Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-04


| been levying rates to assist the poor, which
proved more of an assistance TO the beer
| shops. II would be cheaper to pension the
keepers of the beer-shops and close them
| up, than to pension the whole community
| and have them open.
Now, poverty is the result of three causes:
| The first, is where the individual has been
handicapped by nature, and is shiftless,
| thoughtless and improvident. They need
| constant guardianship and control. The
second cause is misfortune, over which the
| individual can have no control. This class
need our tenderest sympathy. The third
cause of poverty is crime and dissipation.
This class need constant correction, and
should be kept away, as much as possible,
| from the influences that nave led them
into the life they have chosen.
Mrs. Lowell says in her conclusions,
"that while the acknowledgment is made
| that every person born in a civilized COM
munity has right to live, yet the commu-
| nifty has right to say that incompetent
| and dangerous persons shall not, so far as
can be helped, be born to acquire this right
| to live upon others. To prevent a constant
and alarming increase of these two classes
of persons, the only way is for the commu-
nifty to refuse to support any except those
whom it can control-that is, except those
who will submit themselves to discipline
and education"
And yet no intelligent effort has ever
been made to prevent an increase of these
classes, and when they have been put
under control In prisons and reform
atories there has been a constant sentiment
against engaging them in any useful en-
ployment for the reason that it would
have a tendency to cheaper and degrade
Ho lob vr-hi oth a, 4
Governor Stanford in a recent article
published in the public prints, made this
observation in effect: That if every per-
son in the world would surround himself
with all the luxury and elegance which
human skill and energy can supply, the
great reservoir from which we get our lux
uries would suffer no diminution Every-
thing we have is taken from the bosom of
the earth, tie supply is inexhaustible and
is constantly being renewed, and only re-
quires the skill and energy OF man to
fashion it for his use"
Now, if the energy of every man could
be directed in the proper channel, and
there was no waste of effort, it would be
easily possible for every Individual to enjoy
the luxury that surrounds US. The three
great requirements are food, clothing and
shelter. Food is the great essential; cloth
lUS duu SuCAlOl arc Oul1 us Iudu
extends his habitation into different eli
mates.
In the tropics man exists very comfort
ably without either clothing or shelter, and
if his observation, reason and ingenuity
had not taught him how to make clothing
and erect shelter over himself, it is prob
able that no human habitations would be
found outside of the tropics, But being
endowed with reason he is enabled to over.
come the most stubborn obstacles that ma
| ture offers against his migration. If all
| men were equally endowed, there would
| be no problem for the philanthrepist or
political economist to solve. But laws
have been enacted that came near solving
| the problem at the expense, perhaps, of
personal independence In our own coun-
| try we have too much of what we call per-
sonal liberty for any such rule to obtain
sanction. Senator Stanford, in his admir-
able paper, says there are no beggars in
Utah among the Mormons; therere is no
pauperism in the Church of the Latter
Day Saints, The reason of this is that the
| Church is the Government, and it is pa
ternal government. The priests of the
Church are the social, moral, political and
| financial advisors of the people.
| These priests having the advantage Of
| education and scientific investigation, pre-
pare themselves to advise their people in
the affairs of life. If the farmer is uncer-
tain about when to SOW his grain the priest
is prepared to instruct him. The thought
less and improvident have some one to
/ look after him and become responsible for
his failure. This system could only work
where there was lack of universal educa-
ton. In our country every individual is
or should be as capable of forming his
own conclusions as the priest would be of
advising him.
The solution of the whole question is
universal education. In the United States
the question of education takes the most
| prominent position, and has become we'll
| nigh universal, and yet there are large
masses of the people who are densely ig-
| norant. Among those people who are pen
| sioners on the charity of the public, fully
| rs per cent. of them are from the ranks of
the ignorant, Is per cent. are OF the de-
PRAYED and vicious class, and 10 per cent.
are unfortunate and in real distress, s1eh
as widows and orphans left without sup
| port.
Weil-educated people will never be
found applying for charity, unless they are
! stepped in crime or are engaged in getting
a fraudulent living. The improvident re-
| quire paternal care and should be placed
4 III 6SuOUlS dLl NOIhSlOD5 "nCTG they
J could be taught to be self-reliant. The de-
PRAYED and fraudulent applicants for char
| ity should be place in reformatoIy where
! they would given an opportunity TO earn
an honest living, or punished until they
would be content to support themselves
| honestly. As has been shown, intemper-
ance is the cause of most of the pauperism
| of our land or that majority OF the pau
/ pers of our land ere addicted to drink. 1t
may be argued that pauperism leads to
drinking as an alienation of its miseries.
| 1t is certain that drinking leads 10 pauper-
| ism, and as psupsrism cannot cease to ex-
ist as long as the drinking habit obtains, ii
becomes evident that to reduce pauperism
you must first reduce the drinking habit.
| Laws should be enacted making public
| almouers in the nature of infants or in
| competents in that respect, and fixing a
penalty against anyone who sold intoxi-
| eating drinks to such persons, as is now
| done in the case of minors and Indians.
| Mrs. Lowell says: THE wife and chill
dren of drunkard must suffer, no power
can prevent that; the only question pre-
| scented is as to the kind of suffering. ! have
not the slightest doubt that it lisa wrong,
and great wrong, to give help to the fam
| lily OF drunkard, or an immoral man who
will not support them" She further says
| that . deserted wives must not be treated
az widows, for it hes been found that to
| deal as tenderly with them as sympathy
would dictate, leads other men 10 desert
their families. trusting them TO char
! liable care, and even induces husbands
and wives to play upon the sympathies of
the benevolent by pretended desertions. 1t
| ought to be understood in every commu-
nity. that where man deserts his wife and
children and negleets his most pressing
duties to them and 10 the public. that they
will be left 10 suffer the faie he has pre-
pared FOR them.p
This seems TO be harsh susges ion, ard