The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-05-24
PRESIT EN- JORDAN AND STATE
EMPLOYMENT.

To the Editor cf the San Francisco Call-SIR:
tits certainly safe assume that intelligent
readers OF THE CALL fully realize that the
whole trend OF thought in this country and
Europe sets strongly toward a material in
crease in the duties of the State and the mu-
nicipality with reference TO the welfare of the
citizen, more especially since strong corpora
lions and trusts of aggregated wealth and
superior business ability practically render
individuals of ordinary means and average
ability almost wholly powerless in the open
field OF competit on with these vast corporal e
and trust resources arrayed against them.
There can be but one view of this matter.
1t was full recognition OF these conditions.
with a clear understanding CT their signifi-
canoe, which led President Jordan OF Stanford
University in addressing the Pure Food Con-
gress to ridicule the enactment of The laws
asked for by the unemployed to oppose all
effort to find work for them and to biuntly
limit the duty of the State TO providing police
men, judges and jails.
OF course, this Is carrying indivdualism and
its inevitable competition 10 their full and
fsir logical results. When | left the farm al
II, near Joliet. H., where was born heir to
all the disadvantages afforded phone ers
son, more than half century ago, had
learned 10 rear sheep, shear their wool, card
it by hand, spin 1t, weave II and dye the cloth
b ,autiful butternut brown, and my mother
made my clothes of it, We cannot now go
back to the free competition of those times.
"Uncle Sam is not ''rich enough ogive us
GIL q iorAa now tlouSu nc was MY yeoiS
ago, for our "big brothers" of the Miller g.
Lux ability to grab the land, and our fool laws
which allow them and our rich English
cousins across the Atlantic to quire title 10
1t, never seem 10 worry because SO many are
poor and have no land, nor home, nor work.
nor bread, and our dear old Uncle Sam is bad
ly in debt, has to borrow money himself, and
he has no time TO think of us now or try 10
find out some way in which he could lend
hand and help us, though he used to be az
kind rs could be as long as he had any land
to give us, and in those days NO one had to
look for work and not find thing to do, and
the bad word tramp was not made at that
time, but came into use when all the land was
gone and there was no work to be found.
These conditions are perious. Ominous ex-
ecraiions disturb the air. Hungry men clamor
counsel, for bread they must have Tor their
little ones and wives. in this juncture homes
are promised to about thousand men and
their families by one OF our millionaires who
has both brains and q heart. / believe that
thousands OF men all over our land will thank
God with fervent hearts for the example of
Claus Spreckels and will invoke the favor Of
God to attend him in providing homes for
other homeless ones and bread for the hungry.
True, he helps himself white he helps others.
And this is wise. Why cannot other million
aires do the same? 1t will pay. A beggars
blessing is better than q begear's curse.
The way Is now prepared for q consideration
of the duty Of the State and the municipality
TO the unemployed, and hope to show Presi-
that there is better and safer way than 10
dismiss the hungry men with loved ones in
distress 10 hunt for work where oil know there
ID no work for them to find.
JOSEPH AsBURY JOHNSON.
San Francisco, May %, 1897