Evening star., 1921-10-12
Editorial Digest
Emergency Relief for the Idle.

6SASS @sSAA0l 4UI WIG 404Cs
Although the Chicago News dnde-
pendenD declares that the unem-
pioyment conference Is attacking in
"a masterly manner" the problems 1t
was called to deal with, most papers
regard the emergency recommends
tons 30 far made, particularly the
appeal to governors and mayors to
meet the situation locally, as merely
passing the buck" A few writer's
think the problem is local one,
which the communitx should treat,
but that Is decidedly a Itninofity view.
The majority opinion holds that an
employment is the result of the con-
ditton OF industry Throughout the
country, which local palliatives can
not anect. and which will respond
only to vital readjustments. The con-
ierence's recommendation for price
reductions as measure Of relief
OF editors, but 1t, too, is open to the
objection that it leaves fundamentals
untouched.
|. In appealing to local authorities to
take the necessary steps toward un-
employment relief. the Atlantic City
= AocO SthuS1pcuUcutl InJuhS 1IeSl.
dent but repeats the first principle
OF American life, reliance upon local
initiative and obligation" Local ac-
tton, says the Minneapolis Journal
independent republican,, will in the
nature OF things be only relief, but 1t
has the virtue of being concrete and
rnents, road building. cooperation Of
employers and employees, free. en-
p1oyment agencies and work so dis
tributed that all may have some, are
measures that can be carried out To-
cally better than by the federal gov
ernment"
This scheme of making the finding
of jobs for the idle a local duty may
be the correct answer to the problem"
the Pittsburgh Leader progressive
republican, rather doubtfully admits;
In any event, 1t adds. certainly 1t Is
an obligation that belongs some
Johnstown Democrat tdemocratic).
considering the stuff most Of the
mayors Of the country are made Of"
the conference made q pretty bad
start The Schenectady Gazette demo
cratic) considers It improbable that
many cities "have attempted to es-
cape the problem Of furnishing the
Of work." and in thus placing the
burden on cities, which have already
acted in various ways" the Gazette
feels that President Harding has
given a good example of lodging re-
sponsibility."
Furthermore. the Great Falls
{Mont) Tribune (democratic)- feels
that the suggestion to mayors and
governors to undertake public I'M
provements on q large scale is for
the most part futile" since that
mean means raising more ORE mS1ey 70 70 t%.se Puse
governmental bodies are scratching
every corner of their present incomes
to pay their present debts.
The conference has merely passed
the problem on to the the, cities ties isna ana
cialist) interprets its recommends.
tion, and IL that rs the best it can
offer" the Chicago Journal (demo-
cratic) thinks it would better ad.
journ at once: Industry is is not not
York Globe (independen) observes.
and the administration cannot wash
its hands of responsibility for the
unemployed by piously asking the
states and cities to carry the full
load" !.
From the standpoint Of the Brook
lyn Eagle Gndependent demooratic)
the conference has overlooked most
of the essentials Of the problem.
Mayors and local committees. 1t
declares, cannot create World mar.
kets for us. and until we get back
our world markets we will have
widespread unemployment" The re-
covery of business, the st. Paul Pio-
neer Press independently believes.
depends largely upon national ac-
tfon. upon the removal by Congress
ness expansion" and SO far as the
unemployment conference is concern
ed the New York World (democratic)
feels that Congress is left as free as
ever to dawdle and do nothing to re-
lieve industry from the crushing
burdens of war taxation &nd enable It
to revive and give work to the un-
employed"
tween producers and consumers
costs and the idleness of people who
want to work." the Indianapolis News
independently believes that the
situation now waits for prices to
come within the financial possibili-
ties Of consumers" All that the con:
ference has achieved is a Superficial
treatment" in the opinion OF the
Philadelphia Bulletin dndependent
republican,. which had hoped that
In this getting together Of repre-
cient clear-headed. unbiased and
courageous thinking to face the one
great tangle and clear 1t up" In
stead, we have f'soup-kitchen plans
for 1adling out jobs and ratiopihE
schemes to make limited amount OF
work to go round" which are "inade-
quate treatment even for an emer-
gency."