Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1897-04-05
FEARFUL
Destitution Now in Chicago.
fifty Thousand Idle Mer and
26,OOO Destitute

/ from Chicago. Nr. StOkeE nas Oceu
making q personal Investigation OF
the poor Of Chicago. During his stay
he spent his time among the oesti-
tute, visiting their homes and noFeis'
the county agents relief building III
terviewed the chief Of police, presi-
dent Of the board Of county commits
sioners. county agent for the poor and
many other onicials Of lesser imPor-
lance. Mr.. Stoker, in an interview
said:
"No period in the history Of chi
cogO has been marked with sucn gen
eral dissatisfaction and distress as
that which is found there at the pre-
sent time No matter which way
turned / found idle men aud discour-
aged hearts. Tramps fill the streets
and the gaunt wolf Of starvation IS
staring into the desolate homes OF
about 5000 families. There is at
the present time over 5000 idle men.
The county agent informed that there
is three times as many as there was
this time last year Out Of l2,4O9
starving men and women assisted by
the county authorities, with snort
space OF time, only Il were single
men, and the remainder being ciassed
as follows: Married, 9,O37; widows,
IBIS; deserted, sl7; and widowers, 20.
Since the first OF January the county
Of Cook has expended $4,000 to keep
a part OF the inhabitants Of Chicago
from literally starving or freezing to
death.
"The sum Of s69, 900 does not include
the contributions made by charitable
organizations and charitabley in
clined persons, which the chief OF
police estimated at s75, 900 more. The
saddest sight 1 ever witnessed was
last Thursday morning at 1928 Clinton
street in Chicago. At the invitation
OF President Healey, Of the board OF
county commissioners, 1 witnessed
the distribution Of the days rations
TO several hundred men, women and
children. And l must say that they
acted more like hungry wolves than
human beings. One poor unfortunate,
while standing in line, fell to the
floor from the lack Of sufficient food.
One Of the county officials informed
me that out OF 779 calls made by these
unfortunates by the county physic-
ians hired for that purpose, over 600
cases of sickness was caused by reason
Of lack of proper nourishment.
sand to think of all this when our
granaries are bursting with the pres
sure of bountiful harvest; and our far
mers haye no end Of produce to sell.
"These poor men, women and chill
dren by the thousands-hungry, be-
cause they have not the money to buy
corn at 20 cents a bushel. Starvation
In the midst of plenty, and yet our
gold friends inform US that there is
an overproduction of everything.
How foolish!
They also tell US in the face Of
this destitution that there is "plenty
OF money Where is it? Tied up in
few eastern banks. How true were
the words OF Bacon, the English phil.
osopher, when comparing money to
manure. He said: If gathered in
heaps it does no good; on the contrary,
IL becomes offensive;but being spread.
though ever so thinly, it enriches the
whole country
Relative 10 Chicago politics, Mr..
Stocker said: lit is only matter Of
how much plurality Carter Harrison
Jr., will get for mayor. The Demo-
Gratis and Peoples party are united in
Chicago and are forcing the silver issue
under the leadership OF Ex-Governor
Altgeld. They will give the gold men
the worst defeat they ever experienced.
Mr.. Harrison has the masses OF the
people behind him and is sure to win
The Republicans OF Chicago are all
splitup, having two independent can
didates besides the regular Republican
nominee. Judge Scar. Chicago realizes
that Carter Harrison, the elder, was
thu haut ,,.avor thav avar had GA