The Washington times., 1894-10-16
IMMEDIATE ACTION URGED
Great Suffering Among the Poor Pre-
dicted When the Snow Falls.
TALKS WITH MANY POLICEMEN
The Situation Said to Be Alarming Already
Among washlngton's "Other Half'-sev-
eral Suggestions 0ffered-The Splendid
Work of the United Hebrew Charities.

| Inc poor Oh lne DlStrlct Will pass through
terrible ordeal during the approaching win
ter, which promises to be an unusually severe
one, and immediate steps should be taken to
meet the emergency at least half way This
! is the consensus of opinion of many police
officials and persons connected with the vari-
Gus charitable associations, as CLEANED by
TIMES reporters.
"We should not wait until the snow flies in
the icy north wind and the wolf of famine is
bowling his mournful death song at the doors
! OF our poor, but should commence at once the
work of organizing our charities for speedy
and effective work during the approaching
winter"
This was the sentiment expressed last night
by Rev. E. D. Bailey, of the Central Union
Mission.
There is already vast amount of suffer
ing among the poor of Washington, " he con.
tinued, land the outlook is that the winter ot
1S94-5 will be IN unusually severe one. There
is stern work ahead of US and we should be
up and doing-now, at oncel The mission
workers will arrange to call mass-meeting
at an early date in order that steps may be
taken TO stem the tide of suffering in some
degree before the deluge comes The chari-
ties of the District should be reorganized dur
ing the present month and programme
mapped out for the winter campaign against
hunger and cold"
Mr.. Bailey recited several instances OF
formerly well-to-do mechanics who are now
almost helplessly entangled in the meshes Of
poverty, owing TO the scarcity of employment
| during the spring. summer, and autumn
he Nom Of hos MI l,l ca1I ara
too proud TO ask aims, and would rather
| suffer than let their true condition be known.
They have spent all OF the rainy-day fund
which they had been saving, and are now
ABOUT to face the hardships OF a severe winter
without either money or credit.
The reporter called yesterday on many OF
the sturdy lieutenants and sergeants of police
men who daily face poverty in all its most
| hideous and pathetic FORMS The consensus
! Of opinion among them was that the coming
| winter will witness scenes of suffering sue h
as have never occurred before in the fair Cap
itai City.
Clerks, mechanics. laborers, and others
who are willing to work but cannot find en-
ployment of any kind, they say. will, from
dire necessity, become public charges. and
| must be provided for. The cry for bread and
fuel will 90 up from every quarter OF the city
! and the authorities and those in good circum-
| stances cannot turn a deaf ear TO such ap.
peals.
MANY ARE ALREADY SUFFERING.
In the Fifth precinct station-house the re-
porter found Lieut.. McCathran, one of The
most kind-hearted officers on the force. His
precinct is located in southeast Washington
1t covers larger area and contains more res
idents than any other in the city.
There has been more suffering here thi:
foil -aFI .
previous fall within my recollection. Ever
during the summer months we We're besieged
by persons seeking relief. have never wit
messed such a state of affairs before. 1t ap.
pears to me that this winter will bring terri
bic times TO the poor Of our city. A majority
OF our mechanics have been idle during the
building months. They cannot get work now
that winter is almost at hand. that is sure.
The question then confronts US: What are
you going TO do about it?'
At the Fourth precinct station, situated il
the very center of South Washington, the re
porter met that veteran detective and station
keeper, Mr.. August Yoss, who has had long
experience with the victims of poverty. This
police district contains a dense colored popu,
latiOn, larger in numbers than any other il
the city. Many of them exc out an existence
during the warm months by delving into the
great piles of debris on the city dumps. which
are manly located in that quarter of the town
They manage by some hook or crook TO carr
living during the spring. summer, anG
autumn, but when the snow falls and cover:
the dumps with its icy crust for days and
weeks, these poor creatures are unable tC
delve for rags. scraps OF metal, etc, and be.
come helpless objects OF charity. 1t is then
that they flock 10 Lieut.. Yernon's station, tel
their tales OF woe and beseech the police fOi
food and fuel. Even at this early date No. 4
has many callers for assistance. and really
worthy cases are speedily relieved.
The police method of furnishing relief is q
good one. After the officer on the beat on
which the applicant lives reports to the lieu
tenant that the case is deserving of assistance
and that the family is in immediate need
the lieutenant fills out two orders on a nearby
grocer and coal yard, one usually for 81
worth of food and the other for 50 worth oil
wood and coal. These orders are promptly
honored and charged to the police depart
ment relief fund, and succor is thus extended
to the suffering family in very short time
after the application for aid has been made
at the station. There is no red tape about
the police method of relieving the poor Re-
lief is rendered Systematically and quickly.
In the other precincts a similar state of af-
fairs was found to exist, and the officers pre-
dicted with solid unanimity that every indca-
ton pointed to a most severe winter and an
exceedingly great amount of suffering among
the city's poor. They said, also, that men
who had never known what it was to beg be-
fore would be compelled to ask relief, and the
hope was expressed by many humanitarians
IN blue coats and brass buttons that Congress
would largely increase the appropriation this
year for the police relief fund.
Superintendent of Charities Tracey has evi
IDENTIFY been aroused to the necessity for i'm
mediate action, as it was announced las
night that he had recently visited New York
Philadelphia, and other large Eastern cities
TO study the emergency methods in vogue
there.
WASHINGTON is ovERRUN BY TRAMPs.
Mr.. W. Il. Dunn, superintendent of the Mu
niciDal Lodging-house, No. 31s Twelfth stree
northwest, where all guests are required t.
saw one-eighth of cord of wood for thei
lodging and the same amount for each meal
told the reporter that the city was already
overrun with regular tramps and that the sit
uation was growing worse every day.
'There are very few menfon the road this
season who are worthy and honestly seeking
work. Our dodgers and diners for the past
three weeks have been genuine dyed-in-the-
wool 'hobos.' We average from forty to sixty
dodgers each night. Now take tonight. fol
instance. 1t is barely o'clock, but the nortt
wind is cold and raw. and we have already
registered fiity-five names. Our streets are
crowded with 'hobos,' many of whom &C
from door to door begging for clothing. They
frequently come to the lodging house with
great bundles of good cast-off clothing they
have begged for. A majority of them do no,
use the goods for their own benefit but sci
them to the secondhand stores that line I
street.
"0ur charitably inclined citizens do wrong
in giving clothing to these tramps. The gifts
are not appreciated in the first place, while
in the second place, by the time real cold
weather arrives and our own poor citizens
are shivering in the wintry blasts for the
need OF sufficient covering. the city will have
been cleaned up Of all It's surplus cast-ofl
| clothes by the hordes of hecging tramns