The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-04-14
TALKS WITH SOME
OF THE STARVING
Company Pressing Inmates of Tene-
ments for Rent and There is No
Money With Which to Pay-For-
eigners Who Have Give to Those
Who Have Not.

How are conditions at the Standard
now?" is question often asked by
Hammond people
To him, who would get at the bottom
of the local economical and sociological
problem the foreigners = to gain
knowledge from the fountain source
irtstead of receiving it second handed
from the printed page, a visit to the
Standard Steel Car settlement in its
present condition, would prove of i'm
mense value.
The heterogeneous community which
six months ago was like an ant hill
breathes today as though touched by a
blight
There is no work, the men are idle.
there Is no money and no salvation.
Conditions at the Standard could be
many times worse, and yet there would
be no reports of starvation coming
from there, but that does not prove
anything.
There are some who have money.
some who own their homes and a few
who have an income; but when these
more fortunate ones are compared in
number with the army of UNEMPLOYED.
not mentioning the wretched women
and half-naked children. The number
of more fortunate ones is lust large
enough to give foundation to that un
reasonable statement, which has been
repeated time and again by the for
eign prejudiced: why don't they go
back where they came from. The idea
of appealing for help when a Hunk
was found with roll of money large
enough to choke himself and family"
Let Him Who Doubts See.
Let the man who doubts the exist
ence Of destitute conditions go to the
Standard and converse with the for
eigners in their own language or with
an interpreter Let him picture him
self as an ignorant foreigner in a
strange land without money and sur
rouded by pauperized friends What
he will see there in a two hours visit
Will satisfy him that something must
be done for these foreigners despite
the fact that the majority Of them are
single and strapping big hulks and
despite the fact that Somebodywich
has a few sheckels
TINES reporter, who had occasion
to visit the settlement yesterday. soon
found himself surrounded by crowd
or foreigners. Upon his entrance in
the village the place seemed to be
deserted. Here and there a few half
naked children were playing in the
sand-plots, surrounding the company
houses Any piece of material picked
from garbage pile was sufficient for
them for q plaything-for lack of
something better it had to be- They
were playing soldier and one of the
out-houses served as their fort.
Not Entirely Deserted.
but not entirely. for two men were
seen sitting on their heels and leaning
against one of the company houses.
Noticing that they were being ap-
preached they eyed the stranger sus-
piciously Could they talk English?
They did not have to answer for the
blank stare in their faces gave a plain
enough answer in the negative.
Going around the corner of one of
the company houses the reporter saw
a man sitting on the banister of the
porch shining his long stemmed meer-
schaum pipe.
Is that the best you can do. to sit
here and play with your pipe?" The
question was not seriously meant but
the man answered in all seriousness $
best he could: Me no work. nothing
for three months Me no spik English.
spik Yerman. Me ungar."
The reporter spoke German to him.
leaving it to him, however, to do most
of the talking
1t was not long before the newspaper
man was surrounded by a swarm of
foreigners. What his position might
have been under other circumstances
investigating some crime there for in
stance which they might try to hide
might only be imagined
No Anger In Their Eyes.
Go baek?" Who will give us money
to go back, here are four men right
before you who have been here for five
months and who have not worked an
hour. You tell US to go away from
Hammond and find work on the farms. |