The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1881-01-19
KEEPING THE POOR.

last weeks paper, upon the subject of keep
ing the poor, ought to have signed himself
" Anauias." No other cognomen could be
one half so happily suggestive and appropri-
ate. He certainly succeeded in crowding to-
gether more misrepresentation 90 the square
inch than ever saw before. For the sake Of
certain interests concerned ask to be heard
upon the subject.
am not about to defend the council A
caustic writer once said, 4 Every donkey has
constitutional right 10 kick al public off,
GERS If this be SO, any man idiotic enough
to become a Councilman has no right to OBJ
ject because +" Ananias - chooses to display
the size of his hoofs. Misrepresentation and
fault-finding being the only coin and currency
in which salaries are payable Ito Councilmen),
there is no necessity of stinting the wages,
and some paymastsrs like to be liberal. No,
make no defence for the Council. But,
then, If the reputation of its members as hon
orable aud humane men is of no account,
there are other matters which are worth some
consideration, and one of these is the charac-
ter aid standing of our city in the public es-
timation, both at home and abroad.
A quaint old proverb says, cit is an m
bird that fouls its own nest" Yet here we
have one of our own citizens trying to make
people believe, both by inuendo, iusinuation
and assertion, that the Christian Inhabitants
of this goodly city of Lambertyille have es-
tablished, acquiesce in, and support system
of heartless cruelty; one which grinds the
faces ofthe poor, stints their comforts, grudges
their maintenance, and for the sake of small
saving of money sells them releutlessly at
auction to the lowest bidder, who is expected
to starve it out of these unfortunates to find
his profits. II his article meant anything, it
meant just that. Now; these are monstrous
charges, and If true we should all be consid-
cred as Lambert-giILaiass indeed for If this
crime exists, though you may blame the
Council just as much as ever you please and
your censure be just, yet the great indisput
able fact remains that it is the people, as the
source of power, who have the control, and
it is upon them that the full respon
sibiiity for such crime must rest at last
An agent can be no more guilty than his
principal, and every individual member of
this great controlling body is implicated 10
the guilt. participant thereof, and an acces
sorry thereto, unless he can show that he has
persistentiy done his utmostto break up such
an atrocious system. The present mode of
conducting the business connected with the
support of the poor has now been in operation
for four years. Which one of our citizens can
clear himself, who has made any effort what
ever, who uttered a complaint, unless it be
!" Ananias," in last weeks paper? These
charges then are either foul ISLANDERS upon our
city and upon every citizen, or our city and
her people are shame to the nation, dis
grace to civilization, and blot upon the fair
face of the American Union. Which is itP
The answer comes instantly to every lip. 1t
is false. These charges are not true. This
crime does not exist, and these accusations
are worthy to have been the offspring of the
great original Ananias y himself. In no
city of the Union would such course be re-
pudiated and spurned with more indignation
and scorn than here in Lambertyille.
II is not true that there has been any sell
ing at auction. Neither is it true that the
contract was awarded only with reference to
the cheapest. fhe gentleman who received
it is wellknown to be perfectly responsible
and well qualified for the post, having had
two years former experience therein and
given complete satisfaction. He gives bonds
for the faithful performance of his duties, and
who better than ho knows the price be can
afford to do it fora His premises were
thoroughly inspected few days before the
award was made, aud the accommodations
his house afforded pronounced satisfactory
And moreover, when a change was made two
years ago, and he was deprived of the con-
tract, it was done against the earnest remon-
STRANGE of one of our city physicians, gentle
man of unquestioned ability, who protested
upon the very ground that they were superior.
What more, then, could be wanted, or what
further objections made Why, really, it's
in the country, we hear. Actually, two
whole miles from the city Well, now, is
there bowling wilderness within sight of
our church steeples?
1t seems to me there could be nothing more
glaringly absurd, paitry and puerile than this
objection to place in the country known to
be all that could be desired in its healthful
location. We are told that the children can
not attend school But are there not children
on the neighboring farms, and don't they go
to school? Do country people grow up in
ignorance and barbarism Does not every
sensible man know that the bone and sinew
of this nation, which wields its destinies TO-
day, grew up in country homes and attended
country schools ? And the rising generation
who are to control the same destinies in the
future are growing up 10 the same manner,
the majority of all the children in the United
States being in country homes. Where could
children be better off than under such health
full influences ?
But. then, about the aged and their religi-
Gus principles. What right has any man to
assume that these are to be denied; and upon
what evidence is that assumption founded
None whatever. 1t is self-eyident that this
objection is based entirely upon spirit of
carping and fault-fndihg, which is deter
mined not TO be satisfied with ANYTHING rea-