Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-10-01
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
Another View of the Relief ProbIem

rue olur.-MuCh Interest II ma1ilest a
al lIis time "a Tie success OF tue 1. al II EN-
change, and various opinions are being ex-
pressed in regard 10 the policy adopted oy its
managers. Quite a humble OF those VINO
-Gbscfib-d literally Il assist an s'artins it,
particularly bGs'Tess men, (who h ~ ems
are generally eNI led - cOntrIbuts nom
their very meager pTOu's % every charity,
thought fb2t the Object In establishing here
"a labor eNG haze was - benefit tie masseB,
10 furnish empioymeu' for the unem hoy 4,
as far ~ possible, aud To otherwise assisi the
needy; that denand for labor was ID be
creat,d within ms District; and the money
collected was in patt 10 pay for this lat II,
and titus How back into the channels of
tfaie, and t. some extent improve the Ian
gushing trade OF tue city, instead of which
AZ seems a colonization soc ety mas been or
ganiZed itn the avowed purpose OF sendiu,<
The honest, enterpsising laoO-er and oc-
cbanic Out OF the District, thrs ,4kiuZ
money from the community TO be aaid for
transportation, &c, and aitng 20 the enc
raj depression aud disues' 81 the oommu-
nifty. III we must contrib .lte for the supr Dr..
OF The suffering poor, ct the money we give
be expended In our midst, for every hunar< 4
men you send out OF Washington you take
That much wealth from the community; you
mike business that much less prom able
Merchants, bricklayers, builders, butchefs,
bakers, tailors and Others are compelled to
outs; consequently you have another hun
dred hen idle TO take the places of tAose COL
onized, and If the plan adopted by the Labor
Exchange works successfully our beautiful
city will soon be depopulated.
But, says one, how Is II TO be avoided. bust-
ness Is dull and there is no work TO- TIE nm
employed. i will make a Suggestion. In.
stead OF serding man ID PhiIadelphia To
purcha e &C. hing and general OUTFIT for our
city pofce, engage a competent mau as
superintendent, bay your cloth and other ma
teT.als, engage your unemployed tailors and
sewing girls, AID make tne gJcis up here.
Create the demand for labor. In this wav
el1ihing CO be Pro inced a. cneaplv as IL car,
be bought elsewhs re. Instead OF sending orders
10 Ohio for furniture for public school pur
Eoees, amounting perhaps TO thirty or forty
Thousand dollars, buy il here and give em-
pigment 10 skilled iaborers and mechanics
ms tead OF sending away for lorty Thousand
dollars worth OF sewer pipes give the order
10 our own Terra Gotta COMPANY who em-
plCy hundreds of laborers. In = word LET
everything used - the District government
- improve or beautify the city be furnished
by the men who are In business here the men
WI pay the taxes, and pay for the PRIVILEGES
OF trading here In this District, and thus Won
W u not only give employment 10 the unem-
pic yed and relieve distress, but you will start
In motion The wheels OF Industry and re-
lieve TO some extent the overburdened tax
payer and the depressed merchant as we'll as
the honest and industrious laboring man. L
would therefore ask the managers OF the
Labor Exchange 70 pause and reflect upon
The legitimate result OF their, To my mind
short sighted and short-lived policy, for
Ihcu-lived IL must be, II IL depends upon
contributions from business men 70 nav clerk
hiIe and keep up an Institution TO depopulafe
or city and depress business ALREADY Ar h.
lIW paying standard. n