Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-03-02
1ug UNEMPLOYED.

a Cutuai rtnutlt ItIuhluk tho fVNNIh
mossage and accompanying documents
Just transmitted BY Governor Wet 10
the Legislature, might derive oXnggcr'
atcd ideas Of the number Of uucm.
pioyed men aud the amountof distress
In this olty. The communication Of
Hon. Wendell Benson, chairman Of
the Territorial Relief commission,
gives the number Of unemployed men
ou the lisi Of tina. commission as ! 200.
Hon. Arthur l.. Thoma', chairmaa Of
tho General Relief society, gives the
number u names Of unemployed mcn
on IA books M about $500, while
Seleclman Bambofger, chairman Of the
Salt Lake county and city relief
work gives lila ~ tho number Of
laboreis on hia list who are waiting for
work. The apparent aggregate IL i.3i7
men who are out OF employment, and
have listed their names Ia the hope Of
obtaining n iow days work NJ the
small wages that are being paid by the
organizations named. In other wotde,
the showing Ia that there are In this
city i,8i7 mun who arc out Of employ.
ment, and whose necessities are 40 ur-
gent that they have sought fow days
work through one OF the channels that
have been established Tor relieving the
needy aud suffering.
On their face these nguros con.
vey conviction that they cx'
aggerate the facts. Allowing TO
tho city population Of 5000
and a lhhoring man 10 every nix In
habilants, we have 0,l00 laboring men.
The latter figure Ia not intended 10 ia.
clude merchants nor business nor pro.
fcsslonal men, and will probably covsr
nil who would DO commonly olaasui ~
laboring men, or even exceed the
number that could properly DO 20 elias
ained. There are Just about 5000
registered voters In tho city, aud these
Include classes who are here ox.
oluded from the estimated number Of
working men. II wosay that we have
1900 Of the latter We shall probably
approximate tue tfuths
Now i,3iT Ia nearly half OF 1000,
but It IL not possible that
nearly one half Of the working
men Of this city have llsted their
names for a share Of tho employment
which Is specially designed for tho TO.
lief Of the destitute. There must have
been an extensive duplication Of
names OF applicants for work on the
three lists above referred 90. A gentle.
man who Il In a position TO know, In.
forms the NEWS that II tho names on
Mr. Bonsoh's list, l,7Oj In number, be
thrown aside, aud only those given by
Messra. Thomas aud Hamburger be- re-
tRined, the truth would be approx.
mated. The gentleman explained
that tho organization Of which MIR.
Thomas us chairman had been cooper.
ating all winter with Mr. Bamborgcr,
and that one object Of such co.opora.
ton had been 10 avoid duplicating
relief while needy persons had TO-
oeived mont; whereas Mr.. Bonson's
organization, being new one, had
naturally attracted 10 It's list great
portion and perhaps nearly all, OF the
waiting working men who were on
the other two llats. 10 il known that
thoreaTe many Instances In which tho
name OF the same man appears on both
the latter LETS, fact which reduoesi by
10 much, tho apparent number Of uu.
employed on them.
The number OF men without work,
aud tho amount OF restitution, are
great enough, without being oxagger-
ated, We DO mot charge TINT this has
boon done Intentionally, by any per-
son. The documents referred 10 are no
doubt truthful la the figures which
they give, and were submitted by the
Governor TO the Legislature Tor what
they arc worth. They were not pre-.
pared by their authors nor submitted
by the Governor with any intention %
mislead. The point We wish TO make
iu references To them Is that tho ciroum.
stances attending them require 10 bo
understood, in order that the whole
truth OF the subject may be-.
While the sitIatlon Is 10 be- deploroi,
it ought not to be portrayed IN color.
darker ,han are necessary TO repreagn,
the facts. Tho severity OF winter 10
oveF,the spring Is here,ani there 10 one
source Of employment to which thous,
AnIs Of men who seek It may turn
with every assurance that it will yield
at leasta livelihood, tho soil Nowly
settled localities on the east, west,
north and south OF this city are calling
for more help IN the struggle to subtue
the elements and o0mIcl them 20
respond To the needs Of man; ana the
response is certain II the effort 10 pu,