Evening star., 1921-09-21
Editorial Digest
Dramatizing Unemployment.

Dramatizing Unemployment. >
Perhaps such "dramatizing Of hui
man misery" as has been staged in
the Boston slave auctions of un-
employed men has in it all the ele-
raents of insincerity and futility
which editorial writer's who con-
denim the spectacle attribute to 1t.
Yet there are more editors who. even
admitting this possibility. still feel
that the demonstration has been
worth while as forceful means of
awakening a realization of a serious
condition than there are those who
denounce it utterly.
The "sob auction" as the Grand
| Rapids Press independently calls it.
a way must be found to give men
work, but was, rather. the Sioux
City Journal (republican) finds. IAN
| unjust arraignment of the unem-
ployment situation" and "a mockery
Of an unfortunate situation" The
! New Bedford (Mass.) Standard (re-
contributed nothing whatever to the
solution of the problem" and. fur
ther. 1t lodges an Indictment against
the philosophy which 1t believes
prompted the demonstration.
THE implication" it says, "is that
society, or the dominant part of it,
for some wicked purpose of it's own,
has knowingly and deliberately
brought about business depression
and unemployment, and that If the
public gaze in some dramatic man
ner the same society will be shamed
into lifting the ban and getting ev-
erybody' back to work"
This is. of course" it adds, "a
fallacious view" since. as the New
explains. there is not an employer
of labor who is not anxious to start
again on full time with full physical
strength for the very simple reason
that under existing conditions his
coseG aGur oss
the Bay City Times s-Tribune (inde-
pendent) maintains, "are not the re-
suit of a conspiracy against labor"
hence "the whole thing smacks of
insincerity."
While such demonstrations "are
spectacular, dramatic and all that
the trouble, as, the Philadelphia Pub
lie Ledger independently sees it, "is
that they get nowhere and accom-
piish nothing except to make an evil
matter more evil" and that sort of
indecency" hurts rather than helps
There are some ways Of advertising
and some forms of propaganda that
do immeasurable harm TO those In
whose supposed interest they are in
voked,' and the Memphis CONNER
cial-Appeal (democratic) feels that
the labor auctioneers are engaged In
just such an undertaking."
Another element in the affair to
which a number of papers point is
that, as the Jersey City Journal Gn-
ldependenD remarks, in discussion OF
the unemployment situation, "a lot OF
maudlin sympathy has been wasted
on mere idlers" and. unfortunately,
idlers are just the type of men who.
in the main. would fit in nicely with
this groteSque slave market idea.
The Buffalo Express independent re-
publican) also suggests that some of
the unemployed have sunk to the
level of panhandlerS' and the Brook
lyn Eagle independent democratic)
suspects that part of the condition
at least exists because the idle do
not want to work" In answer to
this attitude, however. the New
York Times independent democratic)
quotes an official of the ex-service
mems bureau. an organization acting
as an employment agency. thus:
when any one tells you that these
men are too lazy to work tell him he
lies There are boys sleeping in
Bryant Park who have the croix de
guerre and the distinguished service
cross. We have bankers. lawyers.
doctors, engineers. who represent the
highest type of American manhood.
coming to US with starvation staring
them in the face
This situation, the Times holds,
presents plight that lis far too
serious to be subjected to such
methods" as those resorted to in
Boston.
But many great movements have
had small beginnings in Boston Com
mon." the Arizona Republican Phoe-
nix, Independent progressively recalls,
and while cold and unattractive sta
tistics relating to unemployment" and
daily stories of bread lines" are
"oniy incidents in the mill-run of
news" the sale of labor at auction
is impressive and compelling" What
ever one may think of the taste"
displayed in this spectacular method
of advertising" the Sioux City Tri-
bsne Independently thinks we can.
not quarrel with it's effectiveness"
since it has. the Scranton Times
(democratic) finds, "helped greatly to
stir up interest in the problem now
confronting the nation and. the
Wichita (Tex.) Times (democraticl
adds, has awakened US "to the need
for meeting what can readily become
an acute and distressing condition"
"a clever bit of acting or dra-
matte climax brought about by grim
circumstances" says the Norfolk
Virginian-Pilot independent demo-
cratic), "can get greater reaction
than the most convincing logic" and
the scene in Boston has aroused
sympathy where reason would have
failed" Granting that this propa-
ganda on historic Boston Common is
"the trick of Snowman" the Pitts
burgh Leader progressive republf-
CAM still believes that ut will do
some good" because it "is a symptom
Of economic disease that must quick
ly have it's remedy or even more SEN
sational evidences of the malady'' will
follow.
Secret Diplomacy.