Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1892-01-28
4 Reply From Senator Wood.
EDIroR OF WARl,EN SHEAR:

NOplJ IlVM O0AQsVA NVVU.
EDIToR OF WARREN SHEAF:
l see in the saEAFo Of Jan. 7th an
editorial Under tile following head
ing !" An Unmerciful Law l pre-
sumo all will agree with ME, in consi-
dering the county system very ex-
pensive way Of caring for the poor
and that it encourages panperistn,
While the town system would dis
courage it. / secured at the Audi
tors Office some figures showing the
different items and the total expense
clearing for the poor Of the county
| for the past year, which figures Igive
below.
Medicine and medical treatment Sl75 %
County piiysicians' salaries sOu 90
| Paid for nursing panpers 49f 20
Paid hospitals for keeping panpers 5as IS
| Paid County Commissioners 81 so
Snnflries and provisions for paupers $40 50
Total $s.s6s 81
leave the figures without COM
ment. That tile new law may prove
something OF a hardship for the pre-
sent to s6lhe localities, appears quite
probable; but not SO great as APP
pears to lie anticipated think. 1t
is generally the case that most OF the
panpers are in the villages and cities
have been one OF the first settlers in
several newlocalities, and every cnse
the new settlements were better able
to care for themselves than they were.
after a lapse OF a dozen years ormore.
The inhabitants of the newer half OF
the county are less in debt and con
sequently more independent and bet
ter able to help each other than in
the older parts. The most men
closed out on account OF debt were
the older settlers; most OF those who
have lost their lands under fore
closures, lived in the older parts oi
the county. The treasurers books !
believe show that the principal part
OF the delinqent taxes, owing to the
inability OF the people to pay, is in a
few towns along the railroad where
the first settlements were made. You
say in your editorial that it looks
verify like legislating in favor OF the
rich and against the poor. 1t has
been SO long the custom to legislate
| for the rich and against the poor that
l fear that barely a singlelaw in favor
OF the poor and against the rich
would make the nation sick. In
fact it has become late years so uni
versally the practice to legislate for
the rich that the bred Scott decision
would with but little change describe
the situation exactly; that is, the
poor producers OF wealth both white
and black have no rights which the
rich and corporations are bound to
respect. You say you we're
not aware OF any general
demand for such law. l was
led to suppose a general demand for
the law did exist both by resolutions
passed and by nun erous correspon-
dence calling for the same. l had no
special feeling in the matter myself.
AS to the law being an unmerciful
one, how many laws we have on our
statute book, that instead OF causing
only some little local hardship, rob
the people OF their earnings and
make paupers by the thousand, and
yet we favor such laws by voting
for the parties and the men who are
striving to perpetuate them. | see
also Il notice of a case OF suffering by
an old man in Polk county taken
from the Stephen Leader; but
what is the use of spending time in
answering what is only an effort to
make political capital out OF what
has no politics in it. L. G. w.
/