Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-30
Practical Black Mail.
10 the Editor Of The EVENING STAR:

To the Editor Of The EVENING STAR:
There is understood to be q law or regulation
applicable to this city which forbids
street begging. This il most ex-
cellent prohibitive measure, and would serve
most excellent purpose, if properly enforced
which it is not. Whether this failure be the
fault Of the higher officials in not requiring the
police to protect the public as it ought to be
protected against professional mendicants, or
whether the policemen shirk their duty in this
| respect and trust to luck to escape censure at
| the hands Of their superiors, Is not easy to
determine. Probably blame ghtproperly be
lodged in both quarters.
But there is another form Of beggary which
| Is even worse than alms-asking on the Streets
| against which it is probably impossible to
| secure either legal enactments or police inter-
ference, and which can only be suppressed by
business men and house holders making firm
| and united stand in self-defence With the ap-
proach Of cold weather comes the innumerable
| army Of old men and women, young men and
| women, boys and girls, insisting on the pur-
chase OF tickets or votes" for fairs, festivals,
concerts, and benefits, of various kinds or to
give contributions in money or goods for all
sorts of entertainments, which it is alleged are
| to be given at some vaguely specified hall,
church, or private house, in behalf Of some
actual or pretended association. congregation or
individual said to be worthy and in need
of help. II these constant demands were
made for legitimate purposes. and always by
persons worthy to be trusted with either money
or other articles asked for, the case would be
bad enough; but when it is known that large
percentage Of such appeals are for objects
which either do not exist or do not need or de-
serve help, and are made by persons who hold
on to a large portion if not the whole Of what
they are able to get, the matter assumes the
proportions of colossal imposition, and sub
jects literally disposed persons to most out
rageous tax.
There is hardly day in the winter season
that almost every business man in the city is
not beset and badgered by these ''duly author
lied" or self-appointed solicitors, as the case
may be. Especially are dealers in all sorts of
goods subjected to these importunate and often
lmpudent demands; but newspapers, job
printers lawyers, doctors and house keepers
probably fare little if any better. The plea is
usually made on the ground that the solicitor
or collector and his or her friends or fol-
lowers are customers of the victim and a
polite decination to contribute is often
met by an implied or openly expressed threat
Of boycott" that is, by the withdrawal of
patronage" on the part of the organization or
what not IN behalf of which the appeal is made
As matter of fact, the case is frequently moth
ing more nor less than an indirect form of
black mail, and, rather than waste time in argu-
ment and take the risk of giving offense and
losing even little business by declining to give
what Is asked, the beleaguered and bewildered
victim hands over a sum of money which can
be poorly spared or gives an order for the de-
sired goods. which only ought to change hands
for value received.
Now, is there a business man in the city who
is not frequently obliged to undergo the ex-
perience portrayed above, and who would not
like to be relieved from further impositions of
this sort? Just how the abuse can be stopped
is not SO easy to say. If the talked-of Board of
Trade is organized and gets under way the SUBJ
ject might well be taken up for action by that
body. 1t could hardly give its attention to
minor subject which more directly touches the
personal comfort and the pocket of business men.
Meantime the abuse could be materially re-
duced in proportion by a little concerted ac-
ton ON the part of business men themselves.
Let them resolve to give, and give what they
feel they can spare for charity, direct to some
worthy object near home, or to some well
known and properly managed charitable
organization, and then steadfastly refuse
to be bled by these combination assessors
and collectors OF taxes, whether strangers
or acquaintance The only remedy lies
i'll taking this ground and maintaining it to
the end; in standing together, and thus meet
ing the common argument that Mr. So-and
So. in your line of business, has given SO much.
surely you can't afford to do less" Some
worthy objects might and no doubt would fail
to receive the aid they need and deserve if this
course were pursued, but many impostors
would be discounted and on the whole sub
stantial public good would be accomplished.
What say other BUSINESS MLN?