The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-08-13
DO NOT ABOLISH EMPLOYMENT
BUREAU,

the Mayor, gave Sl6Hcu eultoIl La w
the News Tribune last Sunday morn
ing, in which he advocated the aboli-
ton of the Flee Employment Bureau.
Mr.. Nesbitt's reasons are the weakest
that we have heard in the discussion
of this question.
He begins by saying that he does
not or can not have any interest in the
free bureau. This is an admission Of
fact because Mr. Nesbitt is far re-
moved from the environment Of eth
er large employer of labor, or Of the
class Of workingmen who seek work
through employment agencies.
His contention that the city has no
right to enter into business to compete
with commercial concerns is founded
on fact. The City of Duluth Is today
competing with the Duluth General
Electric company in the matter OF
lighting. While the city is selling gas,
and the company is selling electricity,
yet they are competitors in business,
and If you do not believe the Labor
World just ask the nanag gers of both
plants.
Had the city the right to issue bonds,
which the lobbyists for the special
privilege class have denied it, by Sec
uring the passage of laws which ham
dicap the city from either building or
city chould be in a position to build it's
own street railway system, and no law
would prevent it from becoming
competitor with the present street rail-
way company. So with employment
bureaus as with street railways and
lighting plants. The city has the right
to act as an agent for securing en-
ployment for it's citizens. When the
present city bureau was established it's
In the executive and legislative depart
ments of the city, compared the new
institution with a free soup house"
The newspapers casually published in
terviews with these gentlemen and
gave the comparisons much emphasis.
It resulted In discouraging many work.
lngmen from going to the new bureau
to apply for work. The honest work.
ingmen does not want anything which
has any appearance Of charity in 1t.
Even employment agents in ridicul-
ing the new bureau would attempt to
discourage applicants for work, by re-
ferring to the free soup house" COM
parison. They pretended that they did
not care for the free bureau, yet at
every opportunity they have condemn
ed it with malice.
The municipal bureau ought to be
success. The city ought to have alb
so1ute control over it, and every friend
Of public ownership should support it
against every attack.
There are something's the working
men ought to have free in this world
and one of them is the right to secure
work without having to pay for the in
formation. Is it not true that labor is
the substructure Of all in this world :?
There Is not a merchant, lawyer, CAPT.
talist, banker or broker but who de-
ponds upon labor for his very exist
ance. It is labor that produces the &C.
tual wealth of the world, and without
1t all of us would starve to DEATH How
little do we consider the interests of
labor. How willing we are to permit
its rights to be denied, simply because
we desire to ride more easily upon its
back.
We belong to different school Of
thought than Mr.. Nesbitt. We do not
believe that because certain things
exist now that they are right, or even
that they are right because they have
always existed. We believe that the
city should go into any business that
would help to revive the burden Of
labor.
If every employment office in Du-
luth should suspend business tomorrow
1t would not affect another business
interest in the city. This cannot be
said Of the bank, or Of the grocery
store. Or Of any of the necessary enter
prices in business. The employment
agent business has been so abused, and
so many worklngmen have been VIC
timized by INSCRIPTIONS agents in
spite Of the most rigid police regula-
ton, and the most carefully drawn
laws, that it is really the imperative
duty Of the city Of Duluth to operate
an employment bureau that will guar
antee to workingmen honest treatment
Because the bureau has not been a
success during the past year does not
warrant its abolition at this time. We
hold th3+ it has been incomnetentlyy
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