New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-23
sEW-YORK TRIBUNE.
LABOR IN THE COUNTRY.
Work Precautions and Iupaid-Caase and
the Remedy.


the Remedy.
To ne Edit0v Of The Tribune:
In your paper of Dec 4, is a letter headed I'd.
rice 10 Lab0rers-S0eial Organisation, signed c.
c. The writer advises the unemployed or partially
employed mechanics and lsborers to fee to the
country where the bounteous stores Of Providence
are full to oyerlowing and where there is felt
want of faithful laborers and not coDgregate in
Cities, eat up every thing aud then starve. As
have had little experience in that matter | wish
by your permission to present the other side OF the
subject
am an EDglishman by birth. most of the poor
people in the Atlantic Cities are foreigners and
was brought up to agriculture. landed at New
York in the early part Of July, ls42 left the day
after for Albany, thence to Buffalo ION the way /
was informed could get 81 per day for moving.
The thought Of that cheered me. But the longest
time ever had the opportunity to hire for that
Summer cash pay, was one month at so cents per
day-aso, one chance to hire permanently, receiv-
il pay in store goods from store in the neghbor-
hood, to which my employer would have given me
an order Both olthese declined in hope 10 do bet
ter. Finally got or days work only, for CASH
and when harvest was over was unable to get
any employment at all, for cash, either with far
mers or at iron works, at several OF which ap-
Piled though travelled 4 or 500 miles. l was at
last compelled TO adopt another means oil living
recurring an Inherent mode OF lite which Is an.
congeniAl to my habits and feelings, by which
hsye obtained q precarious support Tor my VILE
and six children, who remain IN the City oil New
York But still was SO strong IN the belief tina,
the country was the most natural and best TO sc
along in. that made another pat out IN lsi9 Wiz,
NJ mn DlluQ Able I
someti been used to work. In the majority
cases where | solicited employment Sor any oi my
family it as proposed to me to take shem Tor tnei
board or adopt them, or take them Tor OF
wears and give them setting out, as It Is cai'eo
Board was offered me lew weeEs ago iVr Va.
labor of a young woman over 20 years ou' 'n@
had 81 per month in the city. The only season
of the year when in the country the demand ior
labor and the supply stand on anything like equal
terms is the harvest time for two months or So
wherein man may get full employ and the casn
for it at from so cents to 81 per day-the reman-
der of the year he wi have to work on such terms
as the farmer wishes, except in Winter, when ne
can get no work at all, with better wages than MS
board and lodging.
In answer to application for work have fire.
oueD tv received such answers as the following;
What will you work for You foreigners are
not worth much at iirst, you want learning. What
will Won take for pay Will you take corn, or q
cow. or some hogs, or lumber, srstore goods y or
Lii YOU let your wages lie and will give you
Notel Farmers don't get much money. Farmers
don't like to pay money" Such answers betray
one of two things, either an inability TO pay, which
possibly may be true, or what ia more probable,
desire 10 get their work done as cheap as possible.
C. c. says men will get their work done as cheap
as they can and he asks how you can prevent it.
do not ant to prevent them from doing it as
cheap as they wish it, only let them do IL them.
selves The Freedom OF the Public Lands will
prevent them from getting it done so cheap by
rlheIs and believe there are other means, prac-
tica ones too, which would secure to every man
an equal amount OF labor in exchange tor his own,
and an equal amount of labor to each individual Il
they choose to perform il. Lastly he says II ell
who supply will congregate in one place and glat
the market they must expect to labor Tor low
wages it is natures penalty for them, foolish and
minimizing as they are In their course OF leaving
EMPLOYERS in the country TO suffer for the want oil
that labor which nature has provided. But THIS
condition of things is not natures ordination. Her
ordinance Of supply and demand is this the
wants OF individuals is the demand, and their heads
hands, and the earth are the supply They are forbid
the use Of the earth by law and reduced 20 the CON
diticn OF mental which state OF things Z. z. says
is the ordination of nature. Nature and Divine
Providence are thus made 10 stand god father to
national and popular wrongs. j. H. G.
/ have been told by an acquaintance Of mine whobe
in Illinois that farmers cam dscounl on
such orders saying al the same Time they know how 70
do IT,"