Evening star., 1933-02-01
CHARITY HEADS SEE
CRISIS FOR CAPITAL
Associated Welfare Agencies
Reveal Private Aid Is
Exhausted.

Government must appropriate money
for unemployment relief or the Nations
Capital will be confronted this year
with the spectacle of starvation and
rebellion, spokesmen of organized char
ity warned last night at the 51st an
nual meeting Of the Associated Chari-
ties.
dire picture of distress among the
tobleSS Of Washington and the made
quacy of private philanthropy to han
die the situation was painted as the
representatives of the city's outstand-
ing charitable organizations agreed
unanimously that Congress must be
bombarded on behalf of the voiceleSs
people whom we represent"
To carry on the work of the Asso-
ciated Charities for the ensuing year,
the members reelected their entire
slate of officers. headed by Coleman
Jennings as president Corcoran Thorn
again was chosen as vice president.
Harry G. Meem as treasurer, and Her
bert A. Poole as assistant treasurer.
Board members reelected for the
three-year term were Maj. H. o. At
wood. Edward F. Colladay, Clarence
Phelps Dodge, C. c. Morgan, Mrs E.
K Morris. John j. O'Connor. Miss Lucy
D. Slowe. Miss Florence P Epofford. DR..
Taliaferro, Evan H. Tucker ani Presi-
dent Jennings.
UffOrd Sounds Plea.
Walter S. Ufford, general secretary
of the organization, pleaded eloquently
for Federal aid for the jobless, declar-
ing "our only salvation" lies in the
placing of the District Of Columbia on
the Reconstruction Finance Corpora
ton list by an amendment to that cor
= pOrations organic act so that the Dis
trict can borrow money to meet the
city's needs.
Private charity can no longer carry
on" he warned the audience which
packed Barker Hall, Y. w. C. A., at
Seventeenth and K streets. THE def
cheney appropriation of $625, 900 is not
enough. People actually are starving
here in the National Capital, actually
being set out on the street, homeless.
why should we not be allowed to
he asked. 1T is not Federal funds that
we ask for, yet we must be reduced to
the spectacle of begging the Congress
for money.
1T is because we do not have self
rule that We stand here tonight ap-
pealing begging our City Council on
Capitol Hill for money for people who
are starving even in the shadow of the
dome"
Ufford said "our larger hope" lies in
the La Toilette -Costigan bill, now pend
ing in the Senate, which would appro-
pirate $500000 900 for relief of unem-
ployment throughout the country by
furnishing jobs on public works. He
said he had hoped to have Senator Co.'S
tigan, Democrat, of Colorado, co-author
of the measure, attend the meeting to
explain his bill, but the Senator had a
previous engagement.
Home Relief Urged.
The secretary also advocated the ad-
dition to the Board of Public Welfare
of department of home relief which
could take over and properly admins
ter any public funds appropriated by
Congress
He cited fgurues to show that last
year his agency cared for SLOT fami-
lies, for which it expended S375,0 as
compared with 3,739 in 1881, when
$188,963 was spent.
Arthur RoSichan, executive director
of the Jewish Social Service Agency
formerly the United Hebrew Relief So
ciety). predicted 'it will be only short
time before the private relief agency
is wiper off the map" He; too, warned
against starving people into submis-
sion and pleaded for adequate public
relief. not on a starvation level" Work
of the private agencies, including the
"diagnostic treatment of the social
worker" must be carried on by the pub
lie agencies, he declared.
Maj. James Asher. divisional COM
mander Of the Salvation Army, agreed
that it is "out of the question for pri-
vate agencies to meet the demand" and
appealed Ito every one of you to en-
list the aid of the District Commits
sioners to get from Congress the money
necessary to take over the relief stu
ation.'
Discussing the transient men situ-
alton. Maj. Asher disclosed that in 1882
the Washington unit of the army cared
for 41,000 men, an increase of 675 per
cent over 1890 Similarly, he said, a
survey of 213 Southern cities revealed
that 955,000 men were handled last
year. while in 1928 the same cities cared
for only 7,407. or an increase of 400
per cent. He said Nationwide survey
OF the much-discussed movement of
transient youths now is being under
taken by the Salvation Army.
Pictures Urgent Need.
Father Lawrence j. Shehan, assistant
director of Catholic Charities, asserted
the situation has gotten beyond where
we can do the job on an ADEQUATE
scale" and expressed the belief. I'VE
need help other than that at hand and
need that help very soon
He said there are three courses left
open to his charity: % adminiStra-
ton Of relief as needed for the next
three or four months or until funds
are exhausted; (2) increase already
overburdened parish relief, or 90 de-
VelOp and organize public relief.
Francis j. Miller, director of welfare
ana relief OF the American Legion, re-
vealed that in the last four months of
1882 the increase in demand upon his
organization has amounted to 16 per
cent. with the figure still going up.
Private funds for relief work are ex-
hausted,' said Miller. There must be
an awakening of the public conscious
ness to the end that there shall be
enacted enacted adequate public appropri-
Mordecai w. johnson, president of
Howard University, in a discussion of
the Effect of Unemployment on the
status OF the Washington Negro" cited
ngures OF the Board of Public Welfare
that 30 per cent. or $3.50. of the total
NUMBER OF families receiving help from
that agency are colored, while approxi-
mately 5UUO others are in need of re-
lief, but for one reason or another
have not received it." He said there
are only $4,000 colored families living
in Washington and that. therefore,
"one fourth of the Negro population is
in distress"
The university president, pointing out
the poor physical condition of the
Negro, even before the depression" ad-
vocated the abolition of alley dwellings
in the Capital and suggested plan
whereby funds for this purpose could
be obtained from the Reconstruction
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