Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-03-08
THE UNEMPLOYED AGITATION. ,

There is no such distress in San Fran
cisco as was represented to Senator Stan
ford in a sensational dispatch forwarded to
him by agitatcr Wiley and his constitu-
ents. 1t would seem that these volatile
fellows are determined to give the State as
black an eye as they can, and that their
chief aim is to educate the people at the
East to the belief that this is a God-for-
saken section of the footstool, where men
starve in the streets and charity has its
fist doubled up and its robes drawn in.
The simple truth is there are some unem-
ployed men in San Francisco. There are
some there at all seasons; no matter what
our prosperity or our hard times, these are
to be found in greater or less number. In
the present building and manufacturing
are inactive, for reasons that are apparent
to every one, and that are simply beyond
the control Of human agencies. A fund
was provided, however, to give the unem-
ployed work at minimum rate Of wages
"a rule that should always prevail in the
dispensation of public relief, and that has
the approval of ages of experience-where-
upon the unemployed were discovered to
be so far from starving that they could
refuse the wage as too low. On the heels
of this came an ili-advised and deplorable
strike that threw large number of men
out of employment, and will thrust into
idleness a still larger number willing to
work, but who are dependent in their in
dustry upon the employment Of the
strikers; tor if molders viii not work,
there can be no employment for pattern
makers, designers, inishers and machin-
lists
Unquestionably there is some distress in
the metropolis, but none that the benevo-
lence of the citizens of the place cannot
and will not respond to literally The
Mayor mas already called a meeting of
prominent people to provide ways and
means to aid the deserving, but that official
has also notified Senator Sanford that the
dispatch sent him was not warranted that
people are not starving in the city, and
that there is no need to order an issue Of
rations on the part of the Federal Gov
ernment. Mr.. Wiley has managed by his
dispatch to give the State a fine reputation
abroad, and the result viii, of course, be
beneficial to the men and women in the
State who have to earn their bread by toll.
We have the authority of reliable and
non-sensational journal of San Francisco
for the statement that while Wiley and
his lieutenants are sending "for-God's
sake" kilograms to Washington asking the
Government to issue rations, and asserting
that there are 25,OOO people in the city
starving, or on the verge of starvation, not
more than 200 or 500 people have appeared
at the meetings of the unemployed over
which these men preside, where somefo them
indulge in extraordinary communistic IT,
rades. Everyone knows that if there were
2500O or $500 starving people in San
Francisco, there would be such manifesto
tion of the fact as would remove all posi-
ble doubt. If there was any such distress
as the agitators claim, men would not re-
fuse the relief of 81 25 day for labor in
Golden Gate Park, that is not in any sense
menial or severe. According to the Alta
two of the three chief agitators claiming
to represent the laboring men and sending
on sensational dispatches to the Federal
Government, are not working men. One
Is a balf-Aedped doctor, who has means III
plenty, another is an extraman at Wells,
Fargo & Co.'S Offices, and admits that he is
not in need of work and is not seeking it.
The third agitator is related to a Battery
street clearinghouse, and is not in i'm
mediate want. The Alta asks;
Ys;t not strange that if twenty-five thousand;
~ tTenty-fiye hundred, or even Ten nunoreo
iaboring men are threatened win a star d g
L., - ranks three men more representative
~ their interests than meoiea ssuueHt, q
Sometime express messenger ana - son " u ns III
So foI1oyys Inc nondescript profession OF Oelng
Hno H5Ss tosY ~ BATTERY street boaroing-nouse
We 90 not Wees w. ~ Who are CRYING for work not
OF pslsves but for Others but it is at least
lor l.Sa sconcdence that every two years they
are to be found associated late ogSs I0gei1ebb before a s0 the
eations In 1873, al the time OF the
Ime G1 excitement Of that year the faces
s-Sd yaSces Of Messrs. Wiley Mekenley ana
stelnmssn ~ erants of that period; since that
e Matcngu sbay have been equally familiar oeiore
ean a1s recrring biennial election, ana genersny
associated together Between 51go 6Top out Of
MiieH, ,t ~ the note of preparation for polLi,
csi strife is heard Messrs. Wiley Achenlss sti
Sea5nmsn are 10 be found cropping up slgnlls
in advance of the fray
We believe that the good people OF san
- j --.ll;rr 10 render