The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-12-08
COUNTY pAupERs.

Among the matters considered o.
the county court at its session yester'
day were numerous and sundry bills
presented for provisions furnished sew.
eral county paupers, The bills includ'
ed sardines. cream, oranges, marina
apples. Clipped beef, Mocha and Java
coffee at so cents pound. and all the
delieacies of teh season. In fact, they
are living on the fat of the land
Corned beef and cabbage. liver and on
ions. boiled beef and spuds and other
solid and substantial foods do not ap-
pear upon the bills. Nearly all the
paupers are healthy. strong and able
bodied. mostly women. with five or six
race suiciders to provide for. Some OF
the children are old enough to work,
but are unable to do so on account
of the rich diet furnished by the county
court to the pauper parents.
1t has cost Clatsop county s3s1s to
supply these paupers with food and
provisions the past year. and the
amount is constantly growing. II the
paupers would, be content to live on
common food, and did not insist on pie
and other delicacies. the county curt
might audit the bills without any COM
Functions of conscience, but when the
paupers live better than the members
of the county court can afford to. they
have come to the conclusion to draw
the line. Afew years ago. the pauper
element were living on the fat of the
land and local paper exposed them.
1t was shown that one woman who was
drawing $40 month from the county,
had loaned out several hundred dol
lars on boats and nets to fishermen in
Uniontown. Another had loaned
rancher $500. The itimized bills dis
closed that every delicacy in the
market was chaTgedsto the county and
the bills paid,
The county court has come to the
conclusion that the paupers are liable
to be troubled with acute indigestion
IL they continue in their reckless course
of living, and the several paupers who
are boarding on the county will be
cited to appear before the county court
at its meeting in January to show cause
why portion at least Of the ice cream,
bananas, cream, marmalades, jellies,
swiss cheese and other extras should
not be cut out Of the bill OF fare, and
more substantial food substituted. AMI
investigation will also be made as to
how much money they have got loaned |
out, with view Of cutting down their |
allowance.
What Clatsop county needs is poor
farm. There are today about 80 paup-
ers living off the county. Over half Of |
this number are at st. Mary's hospital
most of whom are old and infirm, and
unable to earn a living. The others
are scattered over different portions Of
the county, one. Of whom is reported
to be a cook in a logging camp, and |
one has a positionson small ranch on
Youngs river. II county poor farm i
were established and these paupers
compelled to go there and work. ac-
cording to their ability. there would not
be six paupers on the county. A pau
per is similarly constituted to the
tramp. Owing to defect in the or
ganic act Of their construction they are
troubled with constitutional WEAKNESS.
any kind of labor at any and
all times attended with great bodily
pain. In a number .0f, cases when the
county have examined a candidate for
the position Of pauper on the county,
and denied them the regular allowance,
the paupers have been compelled to go
to work to obtain livlihood, but where
the county grants them Sc to So per
month in groceries, they are liable to
press the limit. They buy luxuries with
the money allowed by the county and
take the interest on money they have
loaned out to buy the common neces-
saries Of life II they were all sent
to a poor farm where only the com
mon necessaries of life are provided,
they would probably hunt for another
job after the first week.
The county court is inclined TO the
belief that 1t is being imposed upon.
Some kind, Christian woman goes to
the county court with a tale Of woe,
depicting the suffering and destitution
of some poor woman who has been left
with from FIVE to dozen children on
ler hands. and the court. relying upon