New-York tribune., 1903-03-06
D4RKEST LONDON.
Tie Baftaiozs Of tie UneBspEoged-
Remedies fer Social Leprosu.

the Eaunts az degraded idleTw and crinntnals and
rarsdins under police protection az mendiesHts
depeA&eH a8eS nuhlie charity, they have ex-
haCstee E& patience Of the weII-to-do classes
and excited the scorn and dertsion of the self
respecting working world: yet they have sue
cseded in emphasizing the fact that social ques-
nons are the meet important in modern politics.
Even when the most unfavorabIs estimates
Hs7e placed upon their working capacities and
the S81fe-ftg of their demand for employment
the strength Of the forces Enarshalled in the
streets Of London under the banner Work for
the Unemployed" VAS Of oninous import. Re
rugnaRce to socialist agit&;ion and a reasonable
suspicion of imposture might Justify avoidance
o. the collecting boxes; but as these ragged
}attalions tramped through the streets. il was
hardly possible for rejecting men to resist the
conclusion that politics and religion have more
or less te do with socialism How could the
State heIP these thousands OF outcasts to remain
live? How could the sRarntng masses Of the
metropolis and Of urban England and Scotland
he protected against disease, kept in working
capacity and moral health. Quarantiped against
discontent, trained for industrial occupations
ard enabled TO better their condition? These
vital questions Of the day hardworking parish
Wears and missionaries in the East End have
feen considering for many years The ubiqui-
Tous man in the street. ordinarily Preeccupied
With business pleasure was suddenly i'm
question of the unemployed.
The Kings speech was hardly read before the
Commons settled down TO serious discussion OF
these social issues. The first debate was raised
r. a housing amendment TO the address IN
reply TO the Throne. and as soon this was
ended another started on the traHsPlanting
of workers and idleFs from the overcroToed
towns to the country incidentally every phase
a the main question of lack ef employment for
aSz ~ and
vas presented. fer some Of the most practical
reforners aHd the most thoughtful men in the
Commons took part in the discussion They
were net in agreement respecting the diagnosis
of the disease Hor the remedies fer 1t; but they
recognized in the street professions Of tramps.
lezfeFs. begSars and unemployed workmsn
form Of social leprosy which vas highly in
fectious and DANGEROUS Missionaries in the
East End have been deeply impressed with the
evidence Of physical deterioration caused by
continuous poverty, lew diet and lack of regular
occupation. and hystsnders watching the SLOW
dragging movement Of the .traupiag nendicants
have been convinced that the majority Of them
are incapable OF sustained labor. even If they
have 6 sincere desire for active employment
This IS the most appalling thing about the
masses Of poverty centred in London and other
great Engiigh and Scotch towns The signs Of
rhyrIeai dsRsneracy are visible wherever the
banner ef ths unemployed is raised. The tramps
under police protection net what their
fsthers were before them in energy and strength
and their children are inferior to themselves in
vigor and vitality.
Dr. NacNamara fr raising the housing QueS-
ton revealed one Of the main causes Of the
physical deterioration Of the English working
classes. Thousands cf families lack air and
light, living and &lespsHs together Ia single
room, the children growing up prenaturely old
saa haggare aad WtEhoGt muscular energy and
viii power. The ordinary housing schemes OF
municipal reforms are 50 Inadequate that one OF
tie labeE Hemhess advocates tina employment
Of the entire surplus earnings Of corporation en-
terprises such Is water, gas electric supply
and tranwayx, In the construction OF model
tsnemeuts and homes for working people Hon
egt john Burns. hrtnHing over with earnest
asss and with aa almost brutal cander in blurt-
ing out sarrasnE. rentnded ministers that there
=ere In the professions many old soldiers who
had nothing TO show for their patriotic hard
ships except their medals. and even these they
might have pawned to get food fer their wives
aza children Less drink and more work were
his remedies for the prevailing distress in great
cities A government ready to spend millions in
filing I'D bogs in the Scudan, repairing banks
the Zambesi. or holding up the waters Of
the Nile, waE under moral obligations, in his
Judgment, to provide means, by which the un-
employed at home could have an opportunity
for earning their bread. It could at least re-
frain from sending H.ilitiS and volunteers into
ramp at the busiest time Of year. and 1t could
arrange better appcrtenmeat Of necessary
work between the slack and busy seasons.
Mr. Keir Eardie, a grim. suilen, despondent
socialist with g ragged beard under his slouch
hat ana flannel shirt under his pilot jacket,
had another remedy for the existing evils. The
towns were egereroEdss: and there was not
work enough fer all There was idle land in the
country; there was call money in the banks;
there were idle laborers in the towns. A gov
erurnent bill which would apportion the land
among the unemployed and put them in pos
session Of q few aeres would redistrtbute popu-
latIon and relieve distress This proposal at
onee excited "reminiscences frem a white haired
cid man. who was once Mr. ChamberIain's men
tor in proposing radical reforms such the
gift Of three acres and a cow to every agricult-
uraI lahorsr. Nr. Jesse Ceilings had advocated
years and had hsiped to secure the enactment
Of a measure which empowered the local au-
fhorities te acquire land and Distribute it among
those willing to till It Not more than two
three couacfIs had made any use OF the act but
the resources Of IaS were ample IL land
referne-E wcaId try ths experiment OF encour-
aging migration from the oveFerowded towns
into the farming districts Agricultural Ia
borers Of the old type had disappeared The
BENEFITS Of education had bean conferred upon
them and they had gene away 70 improve their
fortunes Meanwhile the Industrial districts
had exhausted their powers Of absorption and
the land had gone out Of cultivation and was
irving out fc= a fresh stock Of labor, which the
overcrewded towns could supply. Mr.. Ceilings
eIiEss 20 his radical erctchs1s a. tenaciousiy as