Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-18
A Blow at Charity.

Senator Robinson deals with specu.
1ative philosophy and not with the
reality Of things as they are when he
suggests that st will be a poor excuse
for those who can afford it not to con-
tribute because the Government also
proposes to give" toward the relief OF
the hungry. Suppose it is a poor ex-
cuse. What has that got to do with it?
The proposed $25,00OOoo food dole
aside from marking a dangerous and
radical departure in the use of public
fumes, becomes a vicious blow beneath
the belt when considered in its relation
to the work of organized charity in the
United States. 1t is doubtful If any
proposal could be made that would as
quickly serve to discourage private
charity and welfare work and dump
the responsibilities so represented into
the lap Of a government that has no
intention of meeting them.
The Red Cross has asked for $4,000
600. 1t obviously considers that amount
adequate to deal with cases that, be-
cause Of geographical isolation or other
circumstances, fall outside the jurisdic-
ton of the thousand and enc private or
semi-public charitable and welfare or
CARNATIONS functioning in every city
and town of the country.
Along comes this proposal, under the
guise Of a humanitarian and helpful
gesture from the Federal Government,
for food fund of $25,ooo,0o0. 1t rep
resents more than twice what the Red
Cross asked for. Within a week it has
accumulated $l0,o0o,o0o over and above
a sum first proposed in the Senate as
necessary food loan, and instead Of a
loan it becomes an outright gift. The
Red Cross, just beginning the great task
of raising $1o,0o0,0o0 through private
subscription, must now explain, by some
method that is not made plain in the
Senate, that it really needs $35,o0o,o0o
but the country at large is only being
asked to give $1o,ooo,o00. The Senate
proposal has already threatened to con-
fuse and confound the Red Cross ap-
peal. 1t may condemn it altogether.
It will do more, If the proposal be-
comes an actual dole. Its effect viii be
encountered by every charitable and
welfare organization in the land. Com
munities are learning how to deal with
the individual problems resulting from
misfortune and suffering. They are
problems as old as the world itself, and
lessons in how to solve them have not
been taught by the Federal Govern
ment No aid has been asked or ex-
pected from that source.
But now enters the Federal Government
with a s25 100000 Federal food bounty,
TO be distributed by the Red Cross. Re-
sponsibility in dealing with suffering Is
Immediately divided, and division OF re-
sponsibility in such cases merely invites
disaster Confusion in the public mind
as 10 whether the federally subsidized
Red Cross or the community itself
should deal not only with emergent
problems, but with those that are al
ways with us, will naturally arise. The
measure of a statesman will be made in
terms Of the number of potatoes or
loaves of bread he has been able to OBJ
tain from the Red Cross for the poor
among his constituency. And those
who ask for donations, in. the name Of
sweet charity, will be referred to Wash
ington.
II this proposal represents the
amount Of money necessary to feed the
hungry in this country, it Is absurd
in It's inadequacy. If 1t represents a
sincere desire to help, it is funda-
mentally wrong in its basic conception
Of the serious problem. II it is politics,
it smells to high heaven, because, for
political purposes, it capitalizes human
suffering.
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