Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1915-02-04
EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT BILL
First Bill of its Kind to Come Before
Amy Legislature in the Country.

ure providing emergency employ
want to work, measure that will do
vast amount of good in Idaho
that if enacted into law will bring to
Idaho the distinction of spreading
the first one of its kind on the stat
ute books of any state in the union.
Since he introduced the bill in the
senate he has been showered with
letters from all parts of the state.
approving it and volunteering sup
port in its behalf Speaking of the
bill. Senator Bowman last night ex-
planned the purposes it seeks to ac-
complish. He said:
1T may be that Idaho will be the
first state in the union TO guarantee
TO every man who wants to work and
needs to work the opportunity to
work and by that simple process
solve the unemployed problem.
Given the assured opportunity to
work, the cant works may very cas-
lily be separated from the won't
works and the state will be an I'M
healthy place for the man who from
choice is a professional 'pan-hand-
Ter
Under the provisions of this act
county commissioners are to declare
emergency employment and idle men
who appear before the clerk of the
rH of sci
be assigned to work on the public
highways, or as the bill says: Ito
other work as the county commits
sioners shall determine This gives
the county commissioners latitude in
the declaring of emergency employ
ment and under that provision they
would be empowered to employ men
in stone quaries, on rock crushers,
or any other kind of work which is
for the purpose of public improve
ment
ITO secure emergency employ
ment, if this bill becomes a law, a
man will have to make oath to the
following statements:
THAT he is citizen of the United
States; that he has been a resident
OF the state of Idaho for six months
last past; that he is a resident of the
county in which application is made !;
that he is unable to secure other en-
ployment; that he does not own or
possess more than $1,000 worth of
real and personal property combined {;
that he has or has not been employ
ed at emergency employment within
the state of Idaho for II months
last past; and that he will perform
the labor to which he may be assign
ed with due and reasonable diligence
ner.
The provision requiring ak
months residence within the state of
Idaho is calculated to prevent the
dumping onto the state OF the I'M
employed from neighboring states
and at the same time shut out the
professional fioater.
While the six months residence
provision prevents other states from
dumping their idle labor onto Idaho
the clause which permits a man who
may have limited amount of per
sonal or real property to be eligible
to emergency employment, lets in
the new homesteader who has gone
onto piece of raw land with only
enough perhaps to buy a scrub team
and build shack, but who is willing
TO bet his time and labor that he can
make farm out of his entry to come
in under the benefits of the measure
This would no doubt mean that
hundreds of such homesteaders who
manage to raise enough vegetables
and little grain hay for their team
during the first year or two and find
themselves up against a long hard
winter with no money for -four and
sugar and bacon or few clothes for
their wives and babies to honorably
earn enough to tide them over. Most
or these people, from the nature OF
their location, are where work is
scarce and they would probably be
the largest beneficiaries from emer.
gency employment law if it is en-
acted.
The fact that il a man should
reach a condition on a homestead
where he was up against it he could
be sure of work enough to carry him
through would no doubt be a power
ful inducement to many wage earn
ers who could scarcely scrape togeth.
er enough perhaps to make start on
homestead to do so knowing that
they could pull through and the au.
thor or the bill believes that nothing
would stimulate the movement to
take up government land and build
homes so much as this guarantee.
THE bill provides for a fifty per.
cent split of the expenditures for