The Washington times., 1932-10-31
A Banker ellis

pie new believe in charity drives Or let me put it
this wav that Mr. Gibson said something which is true
and has not been openly said before. 10 me 1t was
thousand times important than nlnetenthS OF ne
campaign speeches have heard and read; Tor Mr. Glo-
son spoke in his two capacities banker who might
he called on to lend money to the city of New York and
as the head of the Emergency Unemployment Relief
nance and charity in singuarly Illuminating way
Briefly he said that credit to city is not deter
mined by the bankers but by public opinion which may
be So then that when the credit of city undermined
the city must cut it's expenditures in order to restore
confidence; and, finally, that New York CITY, compelled
to make these budgetary slashes cannot appropriate
enough money for its destitute and, therefore,
the private citizens must give generously.
In Other Words
Turn these statements over their side and you
read: Charity is necessary to bolster up the credit OF
the city, ety. cmai m credf rs s 10
but the fact is that if the citizens $3OOOOOOO for
relief, and the city was not compelled to spend cent,
the credit of the city would be enhanced)
In the great charity drive of 1931you remember the
appeas-it was made clear that by giving freely we
could fight down the most destructive element in the
depression and pave the way for good times.
vnced that the economics of the argument totally
false, but the important thing that were asked
to give not moral Christian duty but economic
obligation Charity ten the free benev
Oence of the prosperous to the miss in the industrial
scheme charity today is the compulsory payment of
the keep alive not the misft but the fttes in the
industrial scheme. The difference is profound and
ought not to underestimate its far-reaching effects
Social "Musts'
When | say Compulsory do not mean that law
has been passed; that social pressure is being
brought to bear and that every who has job
income feels the necessity of giving whether he wants
to not The economic system which made rich
and great many comfortable has left number of u.s.
quite a large number, at work; and being told
plainly that if the system is to survive must give
in order to keep the others exactly work. but alive
think that 1881 low point, because in that year
unemployment relief" which year before had meant
getting jobs began to only shelter and food and
clothes; Government kept talking about Federal
projects for giving jobs but in the end the Pres
dent had to confess that the total number who could pos
sby be engaged would not matter they wouldn't in fact
the number of jobless ones. Otherwise all
the old emphasis getting jobs forgotten
In the Open
Because things are beginning to grow better (and
should continue owing to forces set in motion which are
quite Independent of potcs) next years charity drive
will again embrace getting jobs in the program of relief
think it is extremely important then that the charity
drives should be frank and open and that the connection
between economics and benevoence should be explicit
For three years ago when gave $40 we imagined that
in IL months the unemployed would be back on the Job
now when we give $5 SIS have to face the
fact that we will have to give again next year; we
will not be rid of unemployment overnight 1t should
be easier to give because money will be circulating
since Initiation has set in and it will make us feel big
and and strong to help those who have gone
under But we ought to know exactly what we are doing
and why doing it,
n