Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-09-04
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
How to Relieve the Poor

EuFOr &dr:-As he above matter is under
In the first place, approve decidedly of the
i'd advanced by Mr.. Hitz, Of 0irino employ
Hlent 20 our o,Cfl people. instead or giving aims
promiscuonsly TO all BY Ibis plan We en-
courage iIuu>;-y instead of Id leness while
on the other hand, if we give to any and ali
we simply offer reward for the advent here
OF al the lazaroni and tramps of the sur
iSo ~ ong country. surely, we have oar foil
snare here now. without inviting more. b.
slCes, II is most unjust as well as very bad
poHcy TO put those who won't work on a
leSeI WIN those who are willing 10 labor.
now, as gre means of giving employment
20 these poor and suffering people suggest
that they be set at wGSi. clearing the grass
and weeds from our sidewalks stre-.. and
vacant lots, which are s. iisfgrrei by them.
IN many pisceS s:,e curbstones at the edge OF
the parking is hidden from sight by the ac-
emulation of dirt. in which grass and
weeds have taken root. TO say nothing of the
grass growing among the bricks of the pave
ment and the rank crop OF weeds which
cover nearly every vacant lot in the city.
This condition of things is disgraceful -,
ought to be remedied. VIII ,tot sci those
roor peoPie-men. women and children If
Eecessary-at work clearing them away2 As
to funds, our citizens will certainly contrib
ute for such purpose, and where they are
10 ne benefited by IL, much sooner than they
will for prOmiscuOus aims giving; and HI
commissioners can add at least a few
thousand dollars for such a purpose much
more than they would be justified in giving
loI dliLN ~ De eARtDUei on outsiders a. we'll
as home people. OF course, il would not he
expected that these people could be paid reg
MAR null day wages, and thev could not eX-
pect 1t. know that many If not al would
De glad To do II at any price, for hare tested
" nySeJ on my own street, and those who
are not willing TO take q half "A loaf simply
because We cannot give all a full loaf do no.
de e We and VIII not receive any sympathy.
There is no disluting the fact that there is
great deStiutlon III Our midst, nor that we
have much more than our due proportion of
helpless colored people, large portion of
whom have been brought hither by the
action of the general government, and for
whom il ought to provide. Many of these
people stay here. when they must know
there Is nothing for them 10 do, simply from
the hope and expectation that the United
states government will do something for
them; and this hope has been encouraged bv
the fact that Congress at each session has
appropriated certain small sums for their
special benefit II would be Infinitely better
for all concerned if the government, instead
OF spending the money among them here
would use IL in locating them somewhere on
government land, where they could caro-
their support and in "a few years become in
dependent j cannot see why Congress has
not as much authority to do that as To apDrD-
PIRATE money out of the Treasury TO be cy-
pended for them here, and certainly the
public interests would be much better sub-
served by so doing.
in the meantime | suggest the above nlau
of setting them at work here Tor the conSId-
GRAFTON of those who are moving ~ the mat
ter OF relief. a CITIZEN