The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-09-18
! DOC SHEALAYS
| PLANS BEFORE
/ CABINET CHIEF
Tells Secretary Davis That Stu
alton In Washington IL
.r.-. Desperate"
OPERATES A SMALL SHOP
Supplies Work and Lodging
Place for Applicants Who
Are Worthy.

hobo camp" for the unemployed?
The matter has been taken up
by Secretary Of Labor Davis, who
u said to be heartily in favor of the
/ idea, as a means Of affording relief
10 numbers Of men in this city who
cannot find employment Of any sort
and who are absolutely destitute.
There, Is at present no place In
. the city where q man who has not
. nickel can get a bite to eat.
In q singie-handed effort to a1lay
some of the suffering here doc"
L. #. Shea, secretary Of the local
branch Of the Hoboes' Union and Of
the International Brotherhood Wei.
fare Association. has opened a little
basement workshop at S17 Sixth
street northwest. just across the
street from the Police Court build
ing.
Earning Their Food.
In this shop several Of the unem.
pioyed men, through their joint ef
forts, can make enough to keep
themselves in food. They sleep on
the floor. They do all sorts OF odd
jobs--repairing furniture. making
mattresses for collins. weaving and
repairing baskets-anything that
turns up. One man will do an odd
-
chunk Of meat. Another will repair
a srocer's chair in return for a few
"spuds." Another will come back
with q loaf of bread. From these
they make their meal.
The little shop has proved a God
send for q number Of men, who
came to this city absolutely lat the
end Of their string"
One man, formerly q well-todo
Mississippi citizen-weil educated, a
Mason and member of other fraternal
ment here and not knowing Of the
workshop took his own life during
the past week rather than suffer
longer the pangs Of hunger and
humiliation.
DOC" Shea's Career.
And now for the man who is doing
this humanitarian work.
"Doc," a. he 70 known to hoboes
all over the country, has led varied
and colorful career. He himself comes
Of q good family and 10 well educated
end q natural-born orator. His son IL
now q major in the United States
army, having risen from the rank of
private
Several times DOC" has held re-
sponsible and high-salaried positions,
resigning each time because he dis
covered rank injustice in the system,
or because he felt that tho business
was not fair and square"
He IL a veteran of the Spanish
American war. He has led the life of
q professional hobo SO that he could
deal with the problem of the hobo
understandingly. He served q prison
term in the stead Of a man with a
starving family to support. and who
had resorted to theft as q last des-
perate measure.
Coming to Washington four years
ago, he went into a thorough study
of conditions here with a view OF rem
edying them as far as possible. He
found them very bad.
Studies Local Conditions.
He first went to the United States
Soldiers Home, where he secured q
position as an orderly. Ito see how
his old buddies were being treated"
Then he studied conditions at the
District Jail and in the courts. the
District laws, and the District police
department.
Asked by local detective what his
business was, he replied. My bust
ness 10 keeping men out OF jail"
And that has been his goal during
"I try to find honorable work for
the worthy man who can't find any
thing to do. II can take a poor |
chap, without q penny In his pocket |
and with the clothes he wears as his |
only worldly possessions and start him |
on the road to a clean, decent life |
on o good Job that is all I can ask
OF the world. That makes me feel |
that my life has been worth some |
"The hobo, you know, 10 a migra- |
tory worker, not q loafer or q pan |
handler. The word hobo came orr |
FINALLY from 'hoe-boy''-the boy who |
used to 20 from farm to farm, hoeing |
and doing odd jobs. He Is the man |
who takes care Of the short job which |
no one else has time to handle. He |
ing dishonorable about the hobo. He |
10 good workman. But In times like |
these he 10 often in desperate want. |
There are no jobs Of the sort he de- |
ponds on. What is he to do?
Shea's Basement Shop.
The little basement shop Of DOC"
shea's II ono of the really inter-
esting places in the city. On the
outside wall, down In the areaway,
10 modest sign, DIR. Shea, Furni-
ture Physician"
Any piece or furniture that 10 re- |
deemable at all can secure expert
treatment here. The repairs are
made from bits Of broken boxes, old
hay bale wire. odds and ends of all |
sorts. but the work IL thorough-go- |
ing, neat and strong.
doc" Shea, during the week, called |
upon Secretary Davis to urge the |
unemployment camp" establishment. |
The camp, he explained, would serve |
merely a. Q Workshop on q larger |
scale and would give the unemployed |
men an opportunity to get together |
and exchange ideas.
Such q camp, he said, could be made |
seif-supportinG and would at the same |
time give the men an opportunity TO
make q little money and might lead to |
their securing permanent employ
ment.
The Secretary. doc declared. was
niehiy pleased with the idea and
pronnised TO do what he could to bring J
shout its sstabiishmsnt $50