, 1889-08-08
some English Statistics.


The renewal of murders by the mys.
terlons assassin known as 'i.Jack the
hlPper' hns called attention to tho
social condition of the denizens of the
East End of London, which the assassin
mas seiected as the scene of his horrible
Dutcheries. There is in the east end u
population of 80s,000. Reliable sta
ustlcs show that Ill in 1000, or
habitants of this part of the British
capital, never have enough to cat or
wear or regular home to live in. In
other words there is encamped in this
part OF London an army of over u hun
dred thousand trainps who arc
homeless and without any hope for the
future.
Besides these social outcasts there are
IN the East End 100000 people of whom
the heads of families earn less than So n
week. Out of this miserable pittance
from Sl.25 to s1.75 a week has to be paid
Tor rent. What remains after the pay
ment OF rent has to support the family
VINO are obliged to stint in every sort of
way in, order to keep body
and soul together. The children
of the pleasures of childhood
as they are compelled to 60 to work q
few years after they are out of the era
die. Such sights as are to be witnessed
IN this part of the capital of free.trade
England cannot be duplicated in any
other portion of the civilized or uncivil-
lied world. Humanity in this abode of
wretchedness has reached such u depth
of degradation that it seems impossible
that II could touch lower depth.
what remedy to apply TO remove this
mass ofpoyerty is the question that each
year presses more urgently upon the
rulers of England. II the poor of Lon
don would only keep quiet and patiently
endure their hardships the government
of England could afford to ignore them
But ominous rumblings of discomfort are
already heard The lower strata of this
mass of poverty long ago lost all hope
and all ambition. That army of homeless
wretches in the East End of London
care for nothing but for enough of food
and drink for the day. They give no
thought of the morrow, 1t is not they
who threaten the existing order Of
things in England, but it Is the mass of
English workingmen who see in the con.
dition of these homeless creatures u
warning that impresses upon them the
importance of doing something to pre-.
vent labor from being pushed to the
wall.
The English workingman is practi.
cal sort of fellow, who cares very little
about abstract theories and who would be
employment at what he considers re-
spectacle wages. The rulers of Eng
land knowing this have been anxious, to
capture new markets for English goods.
That would he the best sort Of buffer TO
ward of from the English government
the danger that threatens IL from the
discomfort of the English workingmen.
This explains the energetic efforts Eng
land and all working in England's in.
terests have been making to induce us
10 adopt the free-trade policy.
If this country were foolish enough TO
accept that policy the outlook for Eng
land would be much better than Ii is
The mass of human misery in the East
End of London would remain as it Is
but the great body of English working.
men would not find themselves being
slowly pushed to the brink ofstarvation
1t is unnecessary To say what effect this
method of improving the condition of
Englishmen would have on the prospects
of American workingmen. 1t would not
be many years before the keen compe.
tition' with the workers of England
would inevitably result in lowering the
standard of living for our workingmen
TO that prevailing in England. The sta
tistics we have given about the East
End of London shows how low that
standard can sink.