New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-02
ENGLISH And AMERICAN PAUPFRISM.
To the EdffOr Of The Tribune

SIR: Mr.. Henry Fawcett, member OF the
British Parliament and Professor of Political Economy
in the University of Cambridge has just furnished his
eountrymen with a volume entitled " Pauperism; its
Causes and It's Remedies :" in which they are taught
that whereas, in England but ont Of every 20 is
pauper giving total OF but little 100000 we, In
In this good city of ours, 1.-The Manchester OF
America" as. he Ia pleased TO style 1t, are bur
dened with the support Of no less than 10000
paupers-9OO0 indoor and 10000 outdoor-glvhg
nearly one to six Of the total population, our proportion
being therefore than thrice greater than that OF
pauperIzed England The absurdty OF all this whether
as regards England herself this City Of Penn is so
great that we might well be excused for allowing II 10
pass unnotced but It may interest our people know
what In this respect their burdens really are, and how
they compare with those Of English friends, we give
here the real facts commencing with those OF England
1.-THE average number of paupers," says Mr. Dudley
Baxter, in his work National Income one Of the
highest authority, a time in receipt OF relief In
1866 was 96CO being lees than for any of the four pre-
ceding years. The total number relieved during 1866
may on the authority Of return OF 1851 given in the
Appendix be calculated at three and half times that
number 100000 All these may be considered as be-
longing 10 the 100000 Of the manua labor classes be-
ing as nearly possible 20 per cent on their numbers
but the actual cases of relief give imperfect idea of
of work and wages large proportion of the poor
submit to great hardps, and many weeks and even
months, out OF work before they will apply to the
Guardians They exhaust their savings they try to the
utmost their trade-upOns or benefit societies they pawn
little by little all their furniture, and at last are driven
TO ask relief" Commenting on this, Mr. Hoyle, In his
recent and carefuy-rTepared Volume, Our National
Resources, and How We Waste Them speaks as
follows:
Bnt even the figures which have been given do not,
by any means represent adequately the pressure OF our
are dependent on their friends and relations and there
number who as Dudley Baxter says ss9gr9it 70
no rdsbin han
thus situated be summed ny, cannot amount 10
much less than onethrd OF the entire population of the
manual labor class, or Prom Is 10 0Per cent Q The entire
population" 49, 0gcg5--
Tue pauperism Of England having TINS been shown to
be thrice greater its proportions than 1t had been
stated at by Mr.. Fawcett, we may now look Tor mo-
ent at our own follows: According to the report OF
the Board Of Guardians there IN our Alms-House
at the close OF 1862 the year referred TO by that gentle
man. s7ls persons OF whom nearly tbree-iouiths were
wholly incapactaed for providing for themselves some
by reason Of infancy extreme age and others by th
of insanity, physical infTmty throughout tie year.
however, there had been Occasional OCCUPANTS, very
of them foreigners recently arrived to the number
2f $500 making, without allowance for Implications
oa of $500 or nearly thrice the average population OF
the house. which had been, oil assistants included
but 32s7. ,rsay.---~-s- 90,
Having thus shown how II Is that our author bal been
enabled to magnify our in-uuvr irGrs,ssla rniie so
greatly diminishing that of England, we now give the
described. follows The total cost OF that RELIEF for the
wear s6O5lO OF this, however the OF S19914
paid 10 the Board by friends and relations for SUPPORT
cases leaving as the amount actually n this
extended by the city for maintesTce Of persons par
TALLY disabled from Supporting themselves, the sum of
1885, giving daily expenditure OF sll the equivalent
Of single dime per day 10 each of little more than 900
persons Such IL the whole extent OF outdoor relief that
has been magned by the Professor as 10 have been
made TO embrace nearly Oncsixth of our total p0pua-
ton. How TO account for extraordinary misstate-
Inent Is somewhat difficult. The only mode that now
suggests itself If this that he has taken the figures
the gross outdoor relief salaries Of visitors and ply
sicans stationery repairs of buildings &c. as they now
summed in the report at Sl15S aud converted
annual dollars into daily paupers what Is the CONDITION
OF of the labOring poor OF England who even yet
manage TO support Themselves, Is shown by the startling
facts brought during the recent debate III Parliament
ON the bIckhelds and factories printed week ago IN
THE TRIBUNE and the comments OF both English ana
American journals upon It, abolish the Corn laws and
pauperisIn will then totally dsappear-the alms-house
ceasng have place among our institutional" such,
five and twenty years SINCE the cry of Mesrs. Cob
den, Bright d Co.-men whosbelievcd that man had
made trade, and not trade for man; men, too,
who could see in the future prosperity for England
except that which to result from compelling her
own people to compete unprotected with the serfs OF
Russia and with the haffed and almost uncOthed men
OF India The real result exhibits itself In the starry
alton expulsion of millions OF the Irish people ana III
growth of English paupcrsm appalling as Is that above
described. HENRY u NAhLi.
Phiiadeiphia, July 90, 1871.