The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-01-20
enc PrpbIem or Pauperism.

The Problem Of PaupCrism.
Il is notorious that large proportion
Of the. ps1lOuy .WhoaEe.ROw calling fOr
chaFit4Rle EHsf in tAis city bel9Pg al
ready to the class known as "tramps," or
are rapidly tending to such a condition.
They preididIobiTs cona here Tor the
purpose Of obtaining work, and say that
they are disappointed, In some cases
this probablyi is true, but in many others
work is not what is desired. They love
to be idle and to spend the time in the
delectabIc society which they represent.
And they have s6itled down here 70 stay
juStas long y they eau have shelter IN
the lookup and can b. fell by public
and private charity. The worst Of it is
not that they are likely to be with us for
the winter. There is sort OF brotherhood
among this class which will soon cause
the comforts Of Wheeling to be known
over wide district OF country. 1t will
be strange II their number does not rap
idly increase. And worse oven than this,
n fair proportion Of them will be very
apt permanently to remain Some will
be sure to get sick, and thus be left be-
hind when summer comes, Others will
not care to abandon such pleasant pas
lures,
What b to b. done in view Of this new
evil which threatens American cities, our
own among the rest2 We have not u
word to say against the plan which has
been adopted tOfurnish food for the poor.
As long Ms we have the tramps among us
we capnot allow theR to perish for food
orShsltStS BAT hnlS4 sumo restrictions
are connected with the present methOdSi
while suffering is thereby relieved, other
eviR Which We will long feel will be al.
most certain to be nurtured.
We may learn some valuable lessons
from England, where yagrancy has long
prevailed tOan alarmlngeStcnt. In 1913
Mr.. CHARLES BuLLER, then President Of
the Poor Law Board, prescribed u set Of
rules which, so long rs they were en-
forced, wonderfully decreased the mum.
Der Of persons who sought shelter and
food In the casual ward Of the work.
houses. We need not now give the body
OF those rules. The most essential were
these. No person was admitted 10 the
casual ward unless he had pass which
was given only by the police. A recon-
mendation might be given by II clergy
man or other person Of public position,
hut the plss wM issued by the police,
They were required to be satisfied that
there was actual destilutlon in the case.
The other essential rule was that the
tramp could not have his breakfast unless
he worked for It, Generally about three
hours Of labor were imposed.
.t+enot those excellent rules for III In
our present situation? The pass system
can liz introduced without difficulty. by
this We do not mean ticket to the soup
honse, for hundreds Of people Rill gladly
furnish these to any one who asks for
them but 4pasE by lhe police, without
which no tramp shall have lodging or
food, unless In some extraordinary case.
Why cannot work also bs iurpbbedH, A
pie dst6he rhh b. placed .ot a VnGant
lot where Il can be broken and fitted
to mReall9pl4q some of our streets. II
would be better that little money should
even be lost by the operation than that
no labor shonla be required. '
While we are on this subject We feel
that perhaps ono or two other things
ought to be said. We are afraid that
when the news goes abroad that we have
sevcnty.live able bodied men in our lock.
up every night, the impression will he left
that this tily Il in u dbpIornhtc condition.
Everybody here knows the contrary.
There Il some suffering among Our own
poor, ab there always Ia in mid winter.
But The truth il, that We hre Singularly
exempt from Tie pressure which is now
felt in many other places. A reliable
commercial traveller said within few
days that he had recently been in sixteen
States, and he had found no city where
the financial troubles seemed to be so lit.
tie felt as they are in Wheeling.
Another thing which probably may
have been thought Of by those who arcgO
nobly dcvoling themselves to the work Of
relieving tie poor, Is that the only way
by which any Of our own people who are
suffering can be satisfactorily reached is
by Systematic personal visitation at their
houses. Women aid children need clothes
and fire and medicines, as much rs food.
And even as to food, they ought not to be
expected, Il worthy, to take their places
with the tramps at the soup house. That
would leave with them a sense Of tlcgra.
dAtion from which they coald hardly re-
cover. But we are sure that the kind
hearts which are deyiSing liberal things
for the needy either have provided for
snSh cases OF Willdesip remedy
TIE first returns from the late obser.
vations Of the transit Of Venus are be.
ginnthg.tq conc In, Ina problem Of tri.
angulation, Whett the base line Is less
Than aivhi ihnnsnrj miles anI tho Stdps nj