Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-09-15

ever written by playwright genius can
half depict the horrors which have
been described By the pens Of Jacob
i,iis aud William Booth. These men
are not imaginative writer's. They
simply describe the filthy novels which
they have visited aud the malodors ana
repulsi0ns amid which they saw chill
dren and men and women herded.
''Supposing your children were born
amid such places Of filth and dark
ness" says the street arab to us Us the
little orphaned boy spoke TO Charles
ii. Sturgeon. "w0uld you not give him
. better home II you could? Well. that
helpless child. born In iilth and power
~, Is me. Yes. that child Is me-"
The Practical Question.
Now come the practical questions:
Are we ns intelligent Americans going
10 care for our neighbors' children,
born IN filth aud dirt? Are we going
to give them public parks and public
Fairgrounds and free bathing places
aud free docks. where the poor can get
II breath of the sea air IN 81. hot sum
mcr months! Are we gOin3. 10 furnish
them model tenement houses, properly
ventilated and lighted aud with healthy
sanitary plumbingy These are vital
questions which the American people
must solve. These are not luxuries
which the poor are demanding, but
necessities. And If the poor do not
have these physical necessities, then
they will pay us back In our own coin
For Nth and darkness and vltiated air
always breed crime and drunkenness
and llccntiOusness and brutality and
sins of all sorts. As the black plaques
of Europe always started from the vile.
stcnchful quarters Of the congested
cities of the east so the plaques of de-
bauchery aud ignorance and crime
thrive best IN the filthy quarters OF the
poor of our large cities. where the sun
light cannot get into the homes and
where the little children have no parks
or Fairgrounds In which they may de.
velop BEAUTIFULLY. as all children should
develop.
Furthermore. was struck with an
other fact when reading about the phys
ical necessities of the poor The poor
are not paupcrs, as we conceive pau
pcrs. The poor are willing and able TO
pay a just return for their necessities.
Bat the trouble Is when man becomes
poor then he becomes helpless. Then
the capitalist robs him of the little he
has. however small that all may be-
Let me illustrate whafI mean: Here Is
a man sinking IN the middle Of lake
Help. lIcl - he cries Il am drown
Ing. Give me help" With that n man
rows NJ ana says: Well my friend
you are drowning How much will
YOU give me II save YOU Ten dol
lars" "Oh. no; that is not enough
You must give me your all You must
work for me through life. aud when
You get through will let you be buried
In just the rags you have on your
back" That is the way the capitalist
treats the poor OF our large cities
When he sells the poor man his coal
he sells IL by the shovclful. and he
sells IL At u ruinous price. He charges
the poor man three times the price at
which he sells IL by the ton to the rich
man. When he builds the poor man
his miserable howell. the capitalist
usually gets 30. 10. 90 and even 100
per cent ON his money invested. \ dog
or wild beast would not live in
some Of the filthy dens in which
the poor OF New York used 10 be
housed And yet for every one OF those
dark cellars and back rooms In which
the sunlight never comes the capitalist
would charge the most astounding rent
and, like II modern Shylock. demand
his pound of flesh nearest to his vic
not help himself As Solomon said
long ago "The destruction of the poor
Is their poverty" They are kept poor
by being poor.
Good Tenements Wanted.
Has not the state right Ia step In
and demand that our capitalists shall
not build insanltary tenements for the
poor "Oh. ne" some man says; that
is not right. The capitalist IL not IN
business for his health. He is not q
philanthroplst. You cannot demand
that he will put up building which
Is TO be a losing investment" No, my
friends: we do not demand that, but
we do demand that the tenement build.
ing that the capitalist erects shall be
one with such modern improvements
as the Alfred &. Clark tenenents and
the Riverside tcnements OF Brooklyn
and the Mills houses of New York.
There must he no more such lookeries
built as the Mulberry Bends" and the
Bone Alleys" and the Cat Alleys
aud Seven Dials" and Five Points"
And. furthermore. you must remember
that when we stamp out the bad tene'
menis we do not demand charity In
its place. Jacob Riis In one of his
books declares that every tenement
house built on the Mills plan or the
Clark plan or the Riverside plan OF
Brooklyn has given legitimate return
for the investment from the very start
The city poor are not paupers. They
pay enough taxes for their public
parks. and they should have them