St. Landry democrat., 1889-02-23
Winter No. 2.

Winter No. 2.
A letter to the Manchester Gowa) Democrat
Eds. Dsmocrat-Dear Sirs: In your
issue of January 2, I spoke of winter as
the cause of poverty and cited as proof the
pauper fund of three counties, one in Iowa
and two in Louisiana. | will now add to
my list another Iowa county, Dubuque, to
make the comparison good. The amount
of the pauper fund of Acadia parish Co
take from the Crowley Signal, the official
organ, to be 800, population between 5000
and 5000 take from the Lake Charles
Commercial the pauper fund of Calcasieu
parish: Amount used for 1888 was 1915,
population about 30, 900 people. Delaware
county, Iowa, has a population of II, 436.
Mr.. Boggs, county auditor, told the pau
per fund was about $4,000 Dubuque
county, Iowa, has a population of 45, 496,
and | copy from the Dubuque Fleming
Telegraph of January 81:
Board and care of paupers. 49,. .......S 5414 50
Burial of paupers ..................... AS IS
etc,, ~ 319S 45
Medical supplies for poor . 995 45
Medical attendance. Observation-Disclosures. $50 10
Poor house supplies ......,...,... 4719 03
Poor relief for city. 1O9S6 a.
Poor relief outside city............. 502S IS
Transportation of paupers. ............. PSI %
Making total charge for poor ........ S31 4S9 r
To recapitulate: $1,000 people in Lou
isiana use pauper fund. $4,000; 63 600
people in Iowa use pauper fund s59, 4S9. II.
notice it took 800 more to bury pau
pers in Dubuque county than Calcasieu
parish used to feed and clothe all of hers.
If you doubt the fact of winter causing
poverty, visit Chicago poor houses in win
ter, or ask any supervisor of the poor.
And here let me give you another test of
the value of climate. Suppose GeXt May
you put out 1000 fruit trees in Iowa, and
1000 head of stock go without care six
years, also at the same time in Southwest
Louisiana. Result in Iowa. in one year no
stock left and in two or three years no
trees, or at most, a very few extremely
hardy varieties of little value. Result in
Southwest Louisiana, in two years, peaches
and plums; in three years, figs; in four
years, pears in six years, apples. And
the stock will not only live, but have in
creased 1000 per cent | contend that is a
fair test of the value of good climate. l
mean q country where seed time and har-
vest last all the year. | mean where 1.-The
lang summers given"
| may say further, that severe climate
makes severe, often desperate, struggle
for existence, causing insanity, suicides
and crime. | note the insane sum in Du-
buque county is 50, STA So. Minnesota has
two very large insane asylums filled to
overlooking, three-fourths of whom are
Scandinaviors from the Laplands of Eu
rope.
Now, Mr.. Editor, l like to see a man
stand by his state We have all heard the
noted reply of Gen. Phil. Sheridan, when
he arrived in Galveston, hot, dry and
dusty, an obtrusive reporter rushed in
while he was washing, and said: MIR.
Sheridan, how do you like Texas?' Sher-
idan answered: eff owned Texas and
and hell l would rent Texas and go and
live in hell" A Texas editor, in quoting
his remark, justified the general on the
ground that ''he liked to SEGA man stand
up for his own country" Neither do l
condemn the paupers of Iowa, or any other
Lapland state. 1t is the climate l am
after.
My friend gives the bill of fare at Iowa
poor houses as follows: Tea, coffee,
sugar, flour, raisins, apples, cheese, beef
steak, prunes, canned peaches. And says
we can show them at any sitting of the
board of supervisors. think that parti-
ally accounts for the number of deaths
among the Dubuque county paupers (dys-
pepsia), besides they must bury them in
rosewood collins, regardless of expense,
otherwise their number must be great and
death rate fearfully high.
Now as regards price of labor and bill of
fare south, my friend has gone back to
slavery times. We have in Southwest
Louisiana, 0Gv.Northern people; their
appetites are as good as ever and their
means of gratifying them better. Beef
and pork are as cheap as in Iowa. SO are
groceries and table supplies generally, ex-
cept -four, butter and milk, and only a
question of short time when the South
will be more selfsupporting than any
other part of the Union.
Your many readers may wish to know
the prevailing rate of wages. 1t is not
always possible to get work at once any
where Except in Iowa.. But in the sugar
season, October to January, wages for
white and black alike, are 81 to $l,25 per
day, and in numbering, which is carried on
very extensively the year round. 81 with
board, and $3.50 without Farm hands
generally get $15 to $40 per month and
board with family. When l said that the
South were more liberal with the poor
had not read the elaborate menu that ''the
supervisors can show them ON our bills at
any sitting of the board" note that the
Dubuque county "board" limit the amount
of relief for any one pauper to $3.50 per
week, and the entire amount allowed shall
not exceed $40, except in sickness. Now
submit to a candid public, will
81. 80 week, after taking out necessary
clothing, fuel and rent, leave enough to
purchase the Injuries, even for one day?
"The supervisors" are law breakers or the
poor have thin fare. s. l. CARY.
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