Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1897-02-12
MRS. COUGAR TALKS
OF THE THOUSANDS OF IDLE PEOPLE,
And the Cause of Their Distress.

Mrs. Helen M. Cougar spoke to an immens
audience at Cleveland, Ohio, OH the night O
the end inst Her speech was so good that w
publish the following report from the Cleve
land Plain Dealer:
Mrs. Helen M. Cougar lectured last evening
at Music hall OH the subject, "Give Us Worl
or Give Us Bread" She was introduced b.
Hon. L. A. Russell, who paid high tribut
to the speakers able services in the recen
national campaign, declaring that next t.
William J. Bryan she had been the most poten
force in the fight Mrs. Cougar said in part:
"During the last national campaign we were
promised that in case of McKinley's election
all labor should be employed, that the idle
wheels in every factory should revolve, the
silent spindles in every mill should whirl, thai
man should be forced by industrial conditions
to eat the bread of charity How have these
promises been redeemed? point to the poverty
districts of your own fair city to-day for most
convincing response. And the condition that
prevails in your own community is but part
of conditions that obtain throughout this great
land. What is the remedy? | tell YOU we
must get down to first causes i'll dealing with
this uomentous problem We must 90 to
our halls of legislation, to our municipal head
quarters, to the seat of our social system.
"Let this city learn from Chicago's expe-
rience III December of 1898, i'll the midst OF
that holocaust of hunger following in the wake
of the mighty Columbian exposition, visited
the city hall of Chicago one night and found
in that immense building 1871 men sleeping
upon the cold hagstones of the corridor floor
| then went to the Harrison street police
station All Of you who have visited that place
will, think, agree with me that it is the
nearest representation of hell that has ever
cursed the sight of the people of the earth
There, in addition to the horde of men and
women dodgers, found in the basement of the
building, sleeping on the carhen floor, forty
small boys in knckerboclcrs | appealed to
Chief of Police Badenoch to know if there was
10 municipal means by which this condition
could be ameliorated. He replied that there
was none then told him to rent building
where the men might be lodged and l would
guarantee payment of rent. This was done.
then appealed to several leading men of the city
to help push the work. They promised, but
DELAYED. Men, you know, are always slow.
have always believed this since reading the
story of Moses. Had women led the child
ren of Israel they would have reached the
promised land i'll forty days instead of con-
suming forty years in the journey.
'Wel, l called a meeting myself held at
Central Music hall, and l am glad to say that
the great heart of Chicago which is always in
its proper place, when we know how to reach
it, responded nobly to the need of the hour
Not only enough money was contributed to pay
the rent, but there surplus sufficient to
purchase an abundant supply of beldne The
first night we sheltered 5000 men.
''rhe other day Mayor Swift issued an ap-
peal in behalf of the I4o,oo people now
starving in Chicago. He said that $4,000
had been donated to the cause, but that $780,
900 was needed He said further that not one
check from millionaire had been received by
the relief committee But of greater meaning
was his warning that unless the people of
wealth should come to the rescue they must
abide by the consequences. am glad that he
said that am glad that it is necessary for
the moneyed class to come to the relief in the
interest of self-protection.