St. Landry democrat., 1879-07-05
unemployed EaDorcrs.
[NcW Orleans Times.


A very serious question il, gradually
forcing itself upon the attention of the
people OF this country. The question is
! How is an increase i'll that already large
number OF unemployed persons to be
! prevented? In all OF the large cities
| there are thousands OF people out OF en-
! ploymenf. lG Is Il mystery how the
great lnaJorlty Of them manage to keep
body ana soul together. They wander
almlesSly about the streets, stand upon
the corners, and, in q hopeless sort OF
way, look for something 70 turn up to
| their advantage. They do not belong
to that class who find themselves tenn
pOrlly out OF employment Oh account OF
some business disaster. They arc rather
q hopeless, splrltless and snitticss set
who lack The energy and determination
necessary to contend successfully with
adverse circumstances. Gradually they
sink lower Ill the social scale until they
find themselves enrolled Ill the army Of
| trampS ami Yagrants. When they reach
that condition their self-vespcct Is gone
and they consider that the world owes
! them Il living without amy effort Oh
their part to earn it. So immense has
this army OF tlamps and vaSrHnts be-
come that the legislatures OF many of
the States have been compelled by Che
force OF public opinion, and for the pro-
lection Of life and property, to enact
laws against them. Why islt that there
are SD many unemployed people Ger
talnly 1t cannot be saiu with truth that
in all OF this broad land there is nothing
for them to tO-that there is no honest
labor OF any kind to which they can turn
their hands. 70 make such Statement
is to outrage common Intelligence. How
is it that the thousands OF Europeall
emigrants who come to our shores every
year, without money and without friends
succeed in making an honest living and
in acquiring comfortable homes and
even wealth 1t is because they go to
work at whatever they can lind to do.
| They are not over nice about W hat the
work is, SO long as it is honest. They
hesitate at no hardship and readily
endure any priyatlOn. They are Thrifty
and constantly seek to improve their
fortunes. In tie army OF tramps and
VagrantS is there any considerable mum
Der OF Germans to be found? And vet,
if there We're no work to do q fair pro-
portion OF them, 0n9ht to be found
there. In this city there are hundreds,
and perhaps thousands Of men who a1r
unemployed. Among these are not
included those who are employed for
the greater parv OF the year and who
save enough to carry them through the
two or thee months OF the dull season.
Only those are referred to who perform
no labor except, perhaps, now ana then
an odd job. They wander about the
streets, or loaf about the barrOoms.
They are forever complaining that they
can get nothing to do, and seem to find
considerable satisfaction in charging
that their want Of employment is due
TO one political party OF the other The
truth is, there is plenty OF work for them
to do if they would only look for it in
the right direction. Planters all over
the State are III need OF labolers. They
have been forced to import them from
other States within the past year. These
unemployed and starving people i'll the
city, however, would rather live on
bread and water than go into the coun-
try. They would rather become tramps
and be2Sars than to go down on the
leyee and handle sugar and cotton.
That lsn the kind OF work they want.
1t they can't find the kind of work
suited to their taste they won't do any.
II they would go into the country and
work earnestly, they could easily earn
enough to supply themselves with the
comforts of life at least. They dislike
to give up the excitement OF life in the
city, however, and they are not willing
to do any kind of hard labor and SO
they exc out a miserable existence with
the prospect always staring them i'll the
face Of becoming q charge upon the
community. There is 10 valid reason
why there should be so many unem-
ploycd people i'll this or any other city.
Those who are willing to work can
always find something to do. The unoc-
cupled lands Of this State are open to
them, and there they can make them
selves comfortable homes. OF course
they VIII nave to suffer many hardships,
but even with these Elardships they Will
enjoy more real happiness than they ever
knew i'll the city. The time is not verv
distant, however, when the country will
be called upon to solve this unemployed
labor problem.