Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-01-07
GOTHAM'S CHARITY
ORGANIZED VAMPIRES VETO
kEYSER'S EFFORTS.
A New Workers. Opinions on the
Rights of the POOr-Excused
from Jury-The Suffer.
ing in the Great City.
5000 Starving.

John H, Keyser, a dealer in stoves
on Beekman street, New York, tried
to do something to alleviate the
satferlngs of unfortunate people who
are without employment and conse-
quenty without food. He opened
free restaurant and the poor people
flocked there for hours before the
time announced for meals, crowding
each other for chance to get in,
while the bleak winds sent shivers
through their thinly clad bodies.
Mr.. Keyser found that he could
not bear the burden of feeding the
ever increasing multitude Of starve-
lings, and he sent out a circular to
the charitably disposed to help him.
Immediately the organized charity
societies, through their hireling Off
GERS, the vampires who absorb the
greater share Of the gifts collected
for the poor, raised howl of oppo-
sition, and sent out a counter cir
cular warning the almsgiyers against
assisting Mr.. Keyser's schemes for
feeding the hungry. The result
was that the ostentatious charity
givers held aloof, and Mr.. Keyser
had to give up his free restaurant.
OF course, tho charity systom 10
simply the merest patchwork and
most miserable makeshift in the
matter of alleviating suffering, but
the opposition of the society pimps
showed plainly their determination
not to permit themselves to be de-
prived Of fat living at the expense
Of charity struck fashionables on the
one hand and their alleged benef-
Charles on the other. New York is
not the only place. where the organ
ized charities have paid employees
who literally live on charity.
Mr.. Keyser's views on poor people
were explained to Judge of the
General Sessions Court of New York
the other day when he was sum
moned as a juror. Questioned about
it by a afeporter he said, with smile:
II wasn't compelled to serve. told
the Judge that couldn't tconscientiousIy
serve. lie said he wouldn't ask me to
sit in murder cases, but that | couldn't
have any scruples in other cases. Itold
him he was mistaken. Ii a man Is put
on trial, | said, for stealing bread be-
cause he was hungry, | wouldn't find
him guilty. Neither would | If it was
his first offence. I've had five appren-
tices who stole from me. didn't have
'em arrested, and four of them are pros
porous merchants now, The Judge
told me might go, and went:
Referring to the subject of his
charitable endeavors, and the gen.
eral situation of the beneficiaries,
Mr.. Keyser said
81 don't believe 1000 men would be
tempted to get up in the gray of the
early morning for a cup of coffee and
some bread if they were not hungry. A
confidential man who was there exam
ined them and found them nearly all
Woodworking men. had fifteen men
working for me short time ago. Now
/ can only employ two. Other mer-
chants have had the same experience.
What becomes of the thirteen: Besides,
even if tramps are hungry they have
right to be fed as long as they're on this
earth. 1t might be worth while to find
out why they are tramps. There's no
charity in kicking man because he's
down. | maintain that there are 5000
honest men in this city who can't
get work, and who are unable to get a
decent meal. .a..a
Given man of Mr.. Keyse-'s SYM
pathetic nature, and add to that
capacity for thinking out the causes
of the misery he would assuage, and
we find Socialist. But our friend
is a business man and probably has
had little time for studying the social
question, but his business life
has not deadened him, as it has
so many others, to the misery around