Sunday Washington globe., 1902-02-09
''The Astounding Prosperity Of the
Dingley Bill"


Dingley Bill"
Some years ago there were in many cities
Of the United States soup houses estab-
lished to feed the starving poor II was
said at the time that such deplorable state
of affairs had been brought about by the
Wilson-Gorman tariff bill which was then
the law of the land The fact that soup
houses had been in full sway during Harri-
sons administration counted for nothing by
the advocates Of the theory that people can
be made happy by taxing them beyond the
needs Of government
Now, however, there is no Wilson. Cor.
man bill. The Dingley bill is in full force,
not only in the District of Columbia but in
New York and the state of Massachusetts.
1T is a poor rule that won't work both
ways" II, therefore, the Wilson bill pro-
duced such dire disaster that men had to be
fed at public stations because taxes were
lower than now, why is it necessary TO again
feed the needy by charity in the cities
when taxes are higher We would like for
some Of our political wiseacres to tell us.
In New York city every night since the
5Ist of January the proprietor Of the JoHy-
nal has distributed sandwiches and coffee
to thousands Of homeless men to keep them
from starving aud freezing TO death Men
who had no shelter; the pavements their
beds the sky, whether cloudy or clear,
their covering, save the rags that partially
clothed them.
Whatever motive may have induced the
though it may have been--the poor crea.
lures who were its recipients will not take
the pains to fathom. They had something
to eat and warm draught to refresh them
One poor fellow was seen to drink his
coffee make pretense Of eating his sand
wich, then slip it under his coat and walk
away He was interrogated about it as
only the hungry were to be fed His an
swer was that he wanted the sandwich for
his wife, who was hungry as we'll as himself
Sure enough his wife was found shivering
in the shadow of a huge building waiting
for piece of bread. She got the bread. as
the story goes, and mug of coffee; neither
was the husband allowed to go hungry
There were other instances that night al
most as pitiful
II is not our purpose TO advertise the
J0urAai, although the bounty fed, shelter.
less poor that night thought little Of ad-
vertisements. Our purpose is to show that
notwithstanding the loudly proclaimed
prosperity there are thousands Of persons
today in the big cities standing on the
brink Of starvation, There are some Of
them, perhaps, worthless; but many who
would work if they could get it to do.
In Philadelphia day or two ago an old
woman Of four score years or more and her
son died from starvation. Not tramps, not
vagrants, simply "Cod's poorl" In the
City nf Brotheriy Love-a city that has
prohted as much as any in the land by
exorbitant tariffs and double bounties
drawn from the people, two worthy
persons allowed to starve to death A 6ne
commentary certainly on the beauties of
the Dingley bill
And right here. in the Nations Capital,
we had human being starved to death the
past week
In Massachusetts, the tramp problem is a
hard one TO solve. In the midst Of ''amaz-
ing prosperity" the towns of the old Bay
state are being oveTrun with tramps. One
Of our contemporaries has something 70 say
on that question aud wonders why it IS II
does seem a very curious state Of affairs.
That millions Of dollars should be taken
from the people in excess Of what is needed
70 pay all expenses Of Rovernment-even
extravaganuy run-and men should still be
poor, be unable to get work, should famish
and die from hunger is certainly eccentricl
Il IS ungrateftul in those unfortunates to
remain poor while all around them men are
being made rich by piling on few more
taxes, making few more Office issuing
bonds, selling them and buying them back
At a premium.
few days ago in the City of Washington
a labOrer with two small children in his
humble home, picked up a basket full of
coal near the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
sheds; perhaps took III from the pile belong
ing to that corporation. Il was worth ak
cents The weather was cold. not pound
Of bread in his house. He was promptly
arrested. Before the court he told his pitt
full story. He could get no work, and tc
keep his little family from freezing he said
he gathered up the coal near the railroad
track The judge was mercifui; he let him
60 on his own recoguizaDce.
We know that ever since civilization be-