The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-08-24

the HE nearly cnocked out OF them Dy
the scheme of the railway to lower the
price OF coal at the mine and increase the
freight. And so these companies have
been obliged to reduce the number of
their employees which helps to swell the
number OF idle men. It is indeed true as
eclared by the national assembly OF
France over a hundred years ago, that
Ignorance, neglect or contempt OF
| human rights are the sole causes of pub
lie misfortunes and corruptions OF gov
ernments.
paid visit to the Rescue mission one
day this week and learned some facts
which may be of interest to HERALD
readers. Since the opening of the mis-
sion on the 10th of last January about
5000 lunches and meals have been served
TO needy men. Each OF these meals has
been paid for in cash or labor by the re-
clpients. Nearly as many meals have
| been refused to men who refused to 90
J any work for them. They were chronic
tramps. The only work the mission pro-
vides is saving and splitting kindling,
and delivering it. During its early ex-
istence it was under heavy expense and
dependent almost entirely upon the vol
untary contributions of subscribers.
Could they find a ready sale for all their
kindling it would be nearly self-support-
ing, except for the rent and superintend-
ent's salary. They hope soon to get into
larger quarters SO as to accommodate the
largely additional demands they expect
to be made upon them this fall and
winter. Applicants for help are increas-
| ing and the superintendent tells
me they have nearly doubled within the
past ten days.
The relief granted is intended to be
only temporary to help man over tight
place. Many of the applicants state that
ii has been their salvation-their last re-
sort before being reduced to the extrem-
lty of starving, begging or stealing. The
| great majority OF the. men seem to be
honest, temperate and anxious to work !;
they are simply ''down on their luck. -
They comprise men from nearly all the
trades, but of course the majority are I'M
! skilled laborers. A record is kept of their
trades, and where they are from. A large
number of recent arrivals are from Col
orado and Montana. Mr.. Hawley, the
manager. tells me they have never lost a
dollar through trusting men. They have
given meals to many men who have been
working in the city, but bad not got their
pay. These men invariably paid up for
their meals when they got their money.
This speaks we'll for human nature,
and proves that it is not altogether so bad
as the preachers sometimes make out.
Mr.. Hawley also says the contributions
are kept up remarkably well, con-
sidering the hard times. Tickets are
furnished at the rate of seven for 81
to subscribers, and others which
entities the holder to employment and
one meal at tie mission. By having these
to give to applicants for relief the evils
resulting from .indiscriminate alms-giv
ing are avoided. The applicant has to
work for what he gets and the chronic
tramp who will not work is given moth
ing. The Rescue Mission is one OF the
very best mediums through which the
charitably disposed can dispense help to
the needy. 1t deserves the hearty sup
port and encouragement OF every citizen
of Salt Lake.
Reading in THE HERALD few days
ago an account of the swimming school
for women and the free baths of New
York, l could not help but think what
natural advantages Salt Lake has for free
public baths for its people. With its
mineral hot springs and GEAR mountain
streams, free hot and cold baths could be
established at a comparatively small cost.
They could be made self-supporting by
providing special accommodations for
those who were willing to pay for them.
Such baths would prove great blessing
to hundreds of poor people who are now
only occasionally able to enjoy those
health giving waters that were surely in
tended for all, rather than a fortunate
few to enjoy. The city owns these min
eral springs and If seems pity that they
should pass from it into the hands of
corporations and individuals for them to
make fortunes out of.
This country prides itself upon its demo-
cracy and the fact that the whole people
have voice in the government of the
country. Yet the sseffete monarehies''
of the old countries look after the inter-
ests of the common people in some di1ec-
lions better than we do. Every city and
many OF the towns of Europe b ave their
free public baths, free art galleries, free
libraries, parks, museums, gymnasiums
and other institutions for the amuse-
ment and instruction of its people.
Here we are SO short-sighted or
so absorbed in the everlasting
struggle for the almighty dollar
that we turn everything over into the
hands of corporations. We squander our
public lands, dispose of park reservations
to land spectators, lease our springs,
give away our water rights, and sup
pose if some corporation would ask it,
we would give away the exclusive privi-
lege OF bathing in Salt Lake. Surely
thase things are the gifts of the good God
the heritage of the whole people. They
should be held by the people for the use
of the whole people.
/ must confess, however, that the man
agement of public business by the repre-
sentatives of the people in Salt Lake
during the present city administration is
not such as to give much confidence in
the honesty and efficiency of municipal
mo 1t "a