The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-04-02

Another who made his living by selling brooms
says go to mountain ten miles distant for the
heath this takes me one day; l spend another day
IN making them would gladly sell them all for one
shining would think myself well off if | could en-
poy myself throughout the year in this manner there
is not sufhcient demand for the brooms cannot re.
sort to this mode of living mere than once month
get occasional days work; have often taken three
pence Gay ra'her than be IDLE My wife may a
few pence day when she is employed to spin but if
she is employed one day, she may not be EMPLOYED
for month again"
The report says that the commissioners met a man
with load of wattles on his back who said al am
well able to work, but there is employment TO be
had. My wife and children begging at home now;
and we must give up the cabin and the land, as
we have got notice to pay thirty sllngs rent, it
is partially reclaimed we cannot do this, and must
quit" The same witness says that rather than beg,
he walked sixty miles for the load of wattles, and
brought them home his back to be made into fails,
TO buy potatoes to feed his family and this he did
without tasting food the whole day The same wit
ness said: "When we have eaten the few potatoes |
got for these wattles, know of that will
able us to live without begging If any one took me
into his house. would be glad work for him all the
winter if he but gave me my food, and kept me from
begging. would let the family beg for themselves.
My two next door neighbors would do quite much
to earn one shilling have DONE" Another wit
ness says:
Scan any hardship be greater than to get up in the
morning. have done, hear your children crying for
food and not having any to give them to look at my
SELF man able and willing to work, obliged to send
the oldest of my children out to beg food to feed the
young ones"
The reverend Mr. Hughes says that She found
father and four of five children SICK and all toge
Their in bed of moist rotten straw; nothing else
under them; their whole covering was a single fold
of what is called poverty blanket, which he
sured had been the only they had used for eight
years"
Another witness says Z" was thirteen weeks with
out employment, and often went to bed without any
meal in the day at all and SO much did it work upon
my mind that fell sick" (This witness was corro-
borated by the curate and dispensary surgeon, who
were presently often did not care if the ground
opened and swallowed me-tha is more than any
ever heard out of my mouth before. would willing
ly turn to any part of the land that could get
poyment and often, if penny would get a dinner
for my wife and children, could not get it. From
the pure anxiety of mind, many is the night do not
sleep wink, thinking of my destitution; and often
from weakness, my wife is not able to leave the place
she sits in. w That is to become of us do not know"
1t also appears that this was never drunk, and
all present gave him an excellent character.
Another witness says: "The town laborers will
not admit the country laborers, if possible.
When appeared among the laborers on the street,
they used to pelt with cabbage stumps to drive
away and to keep to themselves the little employment
that is 10 be had.
might proceed to make extracts in relation to the
condition of the sick widows and of the aged. l
ud show that the sick poor left to perish in their
restitution Gone witness in reply to the question
whether any had died in his parish within the last
three years with actual want says "rom actual des,i
tuition from twenty to thirty from disease caused by
extreme want from sixty to seventy ~ that the widow
uf the Irish laborer has hope but in early grave
that the orphan and the superanuaed receive no
sympathy, no protection from British benevolence
But must close these extracts, adding what is said
by the Reverend Andrew Phean, who states that
"within the last five CT six years hundred and
ninety families have been elected from the estates of the
landed propretors. In the borony Of East Idrone
amounting in all to six hundred and twenty-six, of
whom one hundred and thirty-two are widows and
orphans !" He farther says-"I recoect in one
instance of ten eleven families who driven off
of one town land three four persons persisted in
the most melancholy restitution. A few Of the dis
possessed families erected temporary hus the side
of the road opposite the land from which they we've
removed, by placing few sticks covered with straw
and potato stalks shield against the trials of the
weather; but the rain flowed in, and some who had
not strength to bear up against the trials they had
encounter, sark beneath them. Among these were
Stephen Culpmins, his wife, and Mary Pendergrast
the two former were old and feeble-the latter was
confined in the hut. She got cold during her con-
fnement, of which she died. After suffering some
time the infant died also"