The Savannah morning news., 1904-08-07
AN APPALLING STATEMENT.

AN APPALLING STATEMENT.
At a hearing before the General Ju-
| dietary Committee Of the House on the
bill restricting the methods Of the
money sharks On Wednesday night, Mr.
William NJ. Crumley president of the
Beck & GREGG Hardware Company. was
reported as having said that he believed
that 900 out of every 1000 young men
of Atlanta We're in debt to the amount
Of a years salary. He said that he
had reason to know that many of them
were in the clutches of the money
sharks.
But is it not a frightful condition
of affairs, if it be true. that nine-tenths
of the young men of Atlanta are in
debt so deeply that they can hardly
hope to get even with the world finan-
cially in years? Can young men with
a great burden OF debt resting upon
them render full service to their en-
ployers? Must not their minds be
dwelling much of the time on ways
and means to rid themselves of debt,
~ SEL buA VI AAlG NAulNuEo VI lilt lliOiltg
sharks? And. however honest a young
man may be at the outset of his ca
reer, II he permits himself to get into
debt beyond his means to pay, is he
not likely 10 be tempted to do some
thing wrong to replenish his purse?
If the condition of affairs among
young men of Atlanta is as represent
ed, is it not a wonder there are not
more defalcations and embellishments
in that city? We say that city, be-
cause we have no estimate of the per-
centage of the young men of other
cities of the state that is in deplor-
ably debt ridden condition. The per
centage may be as large in this city,
and in Augusta, in Macon, and Co
lumbus If it is, the Legislature
shouldn't hesitate one moment as to it's
course if it can do anything to bring
about better condition of affairs
among young men of the cities.
We know nothing about the morals
of the young men of Atlanta but we
undertake to say that a man that is
worried by load of debt has very lit
tie heart in the work in which he is
engaged, and that his chances for get
ting ahead in the world are much less
than they would be if his mind were
free from the trouble his debts cause
him.
Many of those young men must have
mothers or sisters depending upon
them. What could they have been
thinking about when they, by living
beyond their means and borrowing. so
cut down their available incomes as
to bring trouble to themselves and pow
erty into the homes of those they
lova2
Every young man in the beginning
of his career ought to make it a rule
to save something out of his earnings
every month, even if it isn't more than
ST. Then he has the comfortable feel
ing that comes from knowing that he
has something laid away If he should
lose his job or should be overtaken by
sickness.
Doubtless these young men who go
into debt so thoughtlessly mean to
pay the debts some time, but it must
often happen that they cannot pay. To
feel they have spent somebody else's
hard earnings, have wasted on their
vices or their pleasures other peoples
money, must be CALLING to young men
of spirit and honor.
OF course. we have no reference to
those who are forced by hard neces-
sity to borrow money. We have in
mind only those who have an earn
ing capacity. have an income which
they deliberately live beyond, and bor-
row without having any prospect OF
paying the debt. Such men may be
called good fellows, but they are not
entitled to be called good men and
seldom make good citizens.