The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1878-05-29

!. present pressure, is idleness. l wa
in town the other day, when MI
Loop was moving house for G. u
Merritt & Co., and made some in
qairy as to the number Of hands ht
was employing at the house, and, tt
my astonishment, was told that h'
had eight hands at work. | theI
counted ffty-two men and boys be
sides his eight; and then, out at the
pump, under the shade of those
beautiful trees, there were nine
more-then, at the Grigsby House
there were four more setting on the
porch. / then walked to the Cain
House, which is a most beautiful
place, and there I found three more
talking to Mr.. 7. G.. Cain, proprie.
tor of the Cain House; and, in front
of the saloons of W. P. Rogers and
Mr.. Brooks, were five more, of whom
all the above were unemployed
making seventy-three men and boys
that were idle in Morristown all on
the same day. Perhaps there were
others idle in town to the number of
twenty-five or more.
Now if those seyenty-three men
and boys were employed in some
way to earn even twenty-five cents
per day, it would be an income of
eighteen dollars and twenty-five
cents per day, and in twelve months
it would amount to five thousand
seven hundred and eleven dollars
and twenty-five cents.
Now how long would it take the
people of East Tennessee to get
rich. or in other words. we'll to live?
Besides, have no doubt that there
are other little towns in East
Tennessee that can turn out as many
loafers as Morristown. es .
Now those people have to feed
and clothe themselves. The mys-
terry is how do they do it? or
course, all that loaf are not beggars,
but they are not making money
when loafng
If every man would get into some
employment the country would pros
per, and crime would cease. a3
[ have heard it said, and believe
it, that an ''idle brain is the DEVILS
work shop"
The Legislature of Tennessee
passed one good law if it was en-
forced-the Vagrant Law, autheriz-
ing the sheriff of each county 20
take up and sell to the highest bid
der every man caught loafng with
out any visible means of support;
and if I was the sheriff of this coun-
ty, would take up some of those
idlers who stand on the street cor
ners and near the store doors whit
tling up the goods boxes Of our en-
ergetic merchants. and not unfre-
quently defacing their business
fronts with pencil marks. etc. If
some of them were sold and put TO
work it would make others go to
work.
There are men, both white and
colored, who are getting their scan
ty living by theft; and the way to
step crime is to put them TO work,
and let them earn their bread by the
sweat of their brows. ..-.
1t is almost daily occurrence to
put some one in prison. If the law
was enforced, these same men would
work for their living, and honest
men could sleep sound. But as it is
men who work hard have to support
those who pilfer and steal. Is there
ne way to break up this idIeness and
protect the honest men of the coun-
try? Idleness leads to all kinds of
vice. .....,..
There is an old citizen of Ham
blen county, and of the beautiful val
ley of Morristown. who had one of
these thieves about him, and he
stole the old mans horse and left for
,Dorta ,,DIruaxu, - tr'
But since writing the above. nm
derstand that Sheriff Webb ever
hauled the fellow and his mistress,
and that they are now boarding at
Sheriff Livingston's cross-bar hotel.
l think the law ought to be en-
forced for horse stealing, and woulq
recommend hanging. 1t would cer-
tainly put stop to it. Then there
is another law that ought to be en-
acted-to whip for small offences
for stealing anything under ten dol
lars in value. If that was the law
those boys who have to lay in prison
at the expense Of the county. would
probably be at work for a living.
t.... .-.,s.... FARMER.
They who do not rightly know
themselves may feed ard feast upon
false appreciation not /, who see
myself, and know very we'll what is
my due. I am content to be less
commended, provided I am better
known. f.rs.u a,r.u- st.--..sfs,..