The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-04
MRS. NJ. E. SQUIRE.
From a photograph

excellent accommodations for public meet
| ings and for the lodging of homeless men.
The property IN question has been
secured from the owners at half its rental
| value-that is to say, the dwelling-house
and the church building, which are leased
to the commonwealth for $50 month.
Considering the location this is very
cheap. There Will be no water rates to pay,
as that necessary commodity has been
contributed free of cost.
The organizers of the commonwealth
are E. J. Jeffries of Seattle and Mrs. Mary
E. Squire of Portland. The most enthu-
siastic of the two is Mrs. Squire. She IS
untiring in her labors, without any hope
of personal gain, and has faith in human
kind to degree that is both startling and
refres hing. She believes that working
men are independent individuals, who
need only the encouragement of few
square meals to make of them men indeed.
She has forsaken weather. the comforts
thereof which were offered by her richly
married son-in order to espouse the cause
of the unemployed and the hungry. She is
in her glory now, and the firm establish
ment of this commonwealth has made her
happy woman.
81 feel like taking trip on the light
fantastic" she said yesterday, as she sur
yeYed theyast roominess of the old church,
where there is nothing left except the floor
and the altar platform. This movement,
on which have staked my hopes, will be
a success, and the hungry unemployed
will be taken off the streets The home
less and hungry wanderer will be given
home, and the prosperous will gladly help
US along because we will be success.
| Nothing succeeds like success"
The plan of the commonwealth is plain
and practical. Every man who is out of
employment and who is willing to work
will be given q home. He will have a COM
! Portable bed and wholesome food, and
there will be no such thing as turning a
man out on the street unless he proves un-
worthy. One days work at 81 80 each
week will insure man his living.
| If the man fails to secure the necessary
| days work he will still have home and
food, and when his services are in demand
he will be called upon to perform services
sufficient to cover any arrears that may
have accrued on his certificate of member
ship. Should he fail to work when oppor-
| tunity offers he will be expelled. Hence,
there will be no drones in the common
wealth.
The economic side of the system is based
| on the fact that the average wages for
common labor in the East is 81 per day.
! Board, lodging and washing will cost an
unmarried man 81 per week, leaving at the
| closing of the week balance of 81. Now,
| 500 or more men living together can be led,
| lodged and clothes washed for 81 per week,
with as good accommodations as at the
average bosrding-house and this would IN
clude 5000 per month for rent. Deducting
ten cents per day for the deyelopmen tund,
! it will leave the laborer 81 40 ahead OF the
private clearinghouse proposition, and
| 81 40 at the end of the week, besides lnsur-
| ing him home when out of employment,
to say nothing of his interest in the enor-
nous reserve fund which would be OF the
most momentous importance and destined
! to greatly increase the value OF his services
| to him. This would not anly attract the
! unemployed, but eventually the employed,
both on the grounds of self-interest and
| principle.
By this it will be seen that the Co.
operative Commonwealth is reaching out
for universal sway:
Mrs. Squire, in the course of an inter-
view yesterday, said:
1--WE will get all the necessary furniture
| from the good people of San Francisco
without immediate cost in cash. All will
be paid for, however, in labor as it may be
| required. We propose to pick up the un-
| employed and put them on self-support-
ing basis. There will be free employ
| ment bureau In connection with the
concern. The basement of the church will
be used for dormitories and the back
room of the residence building will be used
| for dlnlng-room. The auditorium of the
church viii be rented for public meetings
and the proceeds turned into the general
fund of the commonwealth; and we will
have dances. too, occasionally. There will
be no religion and no politics in our insti-
tuition"
The commonwealth has been Endorsed
by the San Francisco Labor Council, as
well as by many other Independent labor
organizations. An effort will be made to
enlist the Knights OF Labor in the work
-