Evening star., 1937-04-04
CITIZENS GATHER
TODAY T0DEMAND
RELIEF PROGRAM
Provision to Be Sought for
10000 in Capitals mo
Mans Land"
MASS MEETING CALLED
BY COMMITTEE OF rs
Hope for Statement From City
Heads Dissipated by Hazen
Statement.
Aroused by official shifting of re-

Aroused by Ofnclal Shlftlng OF re-
sponsibility for the plight of 10000
persons in Washington's mo mans
land" of relief, citizens of Washing
ton will assemble in mass meeting at
the First Congregational Church,
Tenth and G streets, at 4:30 pm.
today to demand program which
will alleviate distress among unem-
ployed 'employables."
Hopes that a definite statement
from the District Commissioners could
be laid before the meeting in response
to charges by the Council of Social
Agencies that blame for the city's
relief emergency had been placed on
them by the Budget Bureau, were dis
sipated when Commissioner Melvin C.
HaZen announced yesterday that no
action on the subject would be taken
until Tuesday.
The Citizens Mass Meeting in
Behalf Of the Unemployed" was called
by The Committee of Twenty-Five" in
response to public sentiment aroused
by impartial and unbiased investiga-
ton of suffering among the citys 5000
unemployed "employables" and their
families.
These unemployed wage earners are
denied direct relief because they are
"employable" and they are denied en-
ployment with the District w. P A.
because their names are rot on direct
relief rolls.
Jennings to Preside.
Coleman Jennings, prominent lay
social worker and chairman Of the
Committee of Twenty-Five, will pre-
side at today's mass meeting and out
line the purpose for which it was
called.
Rev. Anson Phelps Stokes, canon of
Washington Cathedral, will present
"the facts Of the situation His talk
will be followed by Help Wanted
stories of the plight Of the unemployed
by Maj. Campbal c. Johnson, exec
utive secretary Of the Twelfth Street
Branch of the Y. M. c. A.; Rev. Lau-
| renee j. Shehan, assistant director OF
the Catholic Charities, and William
H. Savin, director OF the Family Serv-
| ice Association.
Next on the program will be three
minute addresses by minute men"
speakers, among whom will be Miss
Mamie H. Burroughs, superintendent
Of the National Training School for
Women and Girls; Edward Keating.
former member of Congress and now
editor of Labor: Joseph D. (Radio
Joe) Kaufman, vice president of the
Community Chest, and Joseph P. Tu-
multy, secretary to the late President
Wilson.
DR.. William Mcclellan, president
OF the Potomac Electric Power Co.,
will deliver the principal and con-
cluding address, and then Arthur
HELEN will read set of proposed res
olutions to the assembled citizens
Efforts Began in October.
Efforts to avert the present relief
emergency started last October, when
Elwood Street, director of public well
fare, requested supplemental ap-
preparation Of s83o,0O0 to take care
Of employables who were receiving
neither direct nor indirect relief.
No formal action was taken on
Streets recommendation, and when a
committee representing local welfare
and social agencies called on the
Commissioners in February, it was
told the Budget Bureau had frowned
on the proposal.
Welfare workers charged that John
L. Keddy, assistant budget director in
charge Of District matters. had de-
clared that care of the able-bodied
unemployed was the responsibility of
the churches.
Street since has revised his esti-
mates and declared 100000 month
is needed to care for the unemployed
until the beginning of the next fiscal
year, July /.
A disheartening blow was struck at
champions of the unemployed with
the disclosure that the District appro-
priations bill as it left the II ouse con-
tains no funds for relief Of unem-
ployed "employables" in the next fiscal
year.
80 Workers Enrolled.
To check on the need among the
poverty-stricken 'employables" and
the 1000 women. children and aged
persons who look to them for sup
port, the Family Service Association
and the Washington Federation of
Churches recruited 80 volunteer
workers to make survey The volun-
teers reported they found conditions
were even worse than they had been
represented.
Verbal pictures Of conditions discov-
cred in the survey will be painted at
the mass meeting.
Commissioner Hazen said no action
could be taken on the request Of the
Council of Social Agencies for imme-
diate action in the relief emergency
because of the absence from the city
of Commissioner George E. Allen, who
is in charge Of relief.
The council demanded that the
Commissioners make formal request
to the Budget Bureau for adequate
relief appropriations so that RESPONSE