New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-05-14
THE TRIBUNE.
1oweIl-Its Aspects-nruuufacturc Conditions
nf nh Ref

we spent a few hours IN the City of Spndles'
syt wcek looking with interest on its thrift its en-
.s,orise It's busy population. We looked thought
faHy into its rafting whirring factories, and anxious
" into the faces OF its laborers
Lowell was never more active, more growing.
or apparently more prosperous than now. New fac
tories, new works Of all kinds. new dwellings are
being constructed; and the company which is now
rppning some fifty carpet looms is about 10 tear ell
down and cover an acre with mills in which some
too hundred looms will weave carpets with spin.
ming mill dying rooms and every thing complete for
making the carpe,ings directly from the feeces.-
The new manufacturing city going up a few miles
oyer on the Aerrimac seems 10 have distracted
Ilie Of capital. enterprise or business from the
Manchester OF America The repeal of the Tariff
isrcgarded there with general incredibly and par
tal defiance. We were shown several descriptions
of goods heavy Checks, brown Drills, &c.l which
.he makers assured us could not be made in Eng
and or any where else cheaper Than they are now
made and sold at Lowell while come, they were
ssnfdent could be sold in England at profit if all
Tariffs were abolished on both sides. In carpets,
the English have greatly the advantage in the cos, Of
Rags, while ours are made entirely of unworn
WOOL but they are acOuen cheaper an LoreH than
anu lckere IN Great Britain, owing to great Yam.
kee improvement, Of machinery, though the girls who
Tend the carpet looms of Lowell thprd and difficult
work. earn their dollar day, which no carpet
weaver il Great Britain can do. The coz, of good
Ingram Carpet ut Lowell is so cents per yard
against e. in Leeds for what passes for similar
British article though the British is vastly inferior in
strength and durability.
No Tariff that will will pay Folks War expenses
can be low enough to swamp the bulk of the Lowell
Manufacturers. In fact, they rather seem to doubt
the Governments ability to get along with as low
duties rs they can. Certain descriptions of fabrics
Of which the market price depends rather on style
fashion or novelty than on actual cost, would suffer
from reduction of the Tariff but Lowell could
stand this far better than the younger and ieeber
Manufactures of other sections; in fact, abe would
receive an incidental benefit from the check neces
sayly given TO the extension and diffusion OF Manu-
iac,urcs through tho country If my body imagines
that the West is TO be benefited ut the expense OF
The East or Labor achieve triumph Capital by
reducing the Tariff then that body will lind himself
mistaken in the event,
Visitors to Lowell generally see but one side OF
the picturc-the bright or the darker-we endeav-
cred to look fairly on both. With one class, we
saw and were delighted with the general activity,
The ready employment for Labor of almost every
description the wondrous inventions and combna.
ions Of Machinery whereby such stupendous results
are produced shat Ten Thousand workers produce
more ind better fabrics than One Hundred Thou
sand could have done bare century ago. We do
no, believe there is on the ince OF the earth COM
nuniy Of Thirty Thousand People who add 30
much every wear to the amount and value OF articles
necessary to human subsistence and comfort as do
those Of Lowell He who views Lowell in this
light only may well go away admirnS and dc
lighted.
Yet there is another and, as we have minated
sdarker side of the picture, which is not the less
real because i, has usually been grossly exaggerated
bylhose who have presented it 10 the public he
who lels you that the Working Men and " omen
o. Lowell are slaves TO the Capitahsis-that Inc
men must vote as their employers direct--tha' the
women are so crowded, overworkcd, badly led @c-
In; they nre dying of consumption and other onro-
mic diseases, do grossly vary from the truth we
| believe il is fnct ,ha, majority of the workmen
usually vote against wha, is supposed TO be the
a,eres, md the wish of their employers at all
events. we know that they vote as they please and
haiti, would be impossible to make them vote other
| wise Manufacturing labori not such heaven that
! Iae bodied, strong limbed. two handed men are
eager to sell their souls for the privilege OF dong II :
ndour misunderstanding aborers are quite as intelligent
adas independent any other class OF laoorers Tor
wages He who employs few men and Is CON
nanlly with them may possibly Influence Iheir votes
ba,a grea, company, employing It's hundreds, can
rever even know what sort Of ballots It's workmen
ee st TO deposit. Even though it were to attempt
to exert an undue influence and so The length Of
Providing peculiar ballot, 1T could effect nothing
| The inside OF q vote need not correspond WITH lis
exterior; and the workman generally knew how TO
get living before any company hiredhim. We be
hevc,he cry OF Political tyranny raised against the
Corporations. by those who justify the National
Executive in exercising this very same power over
10 Nations servants which they justly sismau2e
sban exerted by private company, Is untounded
sapnjust There may have been instances OF uu-
sasinRuence, bu, no, one by Corporations where,
ae,e a hundred. openly. VIGOROUSLY by the Fede,
.SN0vCrnplSNt ny NnuSS khINi>auo IusS N'SA-S' -
Hsa.
On another point, we ob'sined the unanimous
s'inoay of all parties in Lowell that the Corpora
eass have been unjustly assaied. We have heard
Essserted as notorious fact by intelligent dems'
ssues here who have made ii current belief
iaoas the ignorant here ,hatthe worSmenin iac'o-
tssre paid half in barter. goods, sioreordess &c
Sahny like this is true The workers whether
ale or fe-.ale for the Corpors,ions have uniformly
yea paid every two weeks, and paid wholly IN
aS-nOne of your shinplas,er trash, borrowed or
"sshi al discount OF broker but par money
@sawiil pay rent, note in bank, or any thing
we. Honor 10 the Boston Banks for their noble
'ad years ago in behalf Of n Uniform Currency
10ashous all The country whereof Boston was the
commercial centre, That much abused policy
sa0sn as the Suffolk system has shielded the la
"'ss Of New England from heavy aggregate Losses
lad Infinite vexx,ions.
1 M,o the regulation which requires the opera,
.'@ I've cordially de,es, the term who are in the
.I9'oS ossny manufacturing Corporation in Lowell