The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-02-08
Pauperism I'm the United states.

Pauperfsm I'm tho United States.
PAUPERrsM is one of the greatest evils that the
Old World civilization has to contend with,
and no measures that have hitherto been
adopted have succeeded In accomplishing
anything Of moment towards abolishing
! or even ameliorating 1t. II is not at all likely
that this country will be afflicted with a race
! of paupers to the same extent as Europe
| There the evil is the legitimate outgrowth of
an unnatural and vicious social system, which
recognizes before the law different grades in
society, and allows some classes rights and
nrivileges which others do not possess, and
encourages the extremes OF wealth and
poverty which do not, and probably never will,
exist in this country. The great majority o.
our paupers, too, are of foreign birth, and never
| having learned 20 work where they came
from, they neither know how nor are disposed
TO learn here. Pauperism, in a great or less
degree, is an incident to the crowded condition
of all large cities, and it is fact worthy of
the earnest consideration of philanthropists
that it is alarmingly on the increase at the
present time, and before long some decided
measures will have to be adopted to check its
growth. With the vast number of acres of un-
cultivated land in the West, which any person
able TO work may occupy and earn living
upon, If so disposed, there is no good reason
why the taxpayers in our large cities should
be obliged to support the offscourings of Bu-
rope in idleness; and the same excuses for
psuperism do not exist here as on the other
side of the Atlantic.
The FaH AtdH Gazette, referring to this sub
jet, says
the people have discovered that they are
face to iaCo with the most difficult problem
which the Old World has 10 encoun ter-how to
deal with thousands of families for whom work
cannot be found, and yet who must not be left
to starve These persons do not like TO go out
into remote settlements, where they would be
cut on from the allurements of town life"
The problem is ificult under any crcum-
stances, but the English have increased its
difficulty by their very inefficient way OF deal
ing with it, and the journal quoted above
acknowledges that
There is not much PROBABILITY that the
Amt ric9ns viii ever allow pau perisn to become
unmanageGble in any part OF their country
without first applying remedies which would
shock our n0je f,SiidiOuS notions of private
tights ana liberties"
1t is one of the benefits of really free
government that society at large, as we'll as
us lnulVluuat members, can 09 protected from
just snoh evils as this without infringing on
the rights OF any one. The English system
of pauper management may not invade any
private rights aud liberties-although we are
disposed to think that it dOes-but any
reader Of the experiences Of tha "Lembeth
casual" and other workhouse records, will ac-
knowledge that it is disgraceful, and far more
damaging to society at large than the most
arbitrary meaSures for the suppression of pau
perism that are likely to be adopted ia this
country. 1t is 10 infringement on any
mans liberty to give him the
means Of earning his living, and then permit
ting him to starve if he proposes to do 80
rather than go to work. This will be the
American method of dealing with this pro-
blem, when We are forced to grapple with it
in earnest, and in the vast majority of in
stances it will be a success, and benefit not
only to the pauper but to society at large, by
Transforming him into an industrious oitizsn,
instead of allowing him to eat the bread of
idleness.