New-York daily tribune., 1844-07-11

VOL. Nv. NO. 81.
tion at their injustice only restrained by our con-
tempt for their paupe-r-llkc ignorance.
Years hence when The biography oi Edwin Chad
wick shall be wr;en-when the result. of his la
hofs. known and unknown, shall he gathered TO-
gelher-when trade and food shall be free, and
paupers be no more-when II shall be known how
many are the wise measures nnd changes oi winch
he has been The secret stirred by the deslie
oi raans good, and leaving TO Others the ostensi-
bilitv and the repUte--he Will serve for one more
example of the truth, that high and original mind
works for the service OF humanity, but not Tor IT.
thanks. And future time Will recognize him as u
true and genuine splrt 0i his age who has lett has
permanent make behind hum.
Having thus briefly attempted 10 show what Mr.
Horne oue 10 have done, and has failed TO do we
turn TO the examination OF what he has done.
The CRYING evil OF oyer-work and long labor
hours is handled ably at least if not convincing
Iy-although somewhat at too great length tor
us. We must make room, however, ior this;
Tha; the people of Ensland have bad haoi' o,
working too manv hours for their phys sicai ana
mental health. is unfortunately but too true; but II
is eauaIl, true that this habit does not arse from
any abstract vicious determination on their part. IL
ia also true that in the present age they work e"er
hours per day Than they were accustomed 10 "ofN
in former ages aud 1t Is moreover true mat tue rea
SON for the dniEution Of hours II, That ihef OMAN
better wages; that is. they get greater amount Oh
useful things for tours labor of the present day
than they 0bIaiUed in the "cOod old tmes;' ana
there is moreover very prevalent desire 10 WORK
-,l fewer hours. and by Gods blessing we trust
that this shall come 10 pass without any oi LORD
AshIeys legislation which akin Ia the charity Of
rhe French Princess who wondered why people
would starvc wn=n such nice pastry was sold so
cheap"
Vi e cntreat Lord Ashley to believe that the chief,
almost tho sole reason, why English workmen Ia
nor TOO many hours per day, is the undue pressure
of population, which forces them 10 compete with
each other TO obtain insufficient share OF the ma
iiouai siocl, Of food, which is minimum quantity.
Ar! this excess of population arises from the cir
cumsance that they live IN islands, from when
the, cannot we'll swarm like the bees, 10 90 10 the
ood winch might exist elsewhere, while Lord Ash
lev and his colleagues have nad- very stringent
avs TO prevent food being bronght 10 them from
elsewhere. Make food plentiful, that is, in excess
of the mouths, and the voluntary pnnciple VIII re-
'ieye all Lord Ashley's anxiety about long hours.
We will venture on two illustrations.
Some wears back while examining some new
buildings at the workmen's dinner hour, were
unintentionav listening 10 the conversation OF TWO
aborers from the Emerald Isle, who planted
| N the sun bthird some boarding. dining on--smoke
two . dudeens." ''Surc, Pas said oue OF them,
it 5 that wish wages was guinea day
| And what would he ather thin. Dennis " re-
piled Pat. 'Sure, and it : only day in the week
! hat | d work, any how, was the rejoinder We
are satisfied that Dennis spoke the sirpIe truth in
| This mniter and in no way needed Lord Ashley's
| pa;erna SoiciIude.
| A very benevolent manufacturer in London, who
employed many workmen al their own Dwellings,,
beheld, with compassion, the misery they suffered
from high rents and wretched accommodations
Fhey earned good wages which, il well applied,
would have placed them in positions of great COM
fort. Tie work they were employed in nde
pendent of locality, and having purchased land in
a healihy aud bcauIilui heehbcrhcod, their en-
nlover fitted up several cottages. with gardens and
| very kind of convenience, and removed lhiiher
certain number OF fa,.iirs. He expected To get
greater amount ot work done, on account OF their
| removal from temptations 10 Drunkenness. Bur in
iis result he was disappointed The men prefer
red working in their gardens TO working nj their
| trade. and earned more money than was suifi-
cieni Tor their maintenance, i'll spite ot tbe remou-
;lrances o their WIVES. II Lord Ashley will place
! he factory population in such position tins
! We will undertake tlIat they shall not overwork
-lti,-r themselves their wives, or their children.
| Rut il is only indirectly that Loid Ashley would
| Interfere with the hours of working He pro-
.sses 10 protect the children and women of fuclo-
| RES, and to say he will prescribe the hours for
| them. which is equivalent, in other words, to pre-
scribing the hOurs for the Stenm-engine and men
also. Ii is unquesonnly right that children un-
! Ter age-nol recognized as free agents, buI who are
under the control of persons older than themselves
should be projected from i'll treatment but TO de-
prive women of the right TO thqir discretion
| ~ TO the amount OF work they will perform. is
gross tyranny. Factory work is one Of the few
| cnploymenls by which women can render them
selves independent OF the support OF their relatives
AS vicious father or brother, or Il husband who
will not maintain them and their children bv his la
hor, but confines his attention 10 rotbing them ac-
cordng TO law y Law which would protect Il
woman's right TO her own earnings. beyond the
control of vicious husband, would indeed be II
boon 10 the working classes.
We object 10 any law which would interfere with
the natural freedom of human action, other than
the protection OF individuals and society from the
| aggr-ssions OF other individuals il. for example,
., solitary man chooses in an isolated spot 10 live
| In an -draned and ill-ventated house, 10 live
IN unwholesomc or insufficient food, society has no
| right 10 interfere with him; but if he comes into
proximity with other people, the law ought To inter
terc 10 protect their health from contamination
Also, We think the law NAV fairly interfere with
persons practising the ignorance of Others for he
sake OF gam. II The owner OF The ll-drained and
II ventilated solitary house tried to hire il others,
he should be prevented from so doing, until ii were
made wholesome. And think society might
| fairly interfere with man keeping his family in
such house, because the wife and children are
under his control, and society may be endangered
hv the diseases they he subject 10: therefore il
| : quite competent for Socieiv 10 SAY, ihHt after
certain period no houses shall be erected in an, IN
aahiled districts below certain standard of he0lth
md conf ut. II is certain that the children born IN
improved dwellings, would be snmpro,ed race and
lh- question of food no wAy nterieres with this.-
There certain number OF labUrers and artisans
| 'ous,autly unemployed who are, Notwithstanding.
fed ani their being employed in the construction of
| better dwellings,, that IS, working up native mate
rial OF all kinds Tor these and other useful purposes,
would uot add one shilling the expenditure OF the
general community. This possession OF better
dwellings,, with warmth and pure air. would, on 'ne
contge,y, virtually increase the amount OF food. for
is fact hat person in impure sir cannot well
jscs, his food, and therefore requires 10 eat larger
amount 10 keep up his strength.
Had Alfred the Great passed efficient Sani;ar.
laws, virtually prohibiting the existence OF disease,
hat Is, prescribing the minimum of ph, steal com
tnrt and healih in IS liugs and Ilri1