New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-10-23

The Philadelphia Ledger is paper with which
we rarely have the happiness Of agreeing on any
disputed topic and which seems TO US 10 blend win
decided ability most mischievous and Jacoolnc
disposition to array the dfiereu, classes OF Society
ia hatred and collision. In an article OF Monday on
Factory Girls the Ledger asserts that Factories
average ten per cent profits, and those OF New
England average fteenty per cent why does not
the Editor take pains TO ascertain the truth or
faIsebood Of such assertions IS this We made
Inquiries on this point, two years ago OF one oil the
leading manufacturers Of New El gland, who owns
stock in at leas, twenty Of the mos hourishlng lac
tories At our request he brought out his STOCK
book and showed US his dividends on each and
every investment for some eight or ten years preced
ing The acreage was rather under seren per cent
though one or two companies especially the Merri-
mac al lowell had paid considerably more. And
he informed US that be thought there was no capital
ist In Boston whose investments were better or more
fortunate than his own bis facilities for judicious
investment being great We know that the two
subsequent years have been very good ones Tor our
Manufacturers-bettert than they would have been
bat for the general apprehension that the arr"
would e.reduced, which has checked, thoosh moi
wholly prevented new investments, and thus kept
down the supply Of goods Still. the average OF
New .England di .idends on Manufacturing Stocks
except where the Capital has been exhausted In
dividendsj cannot have exceeded seven per cent
for the last ten years
Bot this is not the main point The Ledger pro-
ceeds TO argue that because the Manufactures make
80 much money it alleges, therefore they ought
TO pay higher wages. Let US see: The Ledger no
toriously makes more money than most OF lis Phila
phia rivals ought II therefore 10 pay more than
the usua price for its type setting, SC. Does II
Suppose The Ledger or The Tribune realize for its
publishers clear profit OF $40 600 per annum, while
some other papers around them make from 5000
down to $1,000, others nothing, and some arc pub
lished at a loss what should be the price Of type
setting in their Offices respectively VIII the Led
ger inform us And if publisher or manufacturer
il under moral obligation to raise the wages OF bis
workmen his profits increase, is there any cores
ponding obligation resting on his workmen TO work
for prices Jelorthe usual standard when their EN-
ployers make little, nothing or less than nothing
VIII the Ledger inform us
We have for years patiently labored in de-
iance of clamor aud obloquy which The Ledger has
at best done nothing diminish to prepare the way
for and ultimately establish state of things in which
he who furnishes the past labor or capital, and be
who supplies the present labor requisite to the pro
duc,ion Of any article shall be truly partners in the
work and be jointly interested in the product
when in fact the rewards Of Labor shall be proper
toned to its absolute proiableness, the Ledger
assumes that it should be We have no idea how
ever, Of putting the new wine in old bottles-wo
are quite aware that it will no, answer. If the
Ledger will aid TO bring about state of things
in which such union of Labor and Capital shall be
practicable, shall heartily rejoice