument has been made that this
is not a New York bill," but is a
model measure which has already been
adopted in a number of the States,
and which the District of Columbia
should, therefore, have as it's law.
This does not follow at all. Whatever
the name or designation of the meas
ure as it passed the House, it is not
satisfactory to the people of Washing.
ton. However many States may have
adopted 1t at the instance of a ma
tional organization, it does not follow
that it is suitable to the District of
Columbia.
Experience here has proved the un-
wisdom of subdividing the public well
fare work under various Jurisdictions
and the necessity of consolidating
boards and agencies for the admins
tration of charities and other means of
alleviating the misfortunes of the peo-
ple A law to that effect has been
lately enacted, creating a public well
fare board to administer all such
works in Washington, which would,
under the Commissioners bill, carry
on the administration of the mothers
aid law. Yet almost coincidentally
with the creation of this consolidated
board it is proposed to establish new
agency, the jurisdiction of which would
conflict inevitably with that of the new
creation.
1t was argued at the meeting last
night that the Commissioners bill
would in it's working be degrading to
mothers made beneficiaries by it, that
they would be compelled to accept
their doles of aid as charity, that hun
dreds of mothers would refuse to ask
for pensions If they had to apply to a
board which deals likewise with dere-
licts and delinquents; that the grant
Of these pensions is the recognition of
a natural right and not charity. To
these contentious the people of Wash
ington who have studied this question
and who are now asking for the en-
actment Of the Commissioners bill an.
swer that there is no natural right;
that there is nothing degrading in &C
cepting aid through a board which has
general jurisdiction over dependents
and delinquents. and finally that no
worthy woman who Is left dependent
with children to support would be
justified by any consideration in de-
clining this bounty or in hesitating to
seek it from such a source.
-$~0O-s----