People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-02-07
The City's and County's Poor.

The question of the city's and cOun-
TVS poor is becoming very serious
one, serious not only to the board of
county commissioners but to the tax
payers, and something will have TO be
done. 1t is probably not exactly cor
rect to say cOunty'S poor, because it
seems that very few applications for
relief come from the body Of the
county. The destitute are found in
the suburbs Of the city, quartered in
the shells that were erected for specu-
lative purposes, and in the shanties
found near the business streets.
Much property is delinquent, taxes
are high already, no surplus in the
county treasury, and no public work
Of any character. This is the condi-
tion Of things confronting the county
commissioners, to whom all the 'des-
titute look for aid. Hours Of every
day, hours in which county business
is pressing, are taken up by men,
women and children applying for re-
lief. The largest number are chill
dren. AS systematic inquiry must
follow every application before relief
can be granted the whole time Of a
sanitary policeman is thus taken up.
The commissioners say that 10 almost
every instance the facts are found to
be as represented by the applicants.
1t is nearly always a case Of family
Of husband, wife and children desti-
tute Of food and out of fuel, the faith
er being unable to procure employ
ment. Now and then it is an artisan
or mechanic, but generally day Ia
borer. They are neither poor-house
or hospital subjects; simply hungry
people unable to obtain work.
How to relieve the deserving and yet
not impose upon the taxpayers is a
problem for the county commissioners,
who are constrained to give all a
hearing and 10 grant relief in cases of
threatened starvation and death.
1t would seem wise, for many con-
sideratiOns, to bar applications from
children whose parents are bodily well
and to send them home. Next comes
the suggestion that the city should
make some move for the employment
of all the destitute, able-bOdied men
until such time as work can be found
or at least until the return of warm
weather. In that line comes the
proposition of street improvements.
1t is bad public policy to give the
peoples money out for nothing. 1t
would be better for the public welfare
of the children that the head of the
family carry shovel full of dirt to
one end Of the street and then carry it
back again for pay than to be made
the recipient of the peoples money in
the way it is now paid out. Such
charity breaks down self respect and
self reliance and inculcateS mendi-
cancv and trampiSm.
These facts and suggestions are
neither full nor comprehensive, but
their discussion might lead to some
practical solution whereby the COM
missiOnerS and taxpayers would be re-
lieyed and the deserving destitute
provided fOr.-Wichita Eagle.
The above article clipped from the
Eagle is in some measure applicable
to the people of this county. 1t is
well known and has been proven by
the recent benevolent attempts of
some of our worthy citizens to give
relief to the needy and the suffering.
that our city's pauperS are more than
many realize. 1t is 50 in every city
now. For this reason an awakening
to duty is needed. The article
clipped suggests rightly that these
suffering people should have their
wOrthineSS teStsd by labor. No man
who is able, yet unwilling to work,
should have The sympathy or aid of
his fellOw-men. So far as putting
these poor people to work upon the
streets is concerned, we believe that
much work could be expended upon
our city thOrOughfares, sidewalks.
etc, without US being accused of any
uncalled for pride. 1t is = fact that
our streets and sidewalks are in a con-
ditiOn almost disgraceful to a city of
this size. Instead of distributing
ratiOnS right and left without any
compensation to the city for such re-
lief service rendered, why not get a
little benefit in return, since the
suffering poor By all humane law or
regard must be relieved?-Mail.
Horticultural.
The last meeting of the Sumner