48 The Financial History of Connecticut. 



In 1792 an additional way was opened to the third of the above 

 classes. If a person of this class lived in a town six years without 

 becoming a pauper, he thereby gained a settlement; but a town 

 was given the right to send such a person back to the town from 

 which he came at any time before the six years were past, provided 

 he seemed liable to become a pauper.^ 



The law of 1789 provided that in case a person not an inhabitant 

 of any town in the state became a pauper, the state should under 

 certain conditions provide for his maintenance for a limited time. 

 If within two weeks of his arrival in a town, he became a charge 

 and the person to whom he became an expense notified the select- 

 men, the state was to pay for his support for a period of three months 

 from the day on which he came to the town, provided the town 

 within the same three months warned him to leave. In case the per- 

 son was unable to leave or to be removed within these three months, 

 because of some sickness or infirmity which developed within this 

 period, the state assumed the burden of supporting Lim until he 

 could be removed. After that time the town became responsible 

 for his support. Every town was authorized, however, to trans- 

 port, at its own expense, to the states from which they came, the 

 inhabitants of other states who became a charge on its hands. Under 

 this law it was impossible for any of the third class to become state 

 paupers. Persons of the first two classes could become state paupers, 

 but as a rule would not be supported by the state for a longer period 

 than three months. The towns could avoid the support of an in- 

 habitant of another state by removing him to that state, but the 

 only way to escape the burden of supporting an alien who became 

 a pauper was to order him within three months to leave the town. 



At first the state was not called upon to expend much for the 

 support of paupers. From April 1, 1789, until April 30, 1803, the 

 total expense to the state for paupers was thirty-one thousand five 

 hundred fifty-nine dollars, an annual average of two thousand two 

 hundred fifty-four dollars. From this time the expense steadily 

 rose. The very next year it reached the five thousand dollar point ; 

 and for the year ending April 30, 1817, the cost had increased to 

 over fifteen thousand dollars. The total amount spent from May 1, 

 1803, until April 9, 1818 (exclusive of the year ending April 30, 

 18062) Y^as one hundred fifty-one thousand five hundred dollars. 

 This is an average of ten thousand eight hundred twenty-one dollars 



1 Conn. Laws, May 1792, p. 412. 



2 Compt. Report. Oct. 1805, is missing. 



