The herald., 1897-03-03

| pie had confidence In them, and the
! city Will cheerfully contribute in cash
| all that can be spared, and will cheer
fully give all the assistance in their
| power.
Park Commissioner Waters said that
| most Of the objections raised by the
president had been considered, and
largely overcome In the conference with
the park commissioners. The question
now was, whether the city would fur
nish the tools and would the council
make an appropriation of 81, 900 when it
| was called upon for this purpose.
| President Silver guaranteed that the
request will be cheerfully granted, as
| he considered 1t a moderate one under
| the circumstances, an announcement
which was received with applause.
| Judge Silent said that the committee
was trying to save minutes, and he did
! not think that the mission of the COM
| mittee would be complete until they had
| official action by the council as this
| was one of the purposes for which they
were appointed. They needed the tools
at once, and it was hoped that the coun-
| Gil would take the necessary action at
once. He did not think that this wages
question was such big bogey man after
| all. He had consulted with representa-
| tives of labor organizations and found
| them In thorough accord with the move
ment
President Silver said that while there
might be some legal question involved
| in appropriating the money, there was
certainly nothing in the way of pur-
| chasing tools. These will not be needed
| before Monday, and by that time the
| council would have meeting and make
| the necessary appropriation.
| Judge Silent said there was another
thing on which they wanted the CO.
| operation of the council. 1t was d5s;-a-
h1a n q nt he troy all
ment, and when work was provided for
| the honest unemployed the committee
| wanted the tramps and hobos arrested
| rock pile provided and the tramps put
| to work, or starved until they will work
President Silver said that there was
already an ordinance in effect as to
| vagrancy which the police would en-
force. AS to the rock pile, it had been
suggested that the committee would
also look after that
| II. w. Burnham said that there was
| little prospect of any harm resulting
from the unemployed, unless they got
| together There were now. he under
stood, number of professional agita-
| tors in the city; one of them in particu-
lar had visited the homes of number
of families, and, after arguing at some
! length, had left pamphlets of a highly
| inflammable character He had seen
| that the mayor had called mass meet
| for Wednesday night. He regarded
this as dangerous. and as there was no
good reason for the action, he asked that
| his honor rescnd 1t. 1t was the sense of
the business men of the community that.
| considering the hard times, wages paid
| by the city are too high and that they
! should be reduced to a business basis.
He was not opposed to high wages, but
the condition of affairs did not justify
the city in paying them.
President Silver said that the city had
now but seventy men employed in the
! street department and fifty in the parks,
| and a reduction of wages would only
| furnish employment to fifty more men.
Mayor Snyder then explained how he
| had come to call the mass meeting. He
| said that at the time he did this, no
movement had been commenced for re-
lief, and as a delegation of the unem-
| ployed had waited upon him, asking that
a meeting be called to discuss the situ-
| ton, he had done so, after consulting
| with President Silver thinking that no
| harm could result. If the action had
| been taken by the Merchants associa-
| tion sooner, 1t Is probable that no meet
| ing would have been called but now
| that it had been called he thought it
| best that 1t should be held, and that it
was the duty of every citizen to turn
| out.
| President Silver explained the confer
ence between himself and the mayor,
lcorrecting some of the latter's state
| ments, and explaining his position, say
ing that he had told the mayor that the
language used in the resolutions, vir-
tually threatening riot and disorder
should be squelched at once.
In answer to questions by Mr.. Burn
ham. Mayor Snyder said that he did not
believe there were more than from 800
to 500 worthy unemployed in the city.
Chief Glass put the number at not ex-
ceeding 800. Mr.. Burnham said that the
Salvation Army had put the number at
$50. He thought that the number was
greater than this. but the main point
was to at once weed out the sheep from
the goats.
President Silver then called upon the
other members of the council to go on
record on the $1,000 appropriation. and
Mesars. Nickel, Mathuss, Asfman and
Toll did so. Mr.. Ashman incidentally
remarked that he did not think that at
the outside the number of unemployed
would reach over $50. and also that he
was one of those who opposed the re-
duction of laborers wages below 81 per
day when in the employ of the city.
Mr.. Toll wanted an immediate session
of the council called to consider the
matter. The gentleman also favored a
stockade for the confinement of va
grants, as did also Chief Glass.
The discussion then turned on the
bond proposition, and President Silver
stated that he thought 1t would be i'm
possible to get a proposition through
the council where all the money was to
be expended on one park 1t might go
through If the money was to be for all
the parks The other members of the
council concurred with the president.
]. r. Newberry said that 1t was mat
ter of supreme importance that the
merchants and manufacturers should
have consideration, as we'll as the agita-
tors who parade the streets for the pur-
pose of causing trouble. He thought the
mass meeting at this time was ill-ad-
vised, and even II the mayor would not
abrogate the call he thought 1t should be
postponed for at least two weeks. He
doubted II the best element would at
tend the meeting, and that any man
could go on the stage and tell the truth,
as he must do, and be heard.
Councilman Hutchison defended the
unemployed, saying that people had
wrong idea about them; that there were
not exceeding half a dozen agitators
among them, and they had no influence
They were a conservative, law-abiding
set of men and he hoped the meeting
might be held at which the issues could
be discussed.
After some further general talk.
Mayor Snyder said that he did not wish
to Interfere with the work of the COM
vol cfy,cr mn a mr. that ~ II xva q