El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-06-06
EVERY STATE OUGHT TO HAVE
A LAW TO MAKE OILERS WORK

EVERY state ought to have antioafing law like that
IL of New York in order to force every not actual
invalid into some useful employment during the period OF
the Too many strong men are 1dng about the towns
waiting fright job up and refusing IN the
meantime engage IN work which needs to be done but
which them is unoongenal We have them here IN FL
Paso and there are plenty IN other places also.
that IN places there is shortage OF en-
ployment available than there Is work for them
do But in Of other places there IS pressing need
for labor generally manual labor, and it would be to the
benefit Of industry If there law in each state which
would force to 60 elsewhere and hunt work II he
could find it in his own locality
It is economic waste to import Mexican labor Tor
farms in the vicinity Of Fresno, Phoenix Fort Worts
there plenty Of able bodied American dlers IN
those towns cultivate and harvest the crops 1t Is the
experience Of farmers that there generally quite enough
unemployed men the towns to do the farm work but they
usually unwilling TO take that employment; Or after
taking it, ask for their time after Gay or two, declaring
hard the hot Being normally city
dweers they unausOmed to manual labor and refuse
remain work long enough to become physically hard
ened to It. Or else the attractions Of the town such
that they dislike the quietude Of the country They VIII
do the work they needed for unless legal oompu
sion Is applied 1t ought to be applied IN order to make
productive the non productive men Of the towns and IN
order to do away with the importation of foreign labor when
tie local labor material would be sufficient
In New York, It IS not only the park bench occupant
and the courtroom oaer and pool ider who must
10 work the who has enough money that he
doesn't need TO work IN order to live Wealth makes
difference If John D. Rockefeller IT, young and strong
nan that he Is engaged IN useful work. he would
be amenabe under the New York law and 1t would be
applied II been 70 many dnOLneE wealthy
Young man OF the state would have to get job Of
some kind perhaps not farm but in useful occu
patton.
The town oafers need Investigation anyhow general
principles The police Of Tucson, aided by the Hundred
Percent American club, whose members formed posse
coitaus rounded up 1900 young IN pool halls room
ing houses beer saloons and such places They were
men apparently within the draft age who were unable
10 show registration cards and It Immediately became their
task to show whether they within the military age
whether If So they had registration cards, and II not why
not It seems certain that large number Of these men
viii soon be in military service Leavenworth as de-
erers for the Tucson local board began consideration Of
their cases Immediately.
The arrest Of these virtually emptied the pool halls
and other places where unemployed wont TO con-
gregae They ought be kept empted, within reason
able hours Of labor by the application Of law forcing men
10 work Such a law should be created by the Arzona
legislature in its present special session measure
which It truly would be- and every other state should have
enc also A few Of them have. New York IS not the
only one
The announcement Of the provost marshal general that
men within the draft age must place themselves IN useful
occupations by July good far It goes It falls
short in that provost marshal generals authority ends
with men within the draft age Except where states have
passed autiloafIng bills there Of compelling
men over the draft age work There TO be
sure vagrancy ordinances most cities and towns, but
they are often loosely and the practice is not to
proceed against any who show he has enough
money for his living expenses unless the police suspect him
of rminaty such theving, begging or procuring los
houses of III fame What is needed law which takes
no account Of the money may have-and strong
public sentiment favor Of making every non-orker work