St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-25
RORRING TIE poor.


A workingman has written the GLOBE
a letter rim ging with the sincerity of an
| honest grievance, in which he states his
case, and asks whether Senator LIE
! NAU'S bill giving domestic servants
lien on their employers household fur
| niture for unpaid wages would help
| him and others of his class. 1t appears
! that he worked for six months as deliv-
cry man for firm of six years stand
ing in this city, and at the end of Janu-
AIRY his employers gave him a check for
$50, his months wages, dated Feb. 2.
This check was diShonored at the bank,
and when he protested the firm swore
at him, discharged him, and told him to
20 10 lawyer and get his money if he
could. lie consulted an attorney, but
| had nothing with which to pay him, and
| although he received him kindly, lie
was not willing to institute a suit unless
! he was sure of his fee. The man is
! now out Of work, in serious need of the
SO, and with no prospect of getting it.
| He says that he can name fifty others
who have been Wronged as he has, and
he wants to know whether there is any
| legislation proposed which will give
! such people redress.
The GLOBE is afraid that this form of
dishonesty is very prevalent in this and
| other cities. Domestic servants suffer
more from it than men. There is a
/ large class OF raScally people who de-
liberately take the time and energies OF
! the poor and helpless with no intention
of paving for them. They keep serv-
ant for nearly month, perhaps, and
then, on some fllmsy preteXt of insubor-
dination OF incapacity, discharge her,
with wages unpaid. Women are the
chief offenders in this vile business.
| They balance new hat or pair of shoes
for themselves against the wrong done
the hirelng, and Stihe their conscienceS
with the thought that the girl did not
do very efficient work, anyhow. The
! law should afford remedy for this ter
rible sin. 1t is the province of the law
to stand between the weak and their OPP
| preSSors. Glass legislation which will
| accomplish this is always juStifiable.
| Disgrace and social ostracism should
await people who are guilty of crimes
of this sort. Knavery and theft of this
kind would form admirable subjects for
! pulpit denunciation and instruction;
| and the GLOBE suggests to our priests
and pastors that they shelye discussions
on the nature of the godhead for few
weeks and teach their charges some of
the elementary principles of honesty,
kindness and fair dealing.
fIha r npL, d0ac mt think fbat
other rifle in the lien law would help
this matter any. 1t would only increase
the expense of collection, which is the
main trouble at the present time. Per
haps it would be sufficient and effective
if the exemption afforded household
goods and chattelS could be abolished
as against an execution on a Judgment
for labOrer'S wages. But even with
out this there is remedy at present.
The Women's Industrial and Educa-
tiOnal union is local organization Of in
telligent and noble women with all of
fee in this city It has at its command.
free of charge, the services OF a large
numbero Of competent. and even eminent
lawyers. who bring the machinery of the
law TO bear with vigor on the people
who try to cheat their household sery-
ants. A great many offenders have
been made to pay up by the fear
of exposure threatened them from this
quarter. And there are probably sim
liar organizations for the protection of
| men. In the case of our correspondent,
the GLOBE does not see that the
services of lawyer are needed.
Justices of the peace are estab-
hshed for just such cases as his.
OF course, if his maltreaters have
| nothing, they cannot be made to pay.
But, if they are only dishonest. let him
go before some justice and state his
case, and they will be brought to time.
The justice charges 81 for issuing the
! summons, but unless things have
changed since the days OF that old Ger
man warrior, Justice HANFT. our cor
respondent will not go away unhelped,
even if he has not dollar. Justice
HANFT was power in this city for the
cause of right while he lived; and his
honest soul burned with a white, if
somewhat incoherent anger, at stories
| of crookedness such as our correspond
ent tells us. Unless his successors are
of much lower grade, their ears are
open to the petitions of the poor.