New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-26
SELECTIONS FROM THE MAIL.
ADVOCATING CITY WORKS.
pR. STANTON COLT DENIES HAVING SUPPORTED
ANARCHfsTIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
EMpIOYMENr NEEDED.

7
ANAnCEfsTIC MEAsrREs-IMMEDlATE
EMPLOYMENT NEEDED.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Cir: II has been inferred from certain newspaper
reports that IN addressing the unemployed Of The
East Side have advocated Anarchist!c and So
ciastic measures. and ] beg you Will do me tho
favor TO state on my behalf and on behalf OF the
University Settlement Society. that such differences
are wholly erroneous; that have made no speeches
wnrranting such nfercnces nor rave ]. individually
or az head worker Of the Settlement advocated
measures OF the kind mentioned
What I have said to the unemployed people OF
the East Side was. In substance. 10 advise them 10
appeal to the city to give them work; and ! have
recommended this course solely because know OF
other resource great enough to meet the present
emergency. The present crisis Is this: There are
$1,000 working people IN this city out OF en-
ployment They must work. starve, receive charity
or so TO the almshouse. Trade work. paid for by
private capital. is of all things to be desired. AT
least one large corporation has arrounced It's IN
tention OF beginning Immediately certain extensive
works, which. but for the present exigency. would
not have been begun until spring. and every effor.
should be made to induce private capital TO fur
nish immediate employment: bat 1t scarcely seems
possible that private capital can supply the demand
for work at the moment when II is most needed.
Public works requiring only unskilled labor remain
the only alternative capable OF providing EN-
ployment FOR a sufficient number of people to mti-
gate the present distress. To be effective the work
must be provided at once for during the next two
months the suffering will be the greatest.
That the city is bound to support It's paupers is
a legally recognized duty If work is not soon to
be had, vast members Of the unemployed must
come upon the city for pauper relief at an enor.
1t should come to this. urge thai the city should
give employment and pay for work when i act ct
repairing Of pavemen,s and sidewalks Better
that the money should be expended in wages than
should
Island. / have not advocated state socialism, but
do urge that IN the present emergency ana r as
the unemployed upon half-time and AT half wages
sufficient to afford the means OF sustaining lfe
without offering an Involvement TO the continuance
Of the work when the conditions OF business VII
permit a return to the ordinary trades. main
tain that there is less danger to the city in taking
this course than in allowing the almshouses 10 DC
thronged with the unemployed. The rule that
once pauper, always a pauper renders nauper-
ism CONTINUING menace and burden. while Inu-
ncipa employment need not and should not con-
tinue one day beyond the existence Of the neces-
sity the performance of the WORK actually re-
quired.
Since the publication of the suggestion that the
pigment. I have received lettes from the Com;
missioner of Public Works stating that II would
,hs needing sGb or s nf d to
have them made good ! am now prepared 10 Q, iur-
nish list of 800 such places, and the work or re-
pair should give employment 10 number or men
Other city imp ovements have been demanded
for years. such as the tearing down and removing
wards and tho development of the parks north
of the Harlem and IL these can now be pushed
city in conjunction with the East Side Relief Com
mittee with the aid Of private means stiil larger
The University Settlement Society is open to and
will gratefully receive suggestions as TO other
Of be sSncv a
to the city authorities is advocated only g last
expedsni and HsAed only By The ST tTTSs oI rsea
No. 2s peiancey-st December %. 1895.