Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1843-12-15

5 Factory GrRLs. Among all the socie-
lies for The object Of amelioraiing the con
dition Of The human race why have we not
some fer improving the condition Of Fac
tory Operatives Z! We have been the past
week most forcibly struck with the degra+
ding system Of vassalage, OF to use more
appropriate term SLAVERY. by which fac
tory operatives are oppressed. even in this
non-slaye holding community, by recital
of the grievances Of factory girls in our
sister city. It seems that these hard work
ing people who toll for the benefit and ag-
grandizement Of others, receive for their
Iabors barely the necessaSies Of life, and
in many cases hardly SO much as is requi-
red to keep body and soul together, have
turned OUT no. for higher pay but fewer
hours of labor. Under the present system
these poor girls are routed from their beds
before daylight in the morning, at o'clock
we believe to their daily tasks in the Fac
tories, at which they are kept busily en-
ployed until half past seven in the evening.
with but short intermissions for their meals.
All this time they are employed in labor
which requires them 10 stand on their feet
in the close, unhealthy air Of the rooms,
on floors greasy and slippery. and contin>
.inually jarring and trembling from the
motion Of the machinery, enough in itsel1
to unhinge the strongest joints. and to
shake all energy out of the most robust
cons.itu,ions-how much more detrmen>
tal must il be 10 the delicate young fe-
males
The immediate cause for the strike mem
toned, Is this, as we have been informed.
One Ct ihe Factories in Allegheny having
received orders 10 large amount. the ow-
ners considered it expedient to increase
the hours of labor, agreeing TO give the
girls extra pay. This was carried out, all
but the pay +; for when Saturday came the
ezra pay was refused, and the old allow
ance doled out. The girls demured at
this, but they were still compelled to re-
main in the factory till late hour in the
evening. For this reason they made a
strike, and they now demand that they
shall for the future be, compelled TO remain
no longer than from seven in the morning
until seven at night.
These poor girls, cooped up from ID TO
ID hours in the day. return to their homes
at night completely exhausted. and are
obliged to retire Immediately to rest, to re-
cruit for the next days labor-thus find.
ing no time to mend or make their own
clothes, or indeed TO do any thing for their
own comfort. What form of servitude
can compare with this ! Southern slave
ry is blessing to it, and though We a.
dominate slavery in form, we think that
some of our abolition philanthropist could
much more proftably invest their sympa-
thy in amelora.ing the condition of these
slaves at home than by directing it
in any other channel. These girls we
suppose must work for maintenance, but
let us not see them worked TO death under
our own eyes. If there is any thing TO
make US look favorably upon the system
of associated industry it is grinding to the
earth these frail toilers, TO administer to
the pampered appetites and vanities Of the
few-it is villainous-it 'smells to heav-
en-
We have the tariff for the protection of
Domestic Manufacturers and we had ho-
ped that that projection would extend TO
the operatives as we'll as employers; but
if high Protective Tariff is only to ope
rate for the benefit Of the employers and
in that manner be the means of introducing
that worst form of slavery, the European
Factory System, among us, the sooner it
is abolished the better. But there is no
need of this-our factories can flourish
without expressing the poor, and if prop
erly conducted may be benefit to them.
But TO effect this let their hours of labor
be limited; and 10 bring this about the
public attention need only be dawn to it
to detect the evil, and then public opinion
will remedy it. This war for relief 10 the
laboring classes is glorious one, and we
are willing to 60 into it to the knife
How unjus,ly combination of circum-
stances may sometimes accuse man, is
well exemplified in the following actual
occurrence, which we translate from the
New York Deutsche Schnellpost =
AT a table d'hote at Ludwigsburg, one
&c IL oh