Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1909-12-23
1hebdtt|e
By
Cleveland MOffett
Copyright. 1909. by 6. w.
Dillingham; Co.

"On cold nights and on hot nights.
wind. They crouch over gratings
above engine rooms and get the warm
air They stand in the midnight bread
lines and then go back to their holes"
There are 1900 like that In New
York;
"Yes."
"And the restT'
"The rest pay 10 or Is cents in cheap
lodging houses. You'll see"
"What do they pay here"
Nothing. but the same man may
not come more than three times in a
month II he does he goes to the
stone pile. So they're careful. Come
In"
The office attendants nodded pleas
antly to Philip.
Downstairs they saw these men
stripped of their clothes (some Of them
peeled of two or three sets of gar
ments-their whole wardrobe) and
scrubbed under a hot shower bath.
One mans legs were blotched with
sores from low vitality. the doctor
heel from walking on his uppers.
Philip now led the way into another
lodging house. in the opposite block.
This place accommodates about 400.
and the men pay from Is to Is cents
a night. There's no compulsory bath.
and as for cleanliness-lookv
Philip pointed out that each cot had
a small, dirty locker for the mems
clothes. where abundant cracks en-
eouraged the free circulation Of YER
min.
Philip. "and the sheets are changed
only once or twice a week. Many OF
the men have loathsome diseases.
many have consumption. and there's
no doubt consumption and other dis
tAses can be transmitted from man to
man by the contamination Of Sheets"
'.How many OF these lodging houses
are therey'
"About $40. and you've seen the best.
The others are 30 filthy that-weli, l
asked an attendant once how often
they washed the towels. and he said,
with q grin: Wash 'em? We never
wash 'em. We use 'em until they
break"
They went to Grand street and visit
ed more OF these sinister asylums on
the Bowery where hunks are offered
to human wrecks Mt 20 or IS or 10
cents night or less. In one hideous
resort on Mulberry street, where the
charge was I cents. they found men
ranged along In hammocks. with
neither sheets nor covers. and dozens
sleeping on the bare floor
"Pretty bad" muttered Haggleton.
"but what's your idea in showing me
all this?"
Its problem for you to solve We
have ideas. but you'll have better
ones before you get through"
why do you say that?" asked Hag
gleton.
Because you have great brain.
You know how to organize. Well, or
ganize these wasted lives. find some
place for them. It's up to you"
Hnggleton shook his head.
|. I'm not responsible for these lodg
ing hcuses.'
you are responsible" flashed Philip
because it's men like you who own
them: it's men like you who take the
dimes and pennies of these poor devils
talk about tainted money-a million
dollars in lodging house money paid
every year in New York city by your
fellow graduates In poverty"
EMO, no." objected Haggleton. ats
not poverty that brought them where
they are; It's drink and laziness."
Philip paused. and his eyes met the
old mans in steady defiance. Then he
said slowly: mo; you are wrong.
These men are products of conditions.
It's years of bad air in your tene-
ments and of undertaking ut your
wages that make them crave drink.
It's a childhood wasted in brutalizing
labor that has weakened their bodies
and dulied their minds. There are
10000 of them in New York. Mr.. Hag-
gleton. who are buns. wrecks. lodg-
ing house loafers but don't forget that
they are victims of a cruel order which
for the vast majority gives poverty as
the only reward of toll"
Nonsense" said Haggleton.
CHAPTER VII.