The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-02-01
PovERTYlNNEW CITY
Misery in the Metropolis Greater
Than Ever Before. (
PhilanthropIst Writes Conmissioner-ue1-s
era1 Sargent, Of the National Bureau OF
Charities, About Conditions.

New York City.-Surprising state
ments copcerning increasing provertyl
In New York City were made in O LETT
ter from a New York City philanthro-
pist of national fame to Commissioners
General Sargent. of the Bureau or
Immigration at Washington, D. c.
This letter. the name of whose auth.
or is withheld by Mt. Sargent. declares
that 100000 men are without work III
Greater New York City, that the hos
pitfalls are o~yercrowded, and that 5O,OO0
school children, because Of the empty.
purses of their parents, have to trudge
to school without breakfast every
morning.
"Fifty thousand children go to school
b~reakfastless, which means IDLE fatnt
ers," writes the philanthropist. so
overwhelmed is the Department or
Charities with tens of thousands Of
applications from men out OF WORK
that it finds itself unable to cope with
the situation. In short. the metropolis
this winter is facing q problem with
regard to the unemployed such as
eve has been known In past years.
''The cause Of this state of affairs 1a
of less moment now than the immedf
ate problem Of how to deal with the
multitudes of the unemployed. MOI
has the question here to do with D
ultimate relief, such as Congress can
provide by restricting immigration and
scattering immigrants.
"The immediate question, then ist
What can be done with the great army
of lfhe unemployed at once? This
question eliminates the unwilling and
. the sunable, whom we alwaysahave
with u.. giving only the able and will
ing-the honest idle-mostly unskilled
labor. of course. How are We to give
relief to these?"
Mr.. Sargent announced that this let.
ter has strengthened his belief thai
immigration not only should be scat
tered, but restricted. New York City
he believes. suffers more from immt'
grafton, proportionatefy, than any hye
cities in the country.
"My principal suggestion In my re
DIV to this letter." said Mr. Sargent
ais that applications coming to this buf
reau daily for work be published IN
New York, City in some manner, q
the influx, relieved in that congested
and evidently proverty-stricken city,
There Isl a great deal Of work to be
had in the South If we can draw the
labor here from New York City and
other embarrassed cities"
J. Mckee Borden, secretary OF PUB
lie Charities, said:
"Since I have held this position ,
can safely say that I have never seen
such widespread restitution calling fol-
immediate relief. It has been made
more pathetic by the fact that new eie*
ments have entered into it-men will
ing, able, anxious to work and support
their families are unable to get work
perhaps because Of industrial CON
ditions.
"When the snow storm visited US
we managed to engage the interest NOT
only ofefhe city, but Of the traction
companies and thousands of men were
put to work shoveling snow. LIDO noa
think there ever were 50 many deserYs
ing applicants. I believe that $1,000
school children are under-fed. Many
who should be filling their minds With
knowledge too, are helping to fill the
family lardHr.""