The San Francisco call., 1897-02-13
THE UHEMPL DYED
ARE ORGANIZING
It Was Decided to Establish
a Permanent Body
Yesterday.
A Deputation Sought Mayor
Phelan, but He Was Out
of Town.
Afterward Committee Was Ap.
pointed to So iclt Subscriptions
in Money and Kind.

Several hundred of the unemployed of
San Francisco met in the Turk-street
Temple yesterday afternoon to discuss
the question OF immediate relief 1t was
finally decided TO form a permanent or
ganization and 10 call upon Mayor Phelan
in body, in order to lay the situation be-
fore him ana invite his cooperation and
advice. The assembly thereupon formed
in procession and marched 10 the City
Hall. At the Mayors Office they were in
forms d that Mayor Phelan was out of
town and would not be back until Mon
day. Another fruitIess effort was made
to interview some of the Supervisors,
after which the men quietly dispersed to
meet again in the Turk-street Tenn pie
this morning at 10 O'Clock with the under
standing that a second deputation will
wait upon the Mayor on Monday.
The entire proceedings were, on the
whole. characterized by the utmost order
and sobriety OF expression, though one or
two individual utterances verged on the
re volutionary.
S. A. Letfingwell was chosen chairman
and q. b. Wright secretary of the mass
meeting. The ways and means com mmittee
recently appointed roporled that 1t had
failed to obtain an interview with Mayor
Phelan the previous day, and that Labor
Commissioner Fitzgerald, while express
ing his entire sympathy with the move
ment, had not deemed it prudent TO attend
this meeting.
A Mr.. WIlhams then delivered stirring
address, in which he advised the unem-
ployed to wait upon the Board OF Super
visors in a body. "Ycu will accom- piish
nothing he said, "by visiting the Legis-
lature at Sacramento" Charity, he
urged, should begin at home, instead OF
seeking a sphere of activity in foreign
countries. Society was bound TO provide
for Its unemployed. who, in the absence of
all resources, could not take care OF them
selves.
Another speaker scathingly arraigned
the Legislature on the score of its solici-
tude for the well-being of criminals at
Folsom and San Quentin and its indiffer-
ence TO the condition OF the unemployed.
Let US learn lesson from our oppo-
nents," he said, land organize. In our
necessity we have the right TO act tor our
selves and now is the time. Let no man
shirk. L make motion that We go into
permanent organization
The chairman declared that a similar
motion had been passed the day before,
which covered the entire ground of the
foregoing. Subsequently. however, he al
lowed the second motion 10 be put, when
il was unanimously carried.
j. A. Rogers, a carpenter and Iongshore-
man, said he had been out of work twenty
days out OF thirty ever since he came TO
San Francisco, and this was The condition
of hundreds of intelligent men anxious to
do something"
1.-Two thousand of u.s. he thundered
"tried some time ago 10 see Mayor Ellert
10 secure his assistance. and all we could
get was some canvas, which cost $50; and
the first chance he had he gave that TO the
oar faip 0f ha Salvation Apn1u -
Rogers contendeu that IT would be use
less to memorialiZe the Legislature, the
Supervisors or any other public body. As
an alternative he suggested that all the
deserving unemployed should com bine
and endeavor to secure the contract for
the complete of 700 miles of the Valley
Railroad. a thousand men might divide
themselves into ten bodies of 100 each,
with one executive head, and obtain tools
and implements on credit from the buSi-
ness men of the City.
"The Valley road" he continued,
''would go our security for the tools, and
mercantile houses would furnish US all
We could then take contracts cheaper
than Grant Bros. or anybody else"
Il would like to hear" said the chair
man, some proposition by which we can
get dinner to-day" [Applause.]
A man named Ford observed that if it
were OHIy iuatleT Vi getting something
TO eat he would say. don't temporize, but
get it at the first available place He
argued that the unemployed didn't know
their own power and that united front
would soon bring both the mum icipality
and the Legislature to time.
These sentiments met the approval of
the meeting, and 1t was at once resolved
to march in procession 10 the City Hall
and interview Mayor Phelan. Messrs.