Arkansas true Democrat., 1860-01-18
Number l5.
Increase of Pauperism in New York.

The annual report of the New York Association for improving the condition of the poor" always rpplets with valuable information relating 10 the moral and soeiai interests of New York city. is this year oi more than usual interest Its state ments concerning the growth of pauperism are such as to demand special attention. We extract the following:
 "Our native and foreign psuperism has assumed magnitude that is truly alarm ing; and corresponding thereto there has been a startling increase of crime, of taxa tion; and insecurity of person and property. According to official reports the number of city paupers received and supported during the year ending December l, 1858, was l3o, loo, being about one seventh of the population, and an increase over the pre- ceding year of 37011, involving public expenditure of about S500,000. The commitment for crime during the same period numbered 34,172, which was an increase of more than twenty-five per cent. over the preceding year, at all outlay of more than S3OO,OOO; making the annual cost to our taxpayers for pauperism and crime alone, about $500 900. Despite, however, of this enormous expenditure. these fearful evils still remain unchecked"
 Contrary to the commonly received inn pression that we have little pauperism of native growth, 1t Is shown that not less than thirty eight per cent of the persons receiving public relief in this city consists of native born citizens, and that the ratio of such in the interior counties of the State is much greater The statement made by this association three years ago, that &C., cording to the ratio of population in the counties, there were abont two paupers Ii. the wealthy and prosperous State of New York to one in Ireland, is now re-aflirmed with greater emphasis. The report says:
 '' If any reliance is to be placed on gov ernment reports, that unwholesome fact so humlliating to our pride having been confirmed by the statistics of each succeed ing year, can with no show of reason be longer denied or evaded"
 The annual report of the Secretary of State of New York. to the Legislature, of the paupers relieved in the several counties at the public expense, during the present year, affords a basis for comparison of our own pauperism with that in Great Britian and Ireland for the same period, of which the following is the result:
 Population, Pauperes England and Wales. IS, ,045 ,000 so5,00 Scotland .................3, .3,035,000 I5,2l3 Ireland. d...........,.......6, .6,500,000 56.9l0 New York State. .3,500,000 26l ,l55 In other words, the pauperism of England and Wales was in the ratio of four and six tenths per cent. of the whole population: in Scotland three and nine -tenths per cent: in Ireland, about nine. tenths of one per cent; while in the great State of New York, which is foremost in population, enterprise and resources, the ratio is seven and four tenths per cent. Making, therefore, every reasonable allowance for hypothetical inac- curacies in our State statistics-for the figures assumed are less than the returns would justity-and we are confronted with the appalling fact that the pauperism in this State is five per cent. in advance of that in Ireland that is to say, there are, according to the ratios of population, five paupers in this State to one in that country.
 From these and other kindred facts the conclusion is formed that our institutions nurture the evil in question, irrespective of birth or nationality, and that the method of treating pauperism throughout the State should be radically changed Under better system, it is asserted, able bodied pauperism could not exist. The efforts of the association during the past year ap- pear to have been attended with the best results. Charity is dispensed only where the character and condition of each appli- cant is well known, so as to secure iudicious relief, and at the same time discourage dependence on aims rather than industry. -Journal of Commerce