The record-union., 1897-04-24
GIVE THEM NO COUNTENANCE.


1t is reported that a body of men
from San Francisco. claiming to be un-
employed and destitute, are upon the
march for Sacramento. They number
some 800 and left San Francisco last
Monday, coming by boat to Stockton,
and having tramped from there to
Lodi, where at this writing they had
swarmed upon a freight train that it
is said will not be permitted to pull
out with its unwonted load
The objective point Of the crowd be-
ing Sacramento, it may as we'll be set
tied now as at any other time that this
city has no welcome for the crowd.
Twice has it raised money and robbed
its own poor to care for two such
tramping bodies, ill-called industrial
armies" 1t cannot afford to do this
thing for a third time. It would be
the worst policy in the world to do so,
since to aid these people would be to
invite another crowd to come, and per-
haps dwell with US to the injury of the
worthy poor the people of Sacramento
are now caring for.
We apprehend that no people in the
world have broader or deeper sympa-
thy with misfortune and the unem
ployed than the people of Sacramento.
The very fact that they have so often
aided beautifully and profusely the
suffering strangers thrown upon US,
and have always cared for the resident
poor; the fact that they are liberal
in all good works; charitable in such
degree as characterizes only few popu
lations: the fact that distress among
the people of this city never goes I'M
heeded-these things testify to the
charitable hearts Of our people.
But this marching of hordes of peo-
pie from other cities to this, to feed
upon our liberality and coerce our
charities, must come to an end. Sac
ramento has submitted to that sort Of
thing for the last time. We have ev-
cry possible sympathy for such OF these
banded men as are worthy and suffer-
ing, but we do not believe that as a
rule worthy men band together in this
way, to cast themselves bodily upon
a community unlimited and unexpected.
All the chances are that these men
are not seeking opportunity to work
They are probably looking for comfort
able lodgings and plenty of food in i'm
provised barracks, for which they pro-
pose to offer no consideration and
where they may loaf. Whose money is
TO. support them? Whose labor is to
feed them? What orphans and widows,
what sick and destitute of our own
are to suffer that these roaming de-
pendents may live upon our bounty?
These questions Sacramentans must
ask themselves, and themselves salts
factorily answer at once.
To-day these mendicants Will be upon
US. They may be here when these lines
are read. The question is, what is to be
done with them? There is really but
one thing to do, namely, let the men
look out for themselves while we at
tend to our own affairs If they get into
the city. But it would be better to pre-
vent their entry and return them
whence they came. They have no
claims upon Sacramento. They had no
right to come upon US. They are I'M
welcome guests and they should be
made to depart. Ii viii be cheaper to
do that then anything else. II they at
tempt any coercion they should be
punished. Sacramentans are patient
and ong-suffering. but we apprehend
that there is a limit to their patience,
and that 1t will not be difficult to rouse
them TO resistent action if this new
band of dependents becomes at all
troublesome.
Since the foregoing was put in type
news of the return of the unwelcome
excursionists to Stockton from Lodi is
at hand. They boarded a train for Sac
ramento, but the cars were whisked
back TO the nearest point. The thing
for Stockton to do is to ship the men
to San Francisco, whence they came.