The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1908-04-10
MANY OUT OF WORK /.
THE LABOR CONDITIONS ARE
MOST DISTRESSING.
Iho"snnds OF Wage Earners Are
Thrown Out OF Employment nv
Distressed Industrial Condition.

N.
"A Washington Dispatch says the
most serious problem now confront
Ing the country is the unprecedented
number OF idle work people in every
city Of any considerable size tbrou..h-
Out 'he land. In New YORK alone.
according to the latest statistics
nearly 100000 are without emplov-
iiieiiI ana with no visible means of
support except what comes through n
precarious sort OF charity.
or this number over 100000 are
reported as belonging l., ,hc yario,s
iabor organizations, the rest being
lionuhlon work people. The condi-
.loh OF tho laboring class is almost
not quite, as bad in Chicago
Not city, in fact, either in the
Northern or Central Western states
is exempt from this anomalous state
OF thlngs. Even in the extreme
southwest there is a surplus Of un-
employed labor.
EltortS have been made to relieve
the city Of New York Of its congested
idle working people, but so far all
ehorts have proven futile Recently
lhe editor of the Christian Herald
sent letters to the governors of over
twenty states inquiring if it would
ne possible to replace unskilled with
skilled labor, and saying that he
could supply two thousand skilled
iaborers at a moments notice With
out single exception, the governors
replied TO his letters to the effect
that their states have moro idle work
ing people OF their own than they
could provide with employment.
The situation is frightful, and con-
sldcring the enormous crops made
last year and the vast wealth OF the
Tountry. ii is strangely anomalous.
Added to this general impression in
the business world, by which mil
lion and half of work people have
been thrown out of employment, is
the fact that the cost OF living has
not decfoassd Ito amy appnaoiable pXf
tent. Such condition of things
would seem to be prophetic OF a reign
Of terror.
No work and hunger that cannot
be appcased by honest toll make pco-
pie desperate They are ripe for re-
volution Of for anything that will
keep the wolf Of starvation from their
doors And yet nothing is being
done to relieve the situation. The
thouhlc is, what can be done? All
that we can say is that 'tis pity the
innocent h ave TO suffer for the wrong
doing Of the guilty.
business heretofore conducted i'm
properly, if not dishonesty. in its
return TO honest channels of OUTPUT
and trade has left these unemployed
stranded and with nothing to stave
OF starvation. They are the suffer
crs, II OF those who by devious and
dishonest methods were responsible
for the panic that has wrought such
widespread ruin
The South, being an agricultural
country, is fortunately exempt in a
large measure from this dreadful con
dition OF labor glut. although in the
larger cities We have more uncmploy-
ed p coplc that they care to see 1t is
possible that the farmers Of the
South. who at this time of the year
need help. could relieve to some cX-
tent the congestion in other sections
of the country But the greatest diff
ticnlty in the way would be the fact
that the great majority Of the unem-
ploycd are artisans Of one calling o.
another and know probably nothing
about farm work