The morning call., 1893-02-20
THE PAUPER QUESTION.

In the pending controversy for and
against a central bureau Of benefcence
and employment the preponderanoe Of
public opinion is with Rev. Father Prem
dergast. The argument on the other side
that another benevolent Institution would
swell the noble army of tramps VINO want
10 live without work appears to be based
on a superficial view of the case. In COM
munIty of a million and quarter of people
there must be some who from i'll luck, re-
cent illness or natural stupidity fail to find
work. and must be fed and lodged at the
public cost. The public duty to feed and
lodge them is none the less imperative be-
cause 1t is known that others who are idle
because they are lazy will impose Oh the
almoners Of charity and obtain relief which
they are quite capable of procuring for
themselves. The question in the case is
whether the duty can be best discharged by
a union of benevolent institutions or by
the separate action OF nationalities and
sects. That question has been answered by
twenty-one leading American cities in
favor Of associated charity. San Francisco
is not included in the list
The unsolved problem in the science Of
benevOleDce is how to supply relief in such
cut encouraging pauDerism. No one at the
present day needs to be told that uneOu-
ditional and indiscrlminate aImsgiving is
pernicious. But how shall the dole which
is bestowed on the needy be made to as
sumo tie shape of wage tor work done?
In the country the tramp is set to work to
saw half cord of wood In payment for his
breakfast. In the North and East he is
h
What work can be do here. where there are
no wood piles and no snow? a gentleman
whose opinion commands universal respect
says that he should be made to do some
thing. 1t is pity he did not say what. for
that is the kernel of the question. There Is
hardly any work at which he can be set in
which he will not compete with workers
who are not dependent on public charity
and whose rights are entitled to respect.
Father Montgomery. who is always fore
most in all good works, says that the lead
ing business men should "institute some
public working place" When he has got
his tramps in his working place what will
he do with them? Few Of them are
mechanics. They can only work as labor
ers. Shall the rich men start works which
are not needed merely to give employment
to the starving.
There Is an instance in point which is
pat In March. 1913, after the establish
ment of the Provisional Government in
France, Paris was beset by crowds Of un-
employed and starving men. The revolu-
lion had dislocaied commerce and industry :
enterprises which had been large consumers
Of labor closed their doors. The Proyi-
sIonal Government. fearing a renewal of
revolutionary disturbances. employed thou
sands of laborers in shoyelng dirt on the
line Of the defenses Of Paris aud enlisted
other thousands in the garde mobile. There
was no call either for the dirl-shovelers or
for the earde mobile, and in short while
the Provisional Government, whose credit
WAS name of the best and whose receipts
from taxes we're reduced by the stagnation
~ business. was compelled 10 discharge the
Ioborers and to disband several battalions
# the guard. The result in few days was
nm upr;sing Of the unemployed MOP which
Cayaignac was compelled to crush ID Dlooa'
''public working place, such as amer s'i 81
Montgomery proposes. would De useiul -
an intelligence office, conducted Dy hohota,
be and enlightened men. Such ofllcsS eAiS'