The daily tribune., 1909-03-19
SOME OF the CAUSES.

ttOn6 OF aotuAl CASES oi PoNoasy'
numbering, in all over 100 900 cases
in America, England and Germany.
These Investigations we're conduct
ed by the charity organization So
cie.ies of Baltimore. uffalo and New
York City, the associated charities OF
Boston a1d Cincinnati, by Charles
Booth in East London, and for Ger
many all the statement Mr.. Bohmert
a. to n German cities. They include
virtually all the facts that have been
collected by trained investigators
unbiased by any theory. From these
figures 1t appears that about 20 par
cent of the worst cases of poverty are
due to misconduct, and about 75 per
cent to misfortune. Drink causes
only II per cent, while lack of work
or poorly paid work causes nearly
80 per cent.
The reason why SO many people
who have only specifically inves-
tigated poverty consider intemper-
anoe and such weaknesses the main
cause Of povery. Is that often be-.
fore poverty becomes extreme en-.
ough to drive mel to such charitable
relief the man has lost hope or self.
respect or strength Of will and has
taken to drink, 80 that when the
find him, drink has Affect
ed the case. But the question is,
what sent him to drink? 1t must be
too. that 1t is the weak.
est and worst poverty which solicits
aims, SO that charitable people see
the worst and weakest side of poverty
and hence are misled.
The best poor people can scarcely
be driven to the charity society.
Under the present system. too, power
ty Is often caused by people being un.
to tell trade lies, or submit
to wrong conditions. or to push some
other worker out of office, acts which
are often necessary conditions today
to getting employment.
Says Ruskin:
Sin community, regulated by
laws of demand and supply, and pro.
tected from open violence the persons
who become rich are generally speak
Ing, Industrious. resolute. proud, co.
prompt, methodioal. sensible
unimag inative, insensitive and ig-
norant. The persons who remain
poor are the entirely wise. the reckless
the humble, the thoughtful the sen
sitive, the well-informed. the
improvident, the irregularly and i'm.
pulsively wicked. the clumsy
knave, open thief and the entirely
just aud godly persons "
Some people are therefore poor be-
cause they are good Even when the
poverty is caused by moral weakness
and vice-what causes tha.2 Science
answers almost categorically: "En.
- Hence 1t may be said
that poverty is the result of individ.
ual and social causes. and that the
individual causes are mainly the re-
suit of social causes
All evidence wort h considering
goes to prove that poverty aud crime
are both results of forced idleness or
low paid labor. AS rule men who
are steadily employed Mt some pro-
ductive work and who get In return
for their labor what they consider
TO be fair share OF the product OF
their efforts are temperate and moral.
II all men could feel sure of steady
work at fair pay there would be
practi cally no need for policemen OF
societies.
Poverty and crime are results Of
laws which men have made. and we
will have both SO long as these laws
are in operation. 1t is not the fault
Of God, Nature. or whatever you may
term the creative cause. that many
men are poor. shiftless and intemper-
ate. The fault lies with the people.
and with them rests the remedy and
the responsibility. When the people
are wise enough to remove the cnuse
the evil will disappear. IT is about