The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-08-25
GrinEumreS TnlN.

Editors Dispatch: Since you are ever
willing to instruct the ignorant we have
decided (aiter having trsd to find some
one else TO enlighten us for fear OF infrlng,
ing upon your valuable time) to come to
you for The desired information. In the
first place we are crowd Of young men
some single, and some married. At any
rate, the majority are taxpayers. Now,
we have several questions 10 ask, and hope
that in your answering them you will
please TO remember the TACT that you were
young men yourselves once. We are not
bloods or SueilS, or anything like them, and
sentcd In nearly every branch OF me-
chanics who work in this city. All
of us work steady, and you know steady
work these times means hard work.
And after ten hours hard work we 90 out,
and. very naturally, stand upon the corners
in our neighborhooG. 1t is not part OF n
! Young mans nature to stay in the house,
especially the single ones; we are housed
m all day, and when night comes we want
TO 90 out. But, where to go? that is the
question. We are driven like dogs from
pillar to post; reprimanded, insuItcd, called
| rourhs, and everything else low and vulgar
told that we had no raising nor our parents
before us, and innumerable other things,
| nv our most worthy 'knights OF the blue
coats and brass buttons" They have time
and again dragged several OF us to the sta
| tion-house, and once or twice before ms
HONOR; but in neither case could sufli-
Gent evidence be produced TO make
us do more than to pay cost. ana
we doubt if the evidence was sufficient
to do that, according to-not the law,
but Justice. We are tired OF being hauled
down to the presence OF the most cthcent
sergeant OF the Third district, to he called
rouyhs and dismissed. We would not say
one word against it but for this reason: II
you 90 up Broad street any evening you
will see on every corner from Ninth street
| to Brook avenue crowd larger than ours,
and By far more disorderly; that is, they
stand there, and by indecent language and
| imnolte stares insult every lady that passes
We do nothing like that; yet they, who are
scabs and blisters to society, who live on
their poor, hardworking fathers and mo-
theirs, and who never have cent TO pay
| their taxes, and who, we dare say, il they
had 1t would spend 1t in some bar-room
| or may be worse, are allowed TO stand there
! while we, because we have corns in our
| hands and hickory shirts on. must be rushed
| in. We ask, Is this fair? Is 1t Justice
And Just two short squares from where we
stand there congreSates nightly crowd OF
negroes (ayerage attendance about thirty
fve) who sing and dance, wrestle aud fight,
throw balls and rocks, and do anything
else they choose outlawish.
II we are roHghs, are they gentlemen
Are we roughs because we are young WORK
ine men? Where do the candidates Tor
| Office 70 to solicit votes? Is it to seabs OF
society i? No, to the roughs or working.
men. What is the wealth OF the Union
Mechanics, whose taxes pay for these
corners, and pay the salaries OF ouI
watchtul Ito catch an innocent boy) knights.
Is it scabs and negroes! We rather think
not And now il we can't enjoy these COO
nights on the streets, we want to know II
we can by law be made to pay their salaries
by our hard-earned taxes. But when We
protest with them, they tell US there Is nc
complaint about them. We begged and
| impiored of them to tell Us who the as
Egrieyed parties were. They finally gave u
the names of two OF our most honorable
citizens. We appointed committee &c
wait on them and ind out, II possible, II
what manner we had wronged them' w
waited on No. /, and after patiently near
ing us through, said "Teli all VINO say
that I have complained about you taas