The system of relief by labor which, is now applied in Paris, in many
other French towns, in England, in Switzerland, and in America, is a
very small thing, but capable of the greatest expansion.
What is the principle of relief by labor?
The principle is: to furnish every needy man with easy, unskilled
work, such as chopping wood, or cutting faggots used for lighting
stoves in Paris households. This is a kind of prison-work before the
crime, done without loss of character. It is meant to prevent men from
taking to crime out of want, by providing them with work and testing
their willingness to do it. Starvation must never be allowed to drive
men to suicide; for such suicides are the deepest disgrace to a
civilization which allows rich men to throw tid-bits to their dogs.
Relief by labor thus provides every one with work. But the system has
a great defect; there is not a sufficiently large demand for the
production of the unskilled workers employed, hence there is a loss to
those who employ them; though it is true that the organization is
philanthropic, and therefore prepared for loss. But here the
benefaction lies only in the difference between the price paid for the
work and its actual value. Instead of giving the beggar two sous, the
institution supplies him with work on which it loses two sous. But at
the same time it converts the good-for-nothing beggar into an honest
breadwinner, who has earned perhaps 1 franc 50 centimes. 150 centimes
for 10! That is to say, the receiver of a benefaction in which there
is nothing humiliating has increased it fifteenfold! That is to say,
fifteen thousand millions for one thousand millions!
The institution certainly loses 10 centimes. But the Jewish Company
will not lose one thousand millions; it will draw enormous profits
from this expenditure.
There is a moral side also. The small system of relief by labor which
exists now preserves rectitude through industry till such time as the
man who is out of work finds a post suitable to his capacities, either
in his old calling or in a new one. He is allowed a few hours daily
for the purpose of looking for a place, in which task the institutions
assist him.
The defect of these small organizations, so far, has been that they
have been prohibited from entering into competition with timber
merchants, etc. Timber merchants are electors; they would protest, and
would be justified in protesting. Competition with State prison-labor
has also been forbidden, for the State must occupy and feed its
criminals.
In fact, there is very little room in an old-established society for
the successful application of the system of "Assistance par le
Travail."
But there is room in a new society.
For, above all, we require enormous numbers of unskilled laborers to
do the first rough work of settlement, to lay down roads, plant trees,
level the ground, construct railroads, telegraph installations, etc.
All this will be carried out in accordance with a large and previously
settled plan.