St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-02-28
A Hard Winter.
Times-DemOcrat,

The New I DIRK World draws a most
| piteOus picture of the number of per-
sons out of employment in that city.
| 1t estimates, at the lowest calculation,
that there are $4,000 idle men and wo-
men in that city, which means at least
81 100000 week lost in wages. It
means, says the World, poverty and
consequent crime IN many cases, and
| pauperlsm and loss of self-resDect.
The trades in which there is the
| greatest ldleness are naturally those
| manufacturing articles of luxury-the
clOakmakers, of artificial flowers, etc.
The woman. in particular, are sufferers,
more than 10000 of them being out OF
employment.
All the building trades are suffering
for work, more than One-ffth of the
entire number being out of employ
ment. 1t is even worse with the furni-
ture workers, there being 5000 out of
$500 idle, greater proportion than any
time since 1876. Among the iron work
ers, 5000 out of 1900; among the print
ers, 1900 out of 5000, and among cigar
makers, 1000 out of $4,000 have nothing
| to do. In fine, it is the hardest winter
for the poor that New York has known
in eight years. The police stations are
furnishing lodging for 10000 persons
! living of of aims. 1t is noticed that
the sufferers are generally of a better
class than hitherto of the applications
to the department of the charities and
the Association for the improvement of
the Condition of the Poor. There
were $4,000 applications during January,
an unusually large number being from
persons of American birth and the bet
ter class of Germans, who hitherto have
never sought for relief or dreamed of
asking for aims.
The London riot of last week shows
that they are no better off across the
water-indeed worse. The entire world
seems to be waiting patiently for
dreary winter to end and for the spring
to bring better condition of affairs.
The other day there was riot or dis
turbance in London, by the laboring
classes-the poor people. The protec-
tive tariff papers here are in the habit
OF attributing such disturbances there,
to the free-trade laws OF England
when in fact the real cause is a crowd
ed population. Ii the falt that many
people in England are out of employ
ment, and are consequently suffering
for food, on account Of free trade,
what is the cause for the same state Of
affairs in the densely populated Sec
lions of this country The cause
must be the same; but here we have
a protective tariff, the opposite of
free-trade, and consequently we must
look for another cause, which is un-
doubtedly too much population. Popu-
lation is an advantage to a certain ex-
tent; but beyond certain limits it is q
great evil. In this connection we pub
lish an article from the Times-Demo-
Graf, headed A hard Winter" showing
the distress in New York, caused by
$4,000 persons being thrown out of en-
ployment. The distress is not caused
by the hard winter, but by the lack of
food, fuel and clothing. New York is
the largest and richest city in the United
States and is the point where the great
hordes of immigrants land /; and if I'M
limited immigration is the great bless
ing that some wise-acres would have
us believe, New York ought to be inf
nitely blest and prosperous. The con
trary is the fact, and that fact is due to
too much population.