The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1908-03-09
ADVOCATES EMPLOYMENT BY STATE
OF ALL UNEMPLOYED MEN

To Editor Tho Star
WAY arc there unemployed men
Ia a state where nothing Il finished.
where every house could BE- bet.
tered By labor. ard where every
acre % vacant land calls for more
work upon ~
Everyone wants something more
than he has. something that eoaid
b. created BY labor, and yet there
are unemployed men. What Il the
cause ~ the ever recurring lack Of
employ mcntf
II lies Ia our system Of employ
mcut
Let IA consider the severe
troubles Of fsss. when armies Of
idle men w~Fr marching aeroas the
country. drmanding work. where M
wurk Gas TO BE- had
~Thefv wna thou no greater cause
Zoe Iaisnraa than there IL nov
Then. As nov. the land VAS fertile,
the crops good. and RAE material
was abundant There we're fac.
tories everywhere and men willing
and anxious 20 run them There
vaa great need II the products Of
thesr factories fsut many people
vent hungry. while food vas de.
ssyins on the farms. and many
sen, half naked. while clothing lay
piled Ia the warehouses. People
were suffering for the usceasafi~a
~ life aud these nscasaaFiea Ners
right AZ hand and unused Al this
happened because men lacked the
chance 20 earn what they needed
u vas because Of the bad system
80 work under. and under this sYHs
tenn these bad conditions viii fire.
ausntly rccuF.
Under this system the great
MAS ~ people are not free Go labor
and feed themselves or 30 mauufHe.
tnre and ciothe themselves except
under a certain condition. and the
condition "a. that the comparative.
ID few among as who are employers
81 labor shall make money off the
labor OF tbo@c they employ. other.
wise. they VIII not hire.
When uM I. times come. there Is
nothing for the mass Of ua to do.
hut Ia val, tiii the times righs
themselves: that IL. TO wait Till the
employers can make money off our
labor. and then We may again be
permitted to live
The cause Of our trouble la right
here. that employment Of the mass
IL left TO private enterprises. which
private enterprises are conducted
solely for gain. and the moment
gain IL not forthcoming. these en-.
terprlaes are stopped. and We are
left without food. clothing OF shell
ter.
This system denies va the oppor.
tunity 20 labor aud produce What
We need. The production Of the
neccssaries Of life h In the hands
OF the comparatively few. and the
moment these few cannot make
money by producing what We need
they will not produce. We always
come In this M the cause of the
sioppage Of work aud the conse
qnent Increase OF the number OF un
employed.
"A remedy for our trouble would
be found In tho laboring man be
coming his own employer. or the
state or society becoming his EN-
ployer The state has land that
needs clearing. There are school
lands that cannot be sold legally for
less than $40 an acre, that would
be- worth more than tt00 an acre
when cleared. Lot idle men be en-
ployed on these landa. AZ something
less than current wages, so as not
Co attract men from other work
The state would make money. and
the schools would be benefited. The
general public would be relieved OF
the duty or annoyance OF giving
aims % able-bodled men, Anyone
asking the price Of meal could be
referred 10 the place where work
could be had for the asking.
There are also desert lands 70
curing only irrigation Ia make
tbar,, uradurffve and idle men could