The herald., 1897-02-20
CONCERNING A WOLF

The Herald is in receipt of the follow
which the writer heads Charity or Petit
Larceny"
To the Editor of the Los Angeles Her
aid: An article on page four, February
| 18th. in your paper says: Just now it is
| imperatively necessary that as many
men as possible be given employment of
| some kind, and the rule of the greatest
| good to the greatest number would sug-
gest that the wages be made of such an
amount that as many heads Of families
! as possible be provided for"
! Now, first is it employment the heads
| of families need most or money? If it is
money, then is it right for property own
ers and taxpayers to take advantage of
their unfortunate condition and offer
them a beggarly pittance as a hire for a
days work? Is it charity to offer man
half days pay for a days work be-
cause you have him in condition
where he must accept it or starve?
taxpayer who would take from
man a days work and give him half
days pay is guilty of petit larceny.
For the sake Of justice and charity, if
there be not enough money at hand to
pay for all the work that may be done
by the unemployed, then divide the work
and the money at fair rates among
them.
Let not the taxpayers of Los Angeles
stain the city's fair name by any wolfish
act. NJ. p. +.
Los Angeles, February 10, 1897.
The reasons for The Herald position
have been fully set forth in these col
umns; and it has been especially noted
that funds distributed in a purely elee-
mosynary movement should not be con-
sidered criterion in wages, much less
the taking advantage of a man because
! he happens to be in distress. These
reasons may be summed up as follows:
Observation-Disclosures should be made 10
each man according to his necessities
If he be a single man. he should be glad
to accept comfortable lodging, food and
clothing as required, supplemented by
pittance in money. For this he should
be required, and should be willing, to
work a part of his time, taking the re-
mainder to look for more remuneratiVc
employment. II he be man of family
the demands upon the charitable or
1 Ganization would be larger 1t will be
incumbent on them to see that his entire
household is provided with food, shelter,
clothing and medical attention. In such
case the amount dispensed might con-
siderably exceed days wages at current
rates. The true doctrine of charity is
here observed: To every man accord
ing to his requirements, that none may
be without the necessaries of life.
Second-In such a system of distribu-
ton the interests of the community
would be conserved. The danger of Of
fering employment to all comers a reg
ular rates of wages would lie in drawing
hither the unemployed of other sections.
An army would be assembled whose de-
mands would swamp any philanthropic
movement that could be started, and de-
feat the end in view. We believe that
the charitable people of Los Angeles
are willing to feed, clothe and shelter
the deserving unemployed already here,
but it is utterly beyond them to care for
all who might flock in from California
and Arizona.
Third-Another advantage in making
the remuneration small would be in the
fact that laborers would not avail them
selves of the charity any longer than
they We're actually obliged to. They
would take the first opportunity to find
employment elsewhere thus helping to
remove the burden from the dispensing
committee. l is not feasible or humane
to keep men on a charity allowance for
long period, and a system which fur
nishes an incentive for them to elm
mate themselves from the problem is
best for all concerned.
FonIrth-Such system of employment