, 1875-03-16
THE P0DR-H0U5E SCANDAL.

Ihe statements which wero printed in TnE
Tn1HuSE Of Sunday concerning the manner
iu which tho County Poor House il con-
Quoted, end which wcro obtained by Tn1B-
uSE representative who consented to mike
martyr and q pa,lper Of himself in n good
cauBo, ought to arouse the public aud tho
County Board, If anything can arouse tho
latter, to tho manner in which this important
trust is administered, md bring about q
specify change. We would not contend that
the paupera should bo housed in n palace or
pamperod with luxuries, md County Poor
House is the lost place where ono
would expect to find q large degree
Of comfort, Or those delicate attentions to
the wants Of inmates which aro char.c-
te1istic Of other charitable institutions but
1t should bc expected, aud in fact demand
ed, that tho paupers be trnntotl kindly, fed
decently, and kept warm, and comfortable,
and clean. They aro the weddings of tho
community who have been driven to the wall
in tho struggle for life, mud, uaab}o to caro-
for themselves, havo become burden which
1t il tho duty Of tho community to bear, aud
it is no excuse to plead that thoy liaye always
lived in s4ualor md filth like tho beas.s. It
is t1isgrnco to my community to allow help
lesH poverty in its midst or to tolerate beg
gara. It il bound by ordinary humanity to
caro- for them, and 1t Is q ilisgsaco when it
does not care for them tlece1l.ly and consitl-
erately, onl treat them with the kindness due
to their unfortunate situation.
How aro tho inmates Of tho County Poor
frno{or1 Hs1,a fy1.
Th1puNE went through the daily programme
rs II he had been bona tds paoper. He ar-
rived there at night, and Ills supper con-
sisted Of a chunk Of brea1 2 inches thick and
to 8 inches square, and n tin cup Of fluid
cal1od ten, which when swallowed had tue
effect s'of a small dose Of lightning" 4
tick, ragged quilt, aud yollow and rink
R}eet constituted tho bed, upon Which sleep
VIII prevented by tho periodical transit Of
rats ACROSS him, and the oppression
Of fotid pmolls from the closely.hud-
died paupers in his unyentilntod apartment.
1Iia morning salutation was Lick from the
"boss pauper." After washing himself in a
catao-trough In the yard, lie went to his
breakfast, passing swarm OF children FISH,
ing out erusts from the swiIl.bal1e1, Ills
breakfast WIS another chunk Of had bread,
will. molassea, and fluid called cofoo.
once III two weeks 1t Is gala tlay far the
paupess, rs they get bean-soup; and, as TnK
TRIBUNE representative happened there on
ono Of these festive occasions, he Ind boa1l-
soup for hia dinner, into waal,-tub Of
which handful Of bsans Ind acci-
dcntally found their woy. After such
luxury ~ this, 1t would bo man.
ifestly improper TO give paupers supper,
aud our representative therefore went to bed
hungry with his fellow.paupera, who would
have to wait fortnight hafore beau-soup
came round again. This waa tho programme
Of dny for Tux Tn1nusr representative, and
OF oil days for tho miserable panpen to tho
end of tLelr lives, tho cousolation iu which
case il that thoir lives are short, for they die
in the Poor-lIouso ut tho rata OF two a day.
Tho facts found ont by TuE TE1uuN,: repre-
sentative further show that tho ''boss pauper"
Ii brute who practices oyery species Of potty
tyranny and cruelty upon the victims under
his Charge. There Is 10 slave-driyer 20 NOR
ciless ~ the slaYo himself when La l.aa tho
opportunity. They show that inyalitls far
gone In consumption, and suffering with
Rheumatism, tumora, md Intermittent feyors.
arc kept upon tho ablc-botiod list, and theso-
fore are compelled to work; that tho sieh are
treated In such manner that their recovery
is generally hopeless; that offenders against
the rules OF the institution ua brutally mol
treated aud subjected to danger from insane
paupsrs that amoug the loo ialulatea ho