The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1921-11-03

nrertv had state of affairs when 4,OoO''
OOO American citizens are minus
nav check each week, each hal1'mohth'
or each month. The conference on
unemployment, which has been ho'd-
ing sessions in Washington, has 1ould
that it is hard to get SPECIFIC data
concerning the wOrkmen's conditions
throughout the country, The mem
bers have had to give due thought TO
eXaggeration and also to under-state-
mpnt. 1t can be said that the mem
bers of the conference have bent their
energies to the work in hand and that
they have been sincere In their efforts
to find remedies.
A great many things have been sug-
gcSted as Il means Of meeting the bad
situation Of affairs. One was that the
members Of the various business or
CARNATIONS in the country should each
try to give one man JOB. This
sounds well, but when proposition
like this is put up to individuals all OF
them will promise to act, some of them
will act, some Of them will forget to
act. and a few of them will pay little
or no attention to the matter.
Won't Work in Practice.
In one organization of business men,
travelling men for large part, there
are 10000 members. There are about
as many members in each of two or
three other organizations. Now sup
posing that 100000 men should secure
work for 100000 other men. inns
would be mighty good thing, OF
course, but it would leave a great ma
iority of Workmen still voorhees,.
Another trouble with this plan IS
that it seldom has worked successful
.ly in other lines of endeavor. Greaf
fraternal organizations have found
that the plan to secure new members
by asking each active member to get
| one man to come in has not always
worked successfully. In fact, in some
cases, if one man in fifty secured
new member the organization thought
1t was doing pretty well.
1t seems possible that as result
Of the conference on unemployment
the government may adopt some
means Of putting men to work. Or
course there will be intense opposition
to this course in good many places.
A large part Of the American public
does not like what it calls paternaism
in government, and the plan, many
men say, to start men to work on pub
lie construction is paternalism in its
strongest form. even If it is an uncle,
Samuel by name, instead Of a parent
who is to supply the work for the I'm.
employed.
Another Plan Objected To.
One of the plans suggested is that
when there is period Of unemploy'
ment the government shall start LOT
of work deemed to be necessary and
shall employ the voorhees, TO do it.
Then it is suggested that when times
are better and there is plenty Of pri'
vate work to do, the government shall
cease operations, and the men shall
be turned back into the private labor
field.
There is one argument advanced
against this plan which seemingly has
as much weight with some men here
as the paternalism plea. This is that
If the government starts work on GER
tain projects 1t may be dangerous to
stop it while it is in course of con.
struction. Half-finished work, it is
urged, may have to be done over
again if this plan is sanctioned.
It has been found that in the city of
Washington, which means, Of course,
the District of Columbia, there is less
unemployment than in any place Of
like population elsewhere. It is true
that a great many workers were dis.
charged here when the war work
stopped, but it is said that large
part of the discharged ones have
found work elsewhere, while a cOnsid.
cradle number have succeeded in get.
ting employment here. The fact that
something like 10000 visitors are ex-
| pected in Washington in November,
has opened new avenues Of employ
ment.
:; Thousands upon thousands of work.
ers in this town have Uncle Sam for
their paymaster. He pays twice a
month. The money is constantly in
circulation, and so far as outward ap.
pearance is concerned, there never
seems to be stringency in the money
market. There probably are more
banks in Washington In proportion to
the population than in any other city
in the country.
Diplomatic Bob.