Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1840-04-14
From tie IgoodrilIe Republ;eoo.

we commended that the administration.
marked as it had been by folly and
wickedness in all its leading measures, |
IN Its present effort if successful, in re-
ducing suddenly the wages of the la
borer's hire TO the starving rates ofthe
enslaved operatives Of Europe, will in
flict vital blow upon the prosperity
and happiness Of the most important
class Of the citizens Of this country -
Those IN powes we presume have des-
pared OF humbugging much longer the
working class of the country by their
false and hypocritical profession of re-
gard for them. They now have as
sumed bold and audacious attitude.
Their next effort will oe 10 reduce
their victims to extreme penury, and
accomplish by direct bribery, the same
end they heretofore. attained by CATO
ling and false professions. That,
what few mechanics who have not been
driven from among US by the pressure
oil the times may understand the con-
dition to which their rulers would
subject them, we make an extractlrom
anote to a speech lately delivered by
Senator Davis of Massachusetts, in
reply to Messrs. Buchanan and Walk
er, who in arguing in favor of the Sub
Treasury scheme, contended that one
OF its great benefits would be the re-
ductlon of the wages oflabor. Thus
II ever has been with unprincipled
demagogues, to make their dupe the
first victims of their misrule when
clothed in power. They seem to think
that the mechanics are too much bro
ken down in fortune and spirits, TO be
any longer worth courting.-They
rely now upon either bribing or bully
ing them into measures. Unless we
mistake the signs of the times, in this
they are sure TO be mistaken. But
we forgot further comments. The
following are the rates ofwages in the
hard money countries of Europe, which
are held up as examples to be follow
cd by the citizens of the U. States
Wages IN Francc.-Calais, common
laborers Z 1-2 d. per day with board
and without dwelling, Boulogne, sd.
per day do. do; Nantes, Sd. per day
without board and without dwelling !;
Marseilles, 4d. to I'd, per day with
board and without dwelling. The
food in some districts Consists in rye
bread, soup made of millet, cakes
made of Indian corn, aolo and then
some salt provisions and Vegetables,
rarely, if ever, butchers meat" In
others, "wheatcn bread, soup made |
with vegetables, and little grease or
lard twice day, potatoes or other veg
etables, but seldom butchers meat"
Slcsdea.-"The daily wages of
skilled agriculturist are I'd. or 3d.;
while the unskilled obtain no more THANH
Sd. or i'd. and load themselves. Ag-
riculturists in the Southern provinces
live upon salt fish and potatoes, in the
Northern provinces porridge and rye
bread form their food.
Observation-Disclosures are paid at
the rate ofSd. per day in the country"
without board.
Belgium.-"A skilled artisan may
earn in summer Is. I'd. to Is. 3D.; in
winter from 1Od. to Is. 3D.; unskilled
half as much without board, live upon
rye bread, potatoes, and milk" Ag-
ricultural laborers have less.
Germaay.--Dantzig laborers 4 3-4d
to I'd. per day without board; Neck
lenburg, I'd. per day do; Holstein, I'd
per day without board.
Netherlands.-South Holland labor
ors Sd. TO 4d. per day with board;
North Holland, god. per day without
board; Antwerp, sd. per day do. West
Flanders, 95s. - 1O4s. per year with
board.
Uoly.-Trieste laboreIs I'D. per
day without board; do. Cd. per day
with board Istria, Sd. to 1Od. per day
without board; do. 4d. to sd. per day
with board; Lombardy, id. TO Sd. per
day do; Genoa, sd. TO Sd. per day
do. and without lodging; Tuscany, Cd
4. per day without either.
Saroay.-''In 1887, a man en-
ployed in his own loom, working very
diligently from Monday morning to
Saturday night, from 5 o'clock in the
morning until dusk, and even at times
with lamp, his wife assisting him in
finishing and taking him the work,
could not possibly earn more than 20
groschen [about 60 cents per week.
Nor could one who had three children
aged II years and upwards, all work
ing at the loom as well as himself with
his wife employed doing up the work,
earn in the whole more than one dol
lar weekly"
Mysterious attempt at SHicide.-We
are informed that on Sunday last a
Young lady who from her dress and de-
meanor, was evidently OF respectable
~, was observed by little girl walking