The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-09-01
MEETING
OF The Unemployed In City
Of Washington
Not Since COXey'S Famous
March
Has There Been Such A
Gathering

Washington, d. c.. August 31-The
balance of the migratory population
Of the United States has become much
disturbed during the last few weeks
and slowly and persistently it's cen.
ter has moved in the direction to.
ward at the national capital. Thanks
to the favorable weather conditions
walking was good on the roads leading
to Washington and this fact, COM
bined with the good humor and charit-
able disposition of the farmers, look.
ing forward to bumper crops, enabled
the thousands of self-constituted dele.
gates o the big convention of the
brotherhood of the Unemployed"
which will open it's sessions here to-
morrow, to travel in comparative com.
fort. Many. of the delegates" who
were too tired to walk or wished to
study railroad conditions, travelled by
rail, as the unlimited guests of the
various railroad companies and every
freight train arriving in the District
of Columbia brought it's contingent of
delegates.
Not since General" Coxey led his
army of unemployed to the national
capital years ago has there been such
gathering of this particular brand of
men in Washington as is promised
for the first TOUR days of September,
during which time the convention will
be in session. The delegates who have
already arrived or who are still on the
way to this city in answer to the call
issued by James Eads How of St.
Louis, known throughout the country
as the millionaire hobo, are by no
means sll tramps. There are great
many among them who really want to
work, but are at present unemployed.
James Eads How, who is called the
chairman of the national committee
of the unemployed, Is a humanitarian
with strong sympathies for the under
dog Although his ideas and schemes
for the betterment of the existence of
fortunes neglected step-children are,
in many respects, visionary and utop-
ian, they have their practical and un-
questionably serious aspects.
Chairman How takes himself and
the movement at the head of which
he stands, it's methods and it's aim
with perfect seriousness. The national
gathering, which will be formally op-
ened tomorrow, is intended by him
not only as a demonstration against
existing labor conditions and economic
faults of the industrial systems of the
United States, but as a means for rem.
edying these faulty conditions. Vice
| Presid ont Sherman and a number of
| United States senators and members
of the House of Representatives of
Congress have been invited to attend
the sessions OF the convention and to
deliver addresses bearing upon the
subjects to be considered by the gath.
ering.
| According to the plans of the or.
ganizers of the movement an effort
Will be made to strengthen the organi
zation of the unemployed so as to give
greater weight to their demands. II
is expected that the convention will
pass series of resolutions demand
ing that Congress pass, without delay
number of laws. Among the meas
ures to be demanded will be laws for
the establishment of national employ
ment bureaus, free transportation to
the job: the shortening of the worl;
ing hours; the establishment of q
minimum wage, in order that the lives
OF the millions of the unemployed
may he sustained until the establish
ment of the industrial republic, in
which all workers will receive the full
product Of their toll"
Although the majority OF the dele
gates attending the gathering are men
there are also few women among the
ranks OF the unemployed. Cora ID
Harvey of Chicago. known throughout
the West as a slums and settlement
worker, is the secretary of the national
committee of the unemployed and
Josephine Welston of Milwaukee is a
prominent member of the same com
mittee. Both are expected to deliver
addresses before the convention.
-sf.--
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