The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-03-11
Trnmns I'M Anstri,

/ In Austria the state considers itself
bound to leave nothing undone to les
sen pauperism and crime, and, with
this object in view, enjoins upon every
individual the duty of bearing about
with him legal proofs of his Identity
and Of his belonging to some one Of
the communes into which the empire
is divided. Everyone found without
! these serviceable documents IS liable
to arrest until such time as his native
place has been ascertained, Whereupon
he is sent there. If a Hungarian or a
foreigner he is thus escorted TO the
frontier. Considering that The com
munes are liable to be charged with
the maintenance of the poor, 1t is nat
ural enough tnat they tshauid rouVntx-
shake off outsiders Who are likely to
become a burden to them; erd, if we
take into account the desire &C the
state to lessen the frequency OF crime
we can not wonder at its cage mess IN
get rid OF the contingent from which
the army Of criminals is, recruited. But
the end never sanctifies the means.
and II has now been proved that the
latter too often result in horrible bar
barities
For men and women, innocent Of
crime and misdemeanor. are frequently
arrested and put in prison SIMPLY be-
cause they are not in possession Of
the needful documents. TIL ere they
lie. buried for weeks nonths-nay, for
whole years-awaiting the decision of
the authorities, and gradually growing
uttnl Tor work sometimes a man slul-
ply loses his paper; then a few weeks
imprisonment may suffice Ia light mat
ters. II he himself can not solve the
question the authorities begin an end
less correspondence Rlth al the cum
munes in the empire, besides publicly
announcing the persons name and de-
mandlng information. If a Hungarian.
the chances are ten to one that the
commune authorities in that half of
the empire viii not reply at al. or else
only after the lapse of several months
to the questions asked of hem. Mean
While the unfortunate man, who has
done no wrong to anyone, is locked
UP for an indefinite time cut off from
the world, and subjected to the hard
ships Of prison life, which, especially
during the cold Of winter are often
intolerable. The case Of one such i'll
starred individual was discussed in the
diet, who, though guilty of no crime
whatever, was thus immured Tor nine
months. Another instance, likewise
commented upon, was that of a work.
man who was thus imprisoned ~.
three years, until the authorities as
~~~'A@H-~%
wretches are then sent off without q.
brass farthing in their pockets or a
friend in the wOrld--a worse condition
than that Of hardened criminals, who.
when they have served their time. are
helped on by benevolent societies.
A horrible illustration of the evils Of
this system is to be found in the fate
of passpOrtless man, arrested some
two years ago in a little village of the
Austrian province Of SiIesia. lie was
hungry and begged for bread, and the
head of the commune gave orders that
ne was TO be locked up pending in
quiries as to his native commune. The
ordinary communal servant being tenn
porarily absent, someone else carried
out the order, and conveyed the man
TO the special place of detention re-
served for vagabonds and tramps, but
forgot to mention the matter to the
communal servant. After the lapse of
a number of days somebody recollected
the beggar who had been taken to the
lock UP and going to The place found
his corpse. These horrors constitute
a somewhat high price for the dimi-
mutton of pauperism and crime Lon
don Telegraph.