Evening star., 1931-12-16
Word ''Dole" Declared
Misused and Abused
TO the Editor Of The Star:

~ INC EultOf OF Inc StaT.
May call your readers attention to
much used, misused and abused word,
dole. And this much used word is
! used by no less authority than the
President OF the United States. He is
opposed to giving dole" to our un-
employed workers-with whom we all
agree. But is that not the very thing
that he is advocating in the Community
Chest and Red Cross and similar or
ganlzations? The Community Chest,
Tor example, is not primarily to pro-
vide for the unemployed as We now use
the word. 1t is an organization to take
care OF the unfortunate and depend
ents you find in city of any size at all
times and Is needed in the ordinary
and everyday life of our people. 1t
would be needed if the present depres-
sion did not exist. 1t did not come
into being to meet the present emer-
gency and will exist after it has dis
appeared. The purpose of the Red
cross with It's long and honorable his
tory is SO we'll known that it would
be useless to tell of its mission-the
angel of mercy in war, epidemic, earth
quake, flood and ad infinitum. Now
our President is a stanch supporter of
these and other charitable organiza-
tons and rightly SO, for we always have
persons and situations that must de-
pend upon them for aid. These or
carnations in sense administer dole"
OF charlty. A glance at the word in
any standard dictionary will bear out
tnls oehnltlon of dole. And in a sense,
II Is dole" when given by individuals
Tor aid to the destitute and unem-
ployed through voluntary contribu-
tlons. as you stated in your editorial
IN the December IL issue of The Star as
explanatory of the Presidents attitude
toward the unemployed.
say, from my point Of view, that
this Kind of aid is not satisfactory nor
adequate to relieve the present economic
conoltlon OF our country and put the
millions OF unemployed back to work
and relieve those who are able and will
Ing to give from having to hand out
dole to their fellow citizens. l further
state, II something is not done by the
feceral Government to provide per-
manent employment for the millions Of
our reputable and deserving people, who
nave reached the limit of their credit
ana many of them becoming thoroughly
discouraged and completely downheart-
ca tnat the irritating appeals to the
puollc muCt continue and the gifts re-
celVed doled out to the humiliation of
the self-respecting unemployed.
for us to stand by and say there are
better times ahead indefinitely ahead,
When so many are losing their homes,
representing the savings and sacrifices
OF years, is poor consolation And that
Is just what we are doing by delaying
the means Of livelihood from these un-
empioyed and their homes and savings
are sipping away simply because we are
inactive or unwilling to assume the re-
sponslnlllty OF devising ways and means
oy winch they may be permanently en-
Let Congress, If short on ideas and
suggestions, call on the public and
tney VIII be flooded by plans some of
lhem. at least feasible and workable,
and things will be going so smoothly
that we will in the near future forget
about the present panic. But is is not
loeas and plans, etc. that Congress
needs, but courage to face the present
word situation and provide for 1t in
tne light Of twentieth century ad-
vance IN machinery, in mass produc-
tion IN distribution of products, trans
portation OF products to the consumer
aHo the consumer employed so he may
ouv, etc. There are so many ways by
Wnlch this may be done that it would
De superhuous If not presumptuous in
me to hint at any Of them But with
all the earnestness of my soul and
emphasis Of by being, do want to see
the hungry fed, the naked clothed, the
homeless housed and contentment
relgning throughout our land. and
steady work for all is the surest road
to that goal!
REV w. j. HUBBARD.