The herald., 1897-02-13

| diS dW0hS W thC ASSPOaiSiNAAAeJ e~-~>
rests upon them, a nd are seeking to meet
| that responsibility in humanitarian
as we'll as in practical manner.
| When business men go about an un-
| dertaking the first question raised is that
| of ways and means. A call was made
upon the council to provide work for the
unemployed and pay them out of the
public funds, the charge being thus
equally distributed upon the community
through the process of taxation. To this
| proposition the councilmen interposed
the objection that the city is practically
in the same position as the unemployed
having no means at it's disposal for such
a purpose. 1t is true that the sweeping
of streets by machinery may be dis
pensed with, and work thus furnished
for a considerable number of men; but
this is not expected to meet the
emergency in full. AS to Improvement
of the streets and parks, the money is
not in the city treasury to provide for
any extensive increase of expenditure.
In the matter of pay, with the city S
wage scale of 81 90 per day for manual
labor the funds that are available would
not go very far. 1t seems to us that the
objections raised by the citys represen-
tatives are valid, and that they could
not inaugurate any extensive eleemosy
nary scheme without exceeding their
powers and plunging the city govern
ment into debt. Nor is it feasible in an
undertaking to save large number of
people from want to pay scale of labor
for wages that is actually in excess of
the city of Los Angeles is prepared to
pay $500 a day to all corners for work
on it's streets and parks the city would
speedily be inundated with unemployed.
They would pour in from all quarters.
This is a danger that we cannot afford to
invite. The poor we have always with
us. and we are doing fairly well when
we provide for our own. We must not
make Los Angeles the Mecca for all the
unemployed of the country
The most feasible course, it seems to
US, would be to open private subscrip-
ton. and this no doubt would meet
ready and generous response. Let the
funds raised be placed in the hands of
committee who have not only charity in
their hearts but good common sense and
business acumen in their heads as we'll
Let this committee dispense no charity
to the able bodied unless they render
good service therefor. The city can
make good use of the labor thus provided
and 1t may contribute towards the fund
as much as may be available for such
public work.
Moneys dispensed in this way should
not be considered with reference to an
established scale of wages, but only as a
benevolence. Men who are homeless
might be provided with food and lodg-
ing and be paid a small amount of
money, rot to exceed so cents per day.
Men who have families depending upon
them should be provided with necessa-
ries of life, and the money consideration
may be reduced to a minimum. This
system of requiring hard labor from
those able to labor before any assistance
is rendered will weed out the lazy vaga-
bonds who have no relish for that sort
of thing, and only the deserving will be
left on the hands of the committee. The
unemployed of other sections will. see
very little in this beneficiary system to
invite them hither. Men who prove
themselves deserving by their labor will
soon be known, and as opportunities
arise for employment in private service
they will naturally drift away.
In Germany and in other European
countries they have a plan of meeting
the problem Of the unemployed very
similar to that here outlined. The gov
ernment provides a public farm where
any man who is in want can obtain en-
ployment. He is given food and shelter
and pittance in money for his services.
He is required to labor only part of the
day, the rest of the day being at his dis
posal, that he may seek other employ
ment No dishonor is attached to man
who accepts this method of livelihood.
but, on the contrary if he is willing
and capable worker the fact is a rec
ommendation to him. At the same time
any able-bodied man who shows a dis
position to shun honest toil-to tramp
about the country and ask aims or look
for unemployed without the hope Of
finding it's very sure to be spotted by
the authorities as vagabond. Him
they send to the public farm and COM
pei TO work under surveillance, as
American cities sometimes employ their
tramps in the chain gang. That kind
of service, of course, involves dishonor.
The whole system combines humanity
with common sense, and its general ef-
feet is to eliminate the tramp nuisance.
Los Angeles, while inaugurating d
system of charity to meet practically
the same conditions, could not do better
than copy the main features of the Ger
man plan 1t might not be feasible to