The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1869-03-27
Paupers, Vagrants-Begging
a Trade and a Fine Art.

a trade ana a Elne AfC.
1t is indeed strange that a coun-
try SO large and affording such
abundant opportunities for q de
cent and comfortable livelihood,
should be thronged with a begging
population equal to the inhabi-
tants of the Empire State. Beg
ging is becoming too common,
and there exists no excuse forany
in this land, Astounding in rich
products and fruits, and a land,
too, offering employment to every
creature living. Emigrant socie-
ties are being formed all over the
country, and our cities are teem-
ing with an idle, ragged, filthy
population, that ought to be an
swering the demand for labor.
Every day, some dirty, able bodi-
ed scoundrel, or some squalid wo-
man with a child in her arms mot
her own, either, in all probability
or some little, greasy urchin, sets
our door ajar, and, as in the
last stages of consumption and
starvation, beg for "only five cents"
to buy some bread and meat. II
am out of doors;7 "Can't work."
"My children are starving;n "Moth-
er is in bed, sick;7 mo bread, no
meat, no fire, no anything" 'Mis-
ter, can't you please, sir, give me
five cents ?" Often with a basket
Of stores in hand sufficient to feed
o horse. We have heard them,
in our Eastern cities, begging for
one cent-indeed, they rarely ask
for more than zone cent" in that
land Of cOppers.
Our attention was seriously call
cd to this subject long ago, and
more particularly since moving to
the city. No longer ago than this
morning, we recognized two little
girls, getting on the street cars, in
the upper part Of the city-one OF
them having a basketon her arm,
as usual-and paid two ni6kles for
their ride down to the business
portion Of town, about second
street. Here they get Oft, and al
tefnate from house to house and
from street to street, begging
Begging, in this country, as we
have already asserted, is q guilty
shame, and public liberation as
guilty and shameful.
There is an easy remedy. A lit
tie legislation on this subject, ar.
resting every man, woman and
child caught out on such errands,
and compelling the able bodied to
work and taking the helpless toan
asylum. Our street and pave
ments want attention badly, and
the city could we'll afford to work
the lazy creatures who are living
by charity or pelf. We might as
well have nice streets and a good
population as filthy streets and
lousy Migrants. Every time q
beggar is allowed to go down the
street, or an organ-grinder to slip
into your back yard, so many
times are idleness and pilfering
encouraged. All this sort are
thieves, and are lodging honest
labor.
Would to God somebody had
the nerve to start the ball in our
City Council OF our Legislature,
and enact some efficient measure
for putting an end to the loath-
some employment of it's deyotees.
Just pause and consider q mo-
ment. Look at the dens of of vice
and crime all over the land
Search for the cause, and you will
find its roots embedded in idleness
and beggary.
1t is not our purpose to find
fault with any one particularly,
for what is everybody's business
is nobody's; but we do hope this
subject may have q reasonable
consideration, and a remedy
sought Falls City Enterprise,
Louisville Ky.
% Two spendthrift young men
were discussing the character of a
| close-fsted uncle. "Well," said
one, "if his heart ever falls into
his stomach, it is hard enough
to give him dyspepsia
"a In the House of Represen-
tatives Mr.. Epson defined The