The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-03-06


of San Francisco. Every one of them Is
well fed and we'll clad but more of them
seem to care whether the citizens are fed
and clad or not
There are many good reasons why the
Supervisors do not want Is TO be known
that thousands in San Francisco are with
oat employment and on the verge of star
walton. They wish IL to appear that every
man and woman in California Is well fed,
we'll housed and well clad; that anybody
wanting employment here can find II, and
that those who are out of employment are
nothing but iOafers and bummers. The
Supervisors wanted to insinuate that when
We were brought before them.
"H g want TO demonstrate that the wealth
created by the people IS ia the hands of a
very few, and that the policy Of this few is
just that Of the dog in the manger.
I've are not here merely TO advocate the
cause of the unemployed to-day, but to get
Job for every man and woman in san
Francisco according TO their ability. Every
labor bill has been thrown out OF the Iegis-
lature At Sacramento. Mark that! Ii you
want any support whatever You have got to
elect man out of the ranks OF labor. and
not people who are interested in keeping
men cut Of employment"
There was shout Of approval, and Nc
lyOr continued: IF the Board of Super
visors had been tie representatives of the
working classes instead OF the capitalistc
"la-= fh-v world have received our deputa-
workshops to give employment to men VINO
can never ind employment as things are
now. We put our case sQuaTely before the
people. We don'tadyocate physical force"
Alter warm denunCiatIon of CaiifOr-
Mas absentee landlords and milliOnnires
with homes IN London and the big cities of
Europe paid for with wealth acquired here,
lie speaker said: "To-morr0w our COM
mIltee VIII again appear before the Board
OF supervisors. We want every r6specta-
bic unemployed man 10 be with ne. The
Supervisors say there are no unemployed
IN san Francisco, and that ii is only
loateTs who are out Of work. We want you
10 demonstrate tomorrow evening That this
is not so, and that you are willing to work
II they will employ YOU"
McIY0r then retired aud introduced Mrs
Smith, a middie-aged woman dressed in
black and wearing pair OF speclacles, as
tie next speaker.
Mrs. Smith snOn showed herself to he
quite at home ''on the stumr," speaking
ciear'y, consecutiyely and without pause or
he>ita ton.
Brother wOrkngmen," she said, II was
one OF me committee selected at the Metro
p0lllan Temple to appear before the Board
Of Supervisors and present the case Of the
working men and women Of San Francisco
who are out OF employment l can indoTse
every word spoken by Mr.. MclyOr as TO
our reception and the reply made to US,
ar er Keeping Us waiting an entire week.
Wv lille thus waiting our people were
driven 10 tie verge OF desperation. They
have been losing hope for years, aud will
continue in despair unless they solve this
problem Tor themselves. IQu are the men
and women who make it possible for those
people on Mob Hill yOnder 10 put on the
airs they do when you approach them.
I'll he way to make yourselves felt is to
come here tomorrow night. peaceaby. and
with disposition 10 create no disturbances,
and do nothing more than show that you
are honest and industrious, or would be in
dusirlous If you had the opportunity.
y on want to show that the statement
made by the committee of the unemployed
was true IN lis entirety"
Right at this juncture a policeman who
had been steadily elbowiDg his way up the
steps to the rotunda, approached Mr. Nc
iYoT and quietly inumated that the meeting
wouid have 10 move on. and that the plaza
III front was at the disposal of the commit
tee. Mrs. Smith paused, and for a moment
there was a dead silence.
Then MclvOr seized the opportunity as he
stepped forward and said:
Ny friends and fellow workmen, here is
policeman who notifies US that we must
leave our own properly. [Ironical cheers
We wish no disturbance. Let US leave in
an orderly manner. This may be a trick to
cause rs TO do something which will enable
our enemies TO call it disorderly meeting.
You know now who your officials are"
The crowd moved off to the center Of the
plaza without a word, and Mrs. Smith re.
sumed her address:
My Information" said she, land ] have
every reason 10 believe IL true, is that GER
tain people are allowed to speak on those
steps y0Dqer every Sunday afternoon. They
are not dealing with the questions we are
dealing with, but are crying ont that if GER
tam races were not here things would be
different We are not going into any busi-
ness OF that kind. | believe the brilliant
oinelai We saw just now Is the same man
who threatened 10 arrest me because | said
there were many buildings in San Francisco
that no one lived in. He said was talking
against religion"
Rather an odd spectacle was presented at
two opposite angles Of Il e plaza at this time
Al one corner a freethinker was laboring to
convince three small boys and deaf man
tDat the Bible was myth and that eYoiu-
ton accounted for everything; at the other
corner, 100 yards away, a group OF evange-
lists were singing 10 an audience about as
small as the freethinKer mad.
MIS- smith meanwhile read the petition
OF the unemployed. She then satirically
remarked that as FOR the reply Of the Super
NlsoTs IL was Ike nothing in the heavens
above nor on the earth beneath nor on the
waters that are under the earth. II ''slob-
bered' over certain members of the COM
mhtee ana paid no attention TO the demands
of the petitioners.
"Unskllled labor" said she. sis confirm
ally hanging on the verge Of despair from
starvation and want of employment. We
know that crime is on the increase and that
men are compelled to do what they would
not do If work could be found for them.
ITO show you the spirit of good fellow
ship and mercy that is road. one of our
committee said to the board that suicides
are being hshed out Of the bay nearly
every day. One Of the we'll fed said: 'Oh.
that's nothing. / know bodies have always
been fshedi out Of the bay "A matter of
crurse. said Mrs. Smith; a mere everyday
sort of picnic. You know
1T was nothing at all to that man that
human being should be forced TO throw
himself into the bay through dependency
and want.
They tell us 10 demonstrate that there
are unemployed men in San Francisco.
For that reason we want you 10 come Ia tina