Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-07-03
Emnnci ipniiO Of YiIlieEs il, EngInmd, the
Origin of Pnupcr;sm and Poor Iouses-
Northern Pauperism and Southern sIu-

! ..:ia hs Editors If lie E~qnrer:
RICHMOND, JUNE 2S, 1855.
Gentlcmcn:-In common with hundreds of you
readers, have hccn much gratiiird tu that you
have been recently carrying tie "War INTO Africa
upon the Slavery question. In my humble judgment
We have stood far too long upon the defensive W.
have suffered ourselves to br worried in warding of
! blows, when We ought to have been expendins oui
energies in fcnrless and successful attack. One side
OF the shield has been shown. Let turn the other
Let us turn il TO the gazc OF our enemies. and lei
them the truth OH both sides. If Southern Slave.
~ has its ills Nothern Slavery, paupcrlsn crime and
MISERY greater ills and lcu' to greater ills. Let
the candid right-thinking men OF the North SEQ these
things They will then know that, Gtcc all, Southern
Slavery. with It's imputed evils a Il blessing III COM
parisun to Northern Free Sucrty, with lts bcggnrs
and ils criminals ard is chaotic isns .! unbclct ami
| no belief
In the enquirer of Thursday last, observe IN ed
itoral on "The English Poor laws and the enancpa-
ton ot the Nilcns.' In further illustration OF this
important subject, send you the Gllwng extract from
the Pictorial History OF England, VOL page 2b2.l,l
"A most valuable work-by which it will appear that
beggary and paaFerlsm, and the Whole M"mnaonS
sySt,m OF poor house establishments i'll that country,
hal their origin in Tie dcci'nc Of renags Tor feudal
! savrryl and The rise Of "Free %ociIy." 1t will be
observed hnt the truth upon this subject, is reluctant
~ rxtortcd from tie historian, who to be
tincturcd with the prevailing cant of the day:
"To the period Immediately preceding the present
belongs the origin OF English pauperism, ms well rs
of legislation the subject o, tho poor. So long as
the system u vllcmnge was maintained in its ntcgr
w. there could hc paupors i'll the land that is Ia
soy M pcrsnrs left destitute of all means of subss-
te1ce escep, bcggary or public aims. The principle
of that institution was, that every individual who
hnd nothing else had, at least, legal right to food
and shelter from the landed proprietor other
ter whose buDdsnan he was. The master was moi;
more entitled the services OF his villieu, than the
ven to the maintenance oi himself and his ia
miiy, at the expense IT i.is MASTER 1t can not be
doubted that cveG when the villien whether from
sickness or old age, became unfit Tor work, his mas
ter wai ltiil IA much bound tn support hun when
ho in the vgor of his days, and his services were
at their highest value This hes. Vt absolute ncces
sity been the law in every age and country in which
slavery has existed. Although human beings may,
BY sufficiently unnatural and infamous abuse OF the
powers uf aGccty, be converted into property, and
treated as species Of cattle, they can not be shot
through the head like WORKOUT horses, or thrown out
and left 10 perish when all the service they are capa-
ble uf yielding has been got nut OF them. But as
soon us The original slavery CT the English laboring
population began to be exchanged for freedom, and
villcnagc gradually and at last generally, passed away
in the manner stated III the last Book, the working
man, now his own master, was OF Course lett IN all
circumstances to his resources and, when either
want of employment sickness, or the helplessness
of old age upon him, If he had not saved some-
thing from his former earnings, anu had no one 10
take carc of him from motives of affection or com.
passion his condition unprovided Tor as that of
the fowls CT hoaven. But men will not starve while
they can either beg stca hence the hrst appear
ancc TINT the destitute poor rs class OF the comnu-
nifty make in annals, is ID the character OF thieves
and mcn.cauts, sometimes enforcing Their demands
by threats or violence. The earliest notice o this
state of things that find OH the Statute Book, is in
one of the chapters of the OrnnnceO OF aborers en-
acted in l}l9 in which it is commanded thn', "be-
cause many valiant bcgGarS, ia long as they may live
on begging do refuse to labor giving themselves TO
idlcncs- and vice, and sometimes to theft and other
denominations nOEe, upon pain "i Imprisonment, SHALL
under the courof pity or as, give anything to such
which may labor, or presume To favor them in their
aln,h, go that thereby they may be compelled labor
for their necessary living. The nuisance, however,
Uns not put down and il 1876 the Rolls Of Parliament;
record strong coHlla!nt Oh the subject by the Com
MONS II is alleged that, notwithstanding the great
warcs which! masters were obliged To give their SER
wants and laborcrs to prevent their running away.
such encouragement was giyen TO them in their evil
practices; that they wont TO quit the slight-
est cause; that they then led idle life III towns,
or wandered as vagabOnds tue country many
of them though sufficiently able 10 labor turning
begea!s, Others becoming "sta-strkers Tor cndgc'-
ulayrrs.( and wandering from village to Vllago III
parties of two, three, and four: but the greater
number turning out "sturdy rugucs, ana lakdnS 10
open robbery in al parts OF the Kingdom; 10 re-
uIe,lv these evils the Commons proposed 'hat Id"
should he passed, prohibiting the giving oi oil! Te'
in the way of charity 10 persons VINO were ''o'e "
work, making yagrant beggars ana stan-strhe's az"
BILE to be imprisoned till they conseh'ea 10 return
home to work, and imposing penalty OF tlo upon
any person detected in harborinS d runaway ser
want No legislative measure, however, appears 70
have been actually adopted in consequence OF TINS
rsnresenta,ion Ii was not till 1888 that 10y the fth
Rich H. c. 81 il was ordained and assented, TO re-
frain the malice of divers people, feltors and wan
dering from place to place, running in the country