The record-union., 1894-05-08
IN AID OF THE IDLE.
Sentiment In Favor of Having County
Work Done
LFrom the Napa Daily Register.

From the Napa Daily Register
Every State should care for its own
unemployed. TO roll the burden of one
commonwealth onto the back OF another,
with the knowledge that The burden in
creases il size as it rolls, is to do thing
that is both unwise and unjust. 1t is all
right enough to send the vagrant sheep Of
other States back to their houe folds, but
our own we should keep and care for.
The Register has already suggested the
employment OF the unemployed upon
the dirt roads of the country. Work and
lots OF it is needed in the improvement of
the public highways.
The people down in San Bernardino
are thinking along similar lines. At a
citizens meeting held 4 few nights ago
they addressed petition to Governor
| Markham in which they asked for the
! issuance of proclamation calling the
attention of the Boards of Supervisors of
| the various counties OF the State to the
existing condition of affairs and request
| ing said boards to pass ordinances for
their respective Counties, creating public
works and improvements, to The end that
all honest citizens desiring employment
may obtain it; and further that said
! Boards of Supervisors be requested to
establish poorhouses and furnish food
and clothing to all worthy indigents and
establish chain gang land provide that
| all criminals sentenced to imprisonment
in the county jail be compelled to work
therein, to the end that our State may be
rid of the lawless, nOn-producing ele-
ment."
| Discussing the same subject, our un-
employed, the Placer Herald says:
'"This State needs better roads, and each
county is spending great deal of money
TO that end. Our plan would be for
State Convention of County Supervisors
TO agree that all separate boards should
organize the idle labor in their respective
counties and put 1t to work on the high
ways. That it might be made an emer-
gency position. only to be aVailed of by
those who for the time being could do no
better, the consideration, in addition to
shelter in tents and board, should not be
more than 25 cents day. An honest man
would gladly accept this as a temporary
means of support rather than beg or
starve or join an army OF Indigents in an
aimless march across the country. The
able bodied tramp or begger or INDECENT
who would not accept it would expose
his character by his refusal and could be
dealt with accordingly.
''The plan would not only provide
temporary means of subsistence for the
worthy at rate that would be profitable
to the counties, but it would afford a
means of separating the worthy unem-
ployed from the unworthy and enable
those sympathetically inclined to know
! better where to bestow their charity.
"With such a system in vogue in all
the counties Of California there would be
no longer any excuse for tramps or able
bodied beggars or Commonweal Armies
! in this State The men could be organ
lied into gangs and sent with their tents
and tools under competent boss to any
part of the country that their work was
most needed. They would need no guard
for their labor would be voluntary.
There would be no dishonor in their po-
sition. Those who could do no better
would be free to join the gang, and as
free to go when more lucrative employ
ment offered.u