Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-10
SHAW ON THE UNEMPLOYED
says Present Condition in Great
Britain shows InemcIcncy of
Present system.

LONDON, Dec 9.-(Special Cablegram TO
The Bee.)-The question of aiding the un-
employed in London is very serious one
and Queen Alexandra has stepped bravely
into the breach. says Bernard Shaw. She
has waited for Parliament to deal with the
question and Parliament has done nothing
has indeed with great difficulty been pre-
vented from doing less She has waited
for the prime minister to advise, and the
prime minister avows his utter helpless
ness. The resources of the constitution
being thus exhausted she has boldly
thrown the constitution to the winds and
taken the matter in hand herself. She has
said in effect to our wise men: We'll, II
you cannot get my people work. | will
give them bread Who will come and help
me?'
In doing this the queen has precipitated
crisis that was bound to come sooner or
later. The situation is not new. In cities
like ancient Rome or modern London COM
petitive commerce always finally creates
proletariat too numerous to be effectually
coerced and too clever to be duped by
spurious political economy and pious plau-
tudes about the sacredness of law and or
der. In 1886. when the windows of the
clubs in Pail Mall were broken, the classes
paid nearly S25O,OOO ransom to the Mansion
House fund, most of which went into the
hands of anything but hard working peo-
pie. Trade revived and STAYED off the
emergency for a time, but it is upon us
again and now the question is, are we to
accept panem ct circenses as a regular
part of our metropolitan organization? We
must, II the alternative is to leave the un-
employed, to choose between starvation and
plunder. The queen will not allow her
people to be starved She has forced our
hand and is going to organize panem (the
circuses will come later) with her own
hands, unless we find work and wages for
the unemployed, who, by the way, will
very soon acquire a taste like their social
superiors, for incomes without work.
1t is critical situation and one that may
become dangerous If those who understand
1t are too courtly or too cowardly to speak
out. The queens charity is the last re-
source of a bankrupt civilization. II we
can do nothing better we must adopt it.,
ana she is right TO force the alternative on
US But can we do nothing better?
For my part can no difficulty in
! hnding work for the unemployed. Take the
places they live in, for instance There is
the urgently necessary work of knocking
those places down, burning their putrid
| debris and replacing them with decent
| dwellings in airy and handsome streets
| The spots, to begin WITH are already
marked by Mr.. Charles Booth on the map
or London in black. If, instead of directing
| the attention of the unemployed, as in 1886,
to the possibility of extorting a demoral-
izlng ransom by destroying the houses of
other people, we could set them to the
| eminently desirable and honorable work of
destroying their own and building better
ones to replace them. the queen would not
need to empty her private purse with the
heart-breaking knowledge that her money
would save her PEOPLES liyesaata 1se,.sx.
pense of their characters
1t is true that there is no commercial de.
mand for new and decent city; but, pray
for what great social work is there ans
commercial demand? How long will it TAX,
us to see that great nations work for ma.
| tonal profits and keep the little souls who
can understand nothing but commercial
prohts out Of the national councils?
There is no lack of money, no lack OF
work. no lack OF charity. 1t is character
and craftsmanship that we want anc
these alas, cannot be created by check,
and subscription books.