The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-01-17

the trouble there are large numbers of
men who were induced to go out and
serve as soldiers in the war and who
now return home clamorous for some
means of making a living and utterly
unable to find any manner of remuner-
alive occupation. Hundreds and hun
dreds OF these men are only too glad
to accept the task of breaking stones
under the work house authorities in
order to set the means of obtaining
food enough to keep them alive"
What a sad comment is not this on
country claiming to be the richest
and most prosperous in the world.
NO space in the work houses to pack
the starving crowds" and these crowds
includes England's loyal soldiers who
left their homes to conquer the Beers
How ungrateful a nation is, that will
see it's brave and fearless soldiers, who
fought its battles starye; at a time,
too, when the granaries are full, and
her wealthy merchants are reaping
rich harvests from the results of the
late war How different the treatment
melted out by Russia to her subjects.
where, quite recently, when famine
was threatened, the government inn
mediately provided for the emergency
out of the public treasury. In England
the treasury is used to build warships,
buy guns and ammunition to gain new
territory and enslave a conquered peo-
pie. Even her own home subjects who
Won her battles and gained for her
prestige, are forgotten in their hour of
need. To obtain a bare living they are
willing and ready to work. The writer
commenting on these old soldiers, says:
THE mere existence of such class
of sufferers is in itself cruel satire
on the glories of war. The country in
general went wild over the successes of
the campaign, such as they were, and
never could declaim praise enough for
the humble heroes who had gone out
to South Africa in their thousands to
risk their lives for the extension of the
empire. Such men, of course, had to
give up their employments at home in
order to perform their duties as cam
paigners, and now when they come
home again they find that their places
have long been filed, and that in the
ever-increasing demand for employ
ment there is nothing left for them
but to become inmates of work houses
or to beg their bread"
1t is more of "cruel satire" on the
boosted civilization of the British en-
pire, to see her soldiers starving.
Justin Mccarthy adds to his COM
ments the judgment pronounced on a
similar state of affairs which occurred
in his boyhood days:
"A satirical writer in my early days
once described a somewhat similar
crisis of poverty in England and wound
up by declaring that there was at least
one consolation left to the sufferers
that the starving outcast might raise
his eyes to heaven and bless the fates
that he was dying under the finest con-
stitution in the world. Perhaps there
may be some comfort to the men now
vainly seeking for bread in London
streets and lanes after their return
from the fields of fight when they call
10 mind the fact that they are starving
n the cause of England's supremacy
over the two South African republics
Is it to be wondered at, that the
classes are restless, seeking
'or redress. when in country as rich
rs England they are dying of cold and
starvation after Offering their very
ives in defense of her honor and to
3erpetuate her old-time greatness?