Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-03-30
THE PROBLEM OF
THE UNEMPLOYED
Good Fellows Work Furnish Only
Temporary Relief Something
More Needed.

The Good Fellow work which has
been done in this city during the
past winter, and which is still be-
ing done, has not solved the problem
at all. 1t has been in feeble way
an attempt to relieve distress of a
temporary nature and to supply the
wants of the poor right when they
need them. The same thing may be
said of the work of charitable ma
ture which is done in this city ev-
cry year, by associations, lodges,
churches, etc. They apply tempor-
ary remedy. to the wound without
going to the seat of the trouble and
attempting to eradicate the root OF
the whole matter. It is possible that
no remedy may ever be found where
by the poor may be assisted to help
themselves while we have admins
trations of such short terms. 1t has
been declared impossible to attempt
any real reform while city admins
trations are merely kindergartens Of
real insight into what city needs.
AS soon as an administration begins
to see the light, their time is up and
another force takes the reins and
just as they are beginning to avoid
pitfalls and learn how to drive, they
must give place to the next, and so
on.
The only way to handle the ques-
ton of the city poor is to provide
employment for them--worthy and
unworthy alike-and insist that
they do days labor before they re-
ceive days pay. If they refuse to
work, as so many have in this city
during the past winter, then bread
and water diet should not be pro-
hibited by, law-Tbut provided in
such cases, until they come to it. \
The doing out of groceries, when
value has not been received, takes
away the personal sense of honor, if
there is any in the first place; if
there is none, then that spirit must
be introduced.
The workhouse is the problem
solver in Europe. 1t has not been
successfully carried out in England.
but in some other countries, it has,
A municipal workhouse in Webster
City would provide for the unem-
ployed, or lazy, as the case may be-,
and an appeal for help would result
in days work at the workhouse, to
which would be attached no dishont
or, and living wages could be paid. A
law would first have to be enacted
whereby a city could have the right
to provide a fund for the establish
ment, on even ever so small scale,
of municipal factory or work.
house. An old building on Seneca
street could be rented and several
employments provided under cover,
with an overseer who could receive
compensation from a city fund. Sew
eral kinds of employment could be
provided, for various degrees of ef-
ficiency. The making of tubs, bar
rels, brooms, scrubbing brushes, mop
sticks, etc., do not require expensive
machinery to install and the articles
made could be sold and the money
returned to the city treasurer. There
are occupations of a rough, prepara-
tory nature, that an unskilled man
could do, and enough of these could
be provided by the city.
1t is true that the establishment
would probably not pay for itself
for year or two. Most questions
of reform require years to work out
to any degree of perfection. But it
would give the shiftless poor an op-
portunity-force upon them an op-
ortunity-whereby they would
have to earn their daily bread. 1t is
never realized by any except those
who come in close contact with this
class, how many there are who will
not do days work as long as they
and their family can be fed for moth
ing. AS long as the threadbare ex-
cuse of sickness, or mot able to find
work. will hold out, they use it.
Every year hundreds of dollars
through various channels go out tc
support the lazy, shiftless class in
this city who never have meal
ahead. 1t is these and the ones who
wish to work, but are temporarily
out of employment, that would bene
fit by such an arrangement.
FOR SALE-potatoes, pure Rura
W I~1 To