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to about twelve shillings each。 This was what the ‘practical' persons； the ‘business…men'； called ‘dealing with the problem of unemployment'。 Imagine having to keep your family for five months with twelve shillings！
And； if you like； imagine that the Government grant had been four times as much as it was； and that the charity had amounted to four times as much as it did； and then fancy having to keep your family for five months with two pounds eight shillings！
It is true that some of the members of the committee would have been very glad if they had been able to put the means of earning a living within the reach of every man who was willing to work； but they simply did not know what to do； or how to do it。 They were not ignorant of the reality of the evil they were supposed to be ‘dealing with' … appalling evidences of it faced them on every side； and as； after all； these committee men were human beings and not devils； they would have been glad to mitigate it if they could have done so without hurting themselves： but the truth was that they did not know what to do！
These are the ‘practical' men； the monopolists of intelligence； the wise individuals who control the affairs of the world： it is in accordance with the ideas of such men as these that the conditions of human life are regulated。
This is the position：
It is admitted that never before in the history of mankind was it possible to produce the necessaries of life in such abundance as at present。
The management of the affairs of the world ？the business of arranging the conditions under which we live … is at present in the hands of Practical； Level…headed； Sensible Business…men。
The result of their management is； that the majority of the people find it a hard struggle to live。 Large numbers exist in perpetual poverty： a great many more periodically starve： many actually die of want： hundreds destroy themselves rather than continue to live and suffer。
When the Practical； Level…headed； Sensible Business…men are asked why they do not remedy this state of things； they reply that they do not know what to do！ or； that it is impossible to remedy it！
And yet it is admitted that it is now possible to produce the necessaries of life； in greater abundance than ever before！
With lavish kindness； the Supreme Being had provided all things necessary for the existence and happiness of his creatures。 To suggest that it is not so is a blasphemous lie： it is to suggest that the Supreme Being is not good or even just。 On every side there is an overflowing superfluity of the materials requisite for the production of all the necessaries of life： from these materials everything we need may be produced in abundance … by Work。 Here was an army of people lacking the things that may be made by work； standing idle。 Willing to work； clamouring to be allowed to work； and the Practical； Level…headed； Sensible Business…men did not know what to do！
Of course； the real reason for the difficulty is that the raw materials that were created for the use and benefit of all have been stolen by a small number； who refuse to allow them to be used for the purposes for which they were intended。 This numerically insignificant minority refused to allow the majority to work and produce the things they need； and what work they do graciously permit to be done is not done with the object of producing the necessaries of life for those who work； but for the purpose of creating profit for their masters。
And then； strangest fact of all； the people who find it a hard struggle to live； or who exist in dreadful poverty and sometimes starve； instead of trying to understand the causes of their misery and to find out a remedy themselves； spend all their time applauding the Practical； Sensible； Level…headed Business…men； who bungle and mismanage their affairs； and pay them huge salaries for doing so。 Sir Graball D'Encloseland； for instance； was a ‘Secretary of State' and was paid ？；000 a year。 When he first got the job the wages were only a beggarly ？；000； but as he found it impossible to exist on less than ？00 a week he decided to raise his salary to that amount； and the foolish people who find it a hard struggle to live paid it willingly； and when they saw the beautiful motor car and the lovely clothes and jewellery he purchased for his wife with the money； and heard the Great Speech he made … telling them how the shortage of everything was caused by Over…production and Foreign Competition； they clapped their hands and went frantic with admiration。 Their only regret was that there were no horses attached to the motor car； because if there had been； they could have taken them out and harnessed themselves to it instead。
Nothing delighted the childish minds of these poor people so much as listening to or reading extracts from the speeches of such men as these； so in order to amuse them； every now and then； in the midst of all the wretchedness； some of the great statesmen made ‘great speeches' full of cunning phrases intended to hoodwink the fools who had elected them。 The very same week that Sir Graball's salary was increased to ？；000 a year； all the papers were full of a very fine one that he made。 They appeared with large headlines like this：
GREAT SPEECH BY SIR GRABALL D'ENCLOSELAND
Brilliant Epigram！
None should have more than they need； whilst any have less than they need！
The hypocrisy of such a saying in the mouth of a man who was drawing a salary of five thousand pounds a year did not appear to occur to anyone。 On the contrary； the hired scribes of the capitalist Press wrote columns of fulsome admiration of the miserable claptrap； and the working men who had elected this man went into raptures over the ‘Brilliant Epigram' as if it were good to eat。 They cut it out of the papers and carried it about with them： they showed it to each other： they read it and repeated it to each other： they wondered at it and were delighted with it； grinning and gibbering at each other in the exuberance of their imbecile enthusiasm。
The Distress Committee was not the only body pretending to ‘deal' with the poverty ‘problem'： its efforts were supplemented by all the other agencies already mentioned … the Labour Yard； the Rummage Sales； the Organized Benevolence Society； and so on； to say nothing of a most benevolent scheme originated by the management of Sweater's Emporium； who announced in a letter that was published in the local Press that they were prepared to employ fifty men for one week to carry sandwich boards at one shilling … and a loaf of bread … per day。
They got the men； some unskilled labourers； a few old； worn out artisans whom misery had deprived of the last vestiges of pride or shame； a number of habitual drunkards and loafers； and a non…descript lot of poor ragged old men … old soldiers and others of whom it would be impossible to say what they had once been。
The procession of sandwich men was headed by the Semi…drunk and the Besotted Wretch； and each board was covered with a printed poster： ‘Great Sale of Ladies' Blouses now Proceeding at Adam Sweater's Emporium。'
Besides this artful scheme of Sweater's for getti