The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-01-29
Dispensing. Charity.

From the Annual Report of the Di-
rectors Of the Infirmary Of Cuyahoga
County, we extract the following we'll
put and very suggestive conclusions:
"The Outdoor Relief Department Is the
main source Of trouble, labor and ex-
pense in the Inflrmary Department, and
although strenuous efforts for reform
hare been made during the last four
years, our experie nee constantly brings
to view new evils, requiring new rem
edies. Thus it has become a matter Of
daily occurrence that applicants for re-
lief send small children to the depart
ment store to bring home the groceries
and provisions assigned them. This
was made the subject of Investigation,
and it was discovered that in a vast ma
jority IF cases there was no disability
by sickness or otherwise on the part of
parents. 1t was also found that this
class of parents frequently sent their
children out to beg clad In scanty gar
ments and with torn shoes, for the pull
pose Of creating sympathy and thus to
enable the children to secure enough
money by begging to permit the par
ents to indulge freely In the delights
of whisky and tobacco.
COMPELLING LABOR.
The system Of giving able-bodied ap-
plicants an opportunity of earning
their living by hard work, has been at
tended by the happiest results. While
q year ago tho number OF men sent to
work at the Infirmary farm ranged
from fifteen to twenty-five daily, it is a
rare occurrence to have more than one
or two day. This is partly the re-
suit Of the revival Of business, but
more directly the work system. For
while 1t had become customary for a
large class to spend all their surplus
summer earnings in riotous living.
knowing that the outdoor relief de-
partment would provide for them in
winter, the charms of public charity
grow ''small by degrees, and beauti-
fully less," when 1t is dispensed only
In reward for an equivalent of hard la
bor, and many were heard to remark,
''I'll not be caught this way next year.
But while the system OF
giving work instead Of supporting ap-
plicants in idleness has worked so well,
It Is but half complete, for we are una.
BILE at present to extend the system to
females. Whenever we secure suff1-
cient and suitable rooms, some form of
indoor light labor will be provided for
women and inflrm men, So that the fl
nal test of worthiness may be applied
to all classes, and no one be enabled to
eat the bread of idleness at the expense
Of the heavily bur,lened taxpayer.
IMMIGRATION OF PAUPEks.
There is another matter worthy OF
your especial attention. We refer to
the immigration of paupers. The
neighboring townships, counties and
States, and even. foreign cou n
tries. constantly send us paupers, and
it requires extreme vigilance on the
part Of the infirmary officers to pre-
vent such persons from acquiring a lc-
gal residence here. I The
proposed national law forbidding the
importation of paupers will, IL adopted
and strictly enforced, prove of incal
culable benefit, as may be seen from
the fact that large per centum of our
pauper class is OF foreign birth, and at
least so per centum of the remainder
the immediate offspring of foreign
born people. immigration has brought
US many good and useful citizens, but
it has also brought us vast number OF
worthless wretches, who are a burden
and a curse to the community.
VARIOUS SUGGESTIONS.
Pauperism Is an evil that threatens
the very existence Of society, md all
possible efforts should be made to re-
press 1t. Instead of assisting people to
live without labor, they SHOULD be en- =
couragef, assistei, and, II need be
compelled to comply with the Scriptural
Injunction, "By the sweat Of thy brow
shalt thou earn thy bread" The men,
tai attitude Of these people Is directly
opposite to what might be expected.
Instead Of receiving their rations with