The City Wharf as a Stone Yard: Seattle's Plan to Put Its Idle Men to Work

The communication from E. C. Kilbourne, C. F. Stone, George B. Adair and thirty-nine others, asking the council to convert the city wharf into a stone yard, was referred to committee on Monday night. It is intended to make a practical solution of the question of providing for the honest unemployed who are sincerely seeking an opportunity to earn a living, and for the lazy tramps who only work under compulsion. A report on the subject will probably be presented to council next Monday night. The petition reads as follows:

"Recognizing the fact that our citizens are taxed at this time with a large number of men of all classes in search of employment, who would work rather than beg, as they are now compelled to do, together with a multitude less desirous who provide themselves with a living without working, and yet all are classed as tramps; while at the same time the city is full of our own poor taxpayers, who are here by the interests they have in the country with large families entirely depending on the few industries now in active existence, who are rightfully entitled to work at the city's or private individuals' or corporations' work as may be furnished, which in times past has been given to the poor —

"We therefore suggest that the city turn the city wharf into a stone yard, in recommendation: First, because it is close to the quarry, the stone of which can be had for taking it away almost free, and then to prepare it for building, which is in much need of repair. The city thus places our own poor in good employment at small cost. We would then employ these idle transient men in all of this work — loading, unloading and breaking stone, etc., after each works one day out of twenty; all men in the city desiring to avail themselves of this opportunity to present their names for registry to one superintendent, under control of the board of public works, said superintendent to take their names, together with their choice of the free institution to which they wish to look for their food, whether it be the Food and Shelter Depot, the Co-operative Industrials or the Seattle City Mission, all of which are now providing free lodgings to these men, and who are in condition to cook said food without much expense to the public. We would then put these men to this work as soon as possible in a good number, so as to insure these societies the means to buy food, paying them pro rata $1.50 for each man, for which they should give two good substantial meals each day for the said twenty days, at the same time continuing to lodge them as heretofore.

"This once established we would recommend that the police arrest every man found begging from house to house for means, and invite him to go to work or leave the city forthwith. Any registered man to be allowed to pass work by paying $1.50 into this fund in cash, said cash being in lieu of his day's work for twenty days' board. A man too sick to work to be passed on a certificate of disability from the city physician, and his board to be allowed by the city.

"To avoid a pressure of new arrivals we would suggest that the first registration be closed in five days from beginning, and that thereafter new names be taken only on recommendation of the board of public works.

"We believe that this movement should not in any way be construed so as to include city prisoners in working with the same force nor in any other way cause them to be looked upon as anything but honest laboring men."

Among those who signed the petition are the following well-known public and businessmen: A. S. Burwell, D. B. Burwell, A. P. Burwell, B. A. Treen, Roger S. Greene, Fred Gasch, Nathan Brown, A. P. Mitten, D. A. Duffey, M. F. Backus, B. F. Briggs, A. M. Brooke, L. Schoenfeld, J. B. MacDougall, J. S. Goldsmith, S. Aronson, N. H. Martin, David Morgans and twenty others.