The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1823-07-15

chase supplies Oh tlle tlfull ~ hs"t i1fss' -
an exoriliiani price for food always stlis al
a high price nnon credit 81 be sells OIL MS
! alinuairse nj discount, 10 enable Alin 70
deal for cash. In either case, ss.ofe : pslu
| nv tin. psrisl,. than conIHs tp1lte use OF the
nanprr anu IL fresueatly- hsPpe1S, That
/ hotllthe uiHltfIskeFand pauper Afftia'iy
/ In want of tie tsflt common ncez-sAries OF
| If. before The end OF the year. FIhJse ~
hetter circumstances npdsftalse th.ar MAIN
tenance tiny nsist be- pad considerable
pfem.uin, above the stlirl value, for nndT-
taking so lsagrceable an Office aud the
raiia nfinefease Is go rapid as to assure us
The burthen nilfsoon become utterly insup
portable. No principle OF humanity r.
alires that an industrious and frugal man
| 5hnuid eiYe away his substance III an una
! saillug charity, To The robust u idle sagrant
and sound policy forbids the encourage
| ment OF iewdness aud lncontinrnce. Yet
the laws themselves, charge thcparlsh WIN
| the maintenance ef every bastard born
within its limits. Jfvrte9is poor people
marry and have children, they must lDntn
tain them, by their industry, until they are
ofnn age To be- usefrl, anil II the parents
/ sllAhi'l lFtl bN wv P'Pi ~ P'''fH '''-t'N
! IN .irtuons courses, they may be hound
apprentice they baVe no otherreliaiee hui
| ihsir own exerlions, aud The charitable
! dispositions of their nelshbors aud neither
will fail if they be- honest aud respeelabfe
! but the offspring of incontlueHce has, ~
addition 10 these, the entire resources Of the
parish, pledged Coz It's maintenanee---It IS
! true, that IL the father can be identified, is
able TO maintain his bastards, and anne
uable 10 the laws leach generally II matter
Of difficulty and uncertainty he IS first llh-
BILE for their maintenance. -Extrene age
and poverty. Unmatched pair, touch the
sympathies Of every person possessing the
smallest portion Of humanity bit any sys
tenn ofpolny, having for It's very basis, the
encouragement 4 propagation Of this mon
strous association of two OF lhc greatest us
of life, must be ipjudiciens t. inadmissiblc'
| TO proclain 10 the idle Il the dissolnie, the
gamester aud debauehee, the spendthriit
and druutard, nj the very Threshold of his
career, not only impunlty bat bounty Tor
his vices not only that he shall 20 nnpun-
ishcd, but that he shall spend the evening
of worthless life IN beloved idlcDess that
he shall feed and (it,en upon the substance
of lheindustlious husbandmea around him,
as reward fer having polluted their sons
and daughters, by his example, is neither
lnsl nor polite.
Neither Is il Just, according 10 my appre-
henson, that lcvies fer the relief ri the
poor a large portion of which le'ies is paid
by the INDECENT, should be in any degree,
exhausted by charges for disbursemtni.-
II would be 4 rcproach 10 the country,
which ii does not merit, To believe that
humane and competent persons could not
be found Ia every parish, who wonld make
the disbursement gratai,onsIy. Many OF
those who have been in the habit Of taking
the compensation allowed by law, have
dome it without reflection II is the money
OF the Lme, the blind and the impe:ent.- -
large portion 0f it is paid by persons IN
indgcDt circumstances IL is IA sacred fund
destined for the relief of wretehedness /;
and il is little bctttF than sacrIlege IN the
rich and prosperous, TO divert any part oi
II lromthat plous destination. Leave tin the
hands from which it has been gathered by
the law, aud they viii distribute il without
abatement or dnninutien, and take IN full
satisfaction the gratitude ofthc receiver, or,
a that is withheld, the consciousness of
having performed all act of christian virtue
and charity.
Contacts with persons not clearly and
anqncslioaby possessing the means of
aliordIns adequate maintenance TO the
panpers, are obviously an abuse, produces
the effect aserihed To that practice, and
cannot be justified upon any principle
The allowance is made for the relief and
support of "A pauper, but the sum estimated
appropriated to that purpose, is divided
between him the one who buys the claim,
Or he who anticipates it, for a premium !;
aud by this process, more is levied upon the
people than is necessary to answer the
purposes for which the levy is made, with
out producing the effect intended.
But Incompetent udeltakers are selected,
You must give them premium BE- tina,
whatever plants adopted under this sy stem,
The people pay more than fair PRICE OF
the relief afforded 10 the poor, Ii is pro
babie that none of these abuses have been
extensively ptactiscd, or produced very
mlachlevous consequences. To cali the
attention of the people to the subject while
both the system s abuses attending Il, are
within their contrei, is my only Object
These and other abuses, which, upon close
investigation, would be found in tins inst.
tuition, may perhaps be reformed, inl if
they cannot, it may with truth be said, that
ahns $ are practised in all human insutu-
tons, and the advocates for public and
compulsory provision for the poor, may
ask, why reject this institution, because il
partakes ofthe imperiection Of our nature,
when you retain others equally imperfect
and liable To abuse answer, because it
does not produce the effect for which it is
intended, the relief of these poor persons
who are objects OF compassion and charity;
but ON the contrary, tends directly aud
manii, silly to the production Of vagrancy
and pauperism, TO the increase of the idle