The Seattle Post Intelligencer

TRYING SELF-HELP.

Unemployed Men Band Together to Secure Work.

Will Not Ask Charity.

Over 800 Men Combine to Help Themselves in the New Co-Operative Society—Their Plans.

Over 800 unemployed workingmen of this city affixed their names to the constitution of the Industrial Co-operative society in response to a call made for organization. A permanent organization was effected in Single-tax hall yesterday afternoon in accordance with the petition presented to the council Monday night by E. J. Jeffries, and the following officers elected: President, James Bell; vice president, C. Porterfield; secretary, William Harris; treasurer, Michael Foley. Executive committee—W. F. Carey, J. C. Munn, Daniel Tierney, James Breman, William Cunningham, Charles Hanson and Montius. A treasurer will be selected from among the business men of the city.

A meeting was held yesterday in Single-tax hall at which President Bell, in assuming the chair, outlined briefly the object of the society and its attitude. He said:

"We are organizing not to create sympathy or enlist charity, but for the purpose of helping one another. In union there is strength; by uniting our efforts for work and by putting the wages for such work into a common fund, we can by judicious management get enough provisions to at least give us each two wholesome meals a day during the severest of the winter months. By this means the living expenses can be got down to a very small figure. This will ensure a fire, a roof and something to eat for every member. I want to be clearly understood as voicing the sentiment of every man present when I say that our present movement in no way reflects on the efforts of the various charitable institutions of the city who are working earnestly to relieve the poor of the city. There are women and children sick and in sore distress who need all that these good charitable folks can do; but we are men, strong and sturdy Americans, if you please—able and willing to work; men too proud to beg, too honest to steal, and above taking cold charity as long as there is a possible way open for our helping ourselves. Our best plan will be to secure some building, not in this Whitechapel district, but in some quarter of the city where respectable men and women in search of help can come and find what they want. We do not want charity, but work, no matter of what kind. In this connection, however, I want to add, that though out of work we are not scabs, nor will we take work at prices lower than established by any union. The laborer is worthy of his hire, and what little work we get must be paid for at regular rates."

The president's remarks were well received by the several hundred working men that filled the hall and there was an air of business about the whole meeting that indicated the earnestness of the movement. The crowd was a respectable one with the hobo element strictly eliminated.

A building committee was appointed to secure new quarters up town; also a committee to secure furniture, a range, cooking utensils and provisions. The next meeting will be at the call of the chair.

E. J. Jeffries, when seen yesterday at the meeting, said to a Post-Intelligencer reporter that he was not the leader of the movement, but merely acted as the representative of the men in presenting their petition to the council. He was in hearty sympathy with the movement because in the first place it was practical, and secondly, it was a manly one, showing the true American independent spirit that asked no favors except the favor of being allowed to work for his living. Jeffries was of the opinion that with proper management and the necessary facilities the men housed together could be maintained on about 7 cents a day.