The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-08
THE NEITHER MILLIONS.
suffrage


last Saturday, gives a frightful picture of
the neither side of the worlds great metrop-
oils With all its accumulated wealth. its
banks piled full of gold and silver, its great
warehouses packed with goods of all nations,
it's shipping that comes from every port
under the sun, and its traffic larger than
that of any other city ancient or modern, it
has vast population poor as the poorest of
Gods creatures. In London alone
there are 10000 paupers an army
dependent upon charity. In addition to
these there are hundreds of thousands who
subsst on the scantiest food and suffer I'M
told privatons. The problem, already great,
is constantly growing. Something must be
done for these people. The latent discomfort
that now takes no shape beyond individual
murmurs, will some time flash into the fires
of communism, and communism, maddened
by long suffering, means anarchy. The
neglect of to-day will make the extremity Of
the future.
This is question of social politics that
cannot be safely sighted. Year after year
wealth piles up in the hands of the few, and
the many are bound still more closely by
want and privation and suffering 1t is not
argued that great inequality will not con-
tinue between people in every particular.
In the natural order of Things some will be
rich while others remain poor. Some will
be improvident while others be frugal.
The natural aptitude of some will lead
them to independence, if not affluence.
Others not so gifted must of ne
cessity fall short OF what they would be.
These things are inevitable.
1t is against the impositions practiced
upon the very poor that the Journal would
London correspondent are not peculiar to
that city alone. The same grinding greed of
landlords is visible in every large city. Few
know it outside of those who suffer from it,
and many will be inclined to disbeieve it.
This evil finds its greatest development in the
larger cities of the world and there will be
found the greatest danger resulting from it.
Statistics show that the city of London con-
tans 10000 absolute paupers. That is a vast
number but small when compared with the
very poor who, by dint of struggle and the
keep body and soul together. Of these latter
there are probably not less than half mil
lion, and it may be even a round million in
that one vast city. Suppose the
madness of hunger and des-
peration sezes this multitude?
What is to prevent them from inaugurating
a rebellion? A million hands could devas-
tate the city in one night With battering-
rams, by sheer force of overwhelming num-
bers, they could sack every bank and despoil
every warehouse. With torches, the whole
CITY could be given over to the flames. This
is no wild picture 1t is but ten years since
the people Of Paris wrought more damage to
that magnificent city than did the army of in
vaders that besieged and captured it.
and would listen to none. From barbados
in every street they fought like tigers and
were slaughtered like beasts. After the
outer Notifications were stormed by the army
from Versailles, it took seven days to take
the city. Day after day the carnage was
kept up, and night after night the skies were
red with the flames OF burning palaces. 1t
was only when the last barricade was stormed
at the Place Chateau d Eau that the mob was
put down.
The capitalists of London owe something
to the hungry hordes of the popuous East
End. They can not make them rich nor
altogether lift them out of their poverty,