Unemployment in the United States

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1828236179

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-226169

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Unemployment in the United States

Place of publication:: Washington

Publisher:: United States, Government Printing Office

Year of publication:: 1930

Scope:: II, 193 Seiten

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Statement of Mr. William Green, president of American Federation of Labor

Collection:: Economics Books

"no (1.5 nt, and five by ant. ent ing ike run agh the ing ind re- ler, ght vere ind 108th old ing arn vth- in nail wnt; ing cult eof ‘ten pin & of ade . as tu- ich for aas ers ies, lor rege He nay nav elp OCIf- UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE UNITED STATES 55 MEMORANDUM OF THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LaBor 1x SUPPORT OF SENATE Bry 3060 To EstaBLisE 4 NaTioNAL EMPLOYMENT SysTEM, ETC. The above-mentioned bill, now under consideration by this committee, has two aspects, one sociological and the other legal or constitutional. . The two principal attacks upon the bill have been made by Senator Bingham In a public address on June 7, 1930, a summary of which address is to be found In The United States Daily of Washington, D. C., June 9, 1930; and the other is a brief filed by the National Association of Manufacturers with the Senate Com- mittee on Commerce. Senator Bingham attacks the bill on four principal grounds namely: First. Because it seeks to seduce or bribe the States to surrender a vital power of self government, ete. Second. Because it proceeds to coerce the State into acceptance of assistance from the United States and dominant Federal control. Third. That the policy of the bill is in contradiction of the recommendations of the President's conference of unemployment of 1921. Fourth. That the bill is in contradiction of the recommendations of the repre- sentative conference on unemployment and undertakes to compel rather than to persuade the cooperation of the States. Further Senator Bingham is quoted as saying: _.““We are continually trespassing upon the rights of the States, and are central- ‘zing the authority that belongs to them, in agencies of the National Government.’’ In its brief above referred to, the National Association of Manufacturers attacks the bill on some of the grounds stated by Senator Bingham but principally pon the ground that the bill is unconstitutional. The statements of opposition voiced by Senator Bingham and others against the necessity of a centraiized employment system, so far as the sociological phase of the bill is concerned and so far as relates to the necessity and demand for the Snactment of the bill, appear to be fully answered by the testimony of Senator Wagner and others who appeared before the Senate Committee on Commerce on March 18 and April 1, 1930, together with the statistics contained in the digest filed by Senator Wagner in connection with his testimony before the Senate ‘ommittee; and in the public address of Senator Wagner, printed in the Con- sressional Record of May 27, 1930; as well as in the memorandum of Senator Wagner in opposition to the above mentioned brief of the National Manufac- surers’ Association. It, therefore, remains only to discuss the constitutional questions raised by ind the cases cited in the brief of the National Manufacturers’ Association, and bo supplement the authorities cited in the last mentioned memorandum of Se Wagner, who cites, in support of the constitutionality of the bill, the following: McGehee v. Mathis (4 Wall. 143-153); Federal Aid Legislation by Professor Charles K. Burdick (8 Cornell Law Quarterly); and Spending Power of Congress, dy Prof. Edward 8. Corwin (36 Harvard Law Review, 548). } In considering the bill, “To provide for the establishment of an ational employ- ment system and for cooperation with the States in the promotion of such system, and for other purposes,” it is important to ascertain: } First. Whether the employment situation is a question of national importance. Second. Whether the employment situation, if found to be of national impor- bance, is such as to justify and warrant legislation by Congress to establish an agency having for its purpose the bringing about of stabilized employment and to aid workers in obtaining employment. . LL Third. Whether or not such legislation is constitutional. . That the employment situation is a matter of national importance is clear when we consider the situation now existing in England and the Continental countries, the vast numbers of the unemployed in those countries, the lengths to which England has been compelled to go in an endeavor to provide for the existing conditions, and the vast amount of money she has been compelled to appropriate and expend in an endeavor to ameliorate the circumstances of the unemployed. It is not necessary to cite any facts to stress the importance of this question to the United States and the States, and the necessity and demand for remedial legislation, other than those set out in the testimony before the Senate committee, and the public address and memorandum of Senator Wagner, above referred to. It must be admitted that the employment situation is one of national impor- tance. Conditions of today have materially changed from those of years ago, and the employee can no longer limit himself to any one city, county or State in seeking work for his livelihood, but must, if he is to secure employment, look.

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: Unemployment in the United States

Monograph

Chapter

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

Chapter

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation