The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1875-07-04
War on the Orphans.

AiONiNcuCO oh teo ihillbH Cuuhos ~ huSb NO
| admitted, however, that few miserable
skeptics deny this, and pretend the real
secret of the bepublicSn's move to be that
1t wants all the money itself. Why, Hahn's
Legislature gave tie Republican only $l35,-
600 at one dab, and shall the nine Catholic
institutions, with 1852 orphans, actually get
e25 900 In yearf The Rcp~btican holds,
as these critics contend, that this same
S25 900 dollars would do very we'll to add
to it's own $I35. 900 and to it's many other
items of splendid dimensions. But for our
part, We don't suppose our cotemporary to
| take so much to heart a bagateiie of that
Sort We think that in the general war on
Catholics declared by the Grant clique, the
Republican is sigualizing its chivairous
manhood by an onslaught upon the Catho
lie orphans. See it's style:
THE BUSINESS OF CHARITY.
New Orleans is dotted over with charitable
institutions in which the destitute are provided
for at the public expense.
Here the very caption intimates that the
charity Of these institutions is a matter of
trade and business speculation. Provided
for at public expense! Now the truth is that
the city appropriates Q.I6D one dollar and
sixteen aud two third cents per month for
each child or destitute person in these in
stitutions. Is this providing for them at
the public cxpenseq Does not the city get
II return for its benefcence In its own in
situations the support of one person costs it
from SIS to $40 per month. Many of the
unfortunate waits provided for and re-
claimed in the asy lume, would otherwise be
a charge upon the city as paupers or crimi-
nals, at the extravagant rates just stated
instead of 81 10 per month.
During the first two or three years of Gov
crnor Warmoth's administration appropriations
aggregRting eighty thousand dollars, more,
were made annually; but it was soon found
that such muniicence had n tendency to in
crease orphauage and indigenc to an alarming
extent. To prevent cpidcmics, the appropria-
tions had to be withheld.
What consideration! The people of
Louisiana would destroy themselves in an
epidemic of suicide that their children
might get the $4,000 per annum, and,
therefore, the largess had to be stopped.
How jocose it would be IN a lot of thieves
to say to gentleman whom they had
robbed We would give you back little
of your money but it might make you sick.
The wit of those considerate carpet bag
adventurers who were pocketing the peo-
pies money with both hands and were SO
ironically afraid of creating an epidemic,
will be more highly appreciate when we
remember that their moral stair put them
socially in the condition Of Henry CIay's
mule-without pride of ancestry or hope
of posterty. Unmarried, unknown, dis.
guisiag their parentage if they ever knew
it, floating hither aud thither on the tide of
adventure, graceiess, tetess set of vaga
bonds, they could afford to be witty over
the ties of parentage and the appeals of
orphanage. Certainly an epidemic among
themselves would not have increased the
number OF respectable orphans very much.
No, no ! Friend Rtpu5Hcdn. Come out with
the truth and omit the epidemic dodge.
Your sanitary Legislatures offered to con
tiaue their appropriations, on condition of
being htibed, bat their terms were rejected
with scorR.
After admitting that the Grand Jury re-
port the orphans to he from one TO fifteen
years of age, the EtpsbEcam says:
There two reasons for Tins rs,aiuirr
grown MP girls i'll Indulgence and oh>curit4 put
one OF which is necessary to notice here. The
institutions exact aud receive from the CITY
treasury appropriations per capita, which
makes it for the interest of the managers. if
not the public, TO keep up big roster.
The truth is here again that numbers of
| girls are sent at proper age to situations
in families, but owing to bad Influences
many of them have to be taken back. The
principal reason for retaining them as they
are retained is the difficulty of placing
them where their morality az so ear and
uususpectipg an age will be safe. Ii
friend of the Rcpu5IieGM should, by stress
ofmisfortune, be obliged to place daughter
in Catholic asylum, what would he saw
in his own case throw his child into the
frightful vortex of the world as an unpro.
tected SERVANT or leave her while long.
er under the protecting wing of the good
Sister Would he suspect the Sister Of