The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-07-16
LOST THEIR JOBS
CITY STREET FORCE THROWN OUT
OF EMPLOYMENT.
about Seventy Men Affected by the Dis
missal-No Money to Pay Them on Ac-
count of the Reduced Revenue, was the
Cause-Either the Police or Street La
borers had to Go and the Council Hav-
ing No Control Over the Police Force
No Reduction Could be Made in that
observation-disclosures Thrown Out.

All the street force was let out last
night with the exception Of two or
three gutter men, whose services are
absolutely needed for a few days, at
least.
About ttirty-five ner in all went
home 70 their wives and children with
the cheerful intelligence" that the
bread and butter revenue had ceased.
The cause of it all is a want of suffi-
cient revenue 10 pay them. 1t was hop
ed that the street force at least would
be kept on as most Of them are poor
men who did not get much and coLse-
quently had not much saved up, the
fact being that they have been living
on a half loaf for some time.
While il is estimated that only thirty
five We're thrown out OF employment
the fact is. il threw out about seventy
About year ago times got so dread
fully hard and many labOring men
were only a little short Of starving, the
council adopted a policy of giving men
only two weeks work in each month
and double the force: Their idea was
10 give seventy men enough TO keep soul
and body together rather than to have
thirty-fiVe have adequate although
bare, means of subsistence and thirty
five more starve. On account of this pol
icy. which was commendable under the
circumstances, the men have laid Moth
ing by and with but very few excep-
tons none of them have now enough
money TO support their families for a
week unless they are able to obtain
credit and credit is hard to get when
there is no prospect for work.
The discharge of these men affects
nearly two hundred persons and this
with the number already out of employ
ment makes a sad condition of affairs
The condition would not be quite so
touching but for the fact that there is
absolutely no employment for women,
and that means a good deal If a poor
man who cannot get work himself has
a grown up daughter who can work
she cannot get anything 10 DO, for it
is well known fact that there are
fifteen working girls now for every one
vacant position. That is what drove
Lizzie Thomas to the Maple street
bridge last Saturday where she ended
her life in the angry food below. Out
Of work means not only no bread TO
sustain life but il means no shoes to go
to school or no white dresses to go to
church or at least not ones good enough
to line up in the Sunday school class
with children of more fortunate paren-
tage.
Mayor Cox was seen yesterday and
while he deeply regretted that the street
force would be discharged a few hours
thereafter ne said there was no help
for il. The financial condition Of the
city could not stand it. He said that
the police department, besides having
$40 overdrawn already. would have
to be paid and that is absolutely all
that the city treasury could stand.
When asked why the police. or rather
a part of their number, could not be
discharged, he seemed 10 think that
that could not be done under the pres