New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-04-09
Labor and Machinery.

Labor and Machinery.
A thoughtful laborer for wages a. sends
as an account he finds current in the Jour
mails of the rapid progress Of Printing BY
Machinery, as illustrated by single cheap
daily newspaper. That paper now prints
4s,475 sheets Tor lOl reams) per day, which
it is enabled by rapid machinery to Dc from
ore set of types, whereas, if obliged to use
the Hand-Press Of former days. it would
be obliged 70 set up its type trenty.nine
times over for each daily edition, employing
sl2 compositor instead of barely %, and
Il6 pressmen instead Of some ten or twelve
only. HereupOn our correspondent COM
ments as fellows:
Mr. GREELEY: twill be seen by the above, which
quote merely as convenient text to illustrate the
matter in hand, that in establish nsnt difference
10 made of nearly quite nine hundred men,
sequence Of the invention or improvement Of ma
chinery " hich has taken place within Q less time
than the last Is years. from the number il would
have been necessary to have employed TO prosecute
the Same amount OF business had no sueh progress
been made. The Same IL true, l suppose, to an
equal extent, OF The Tribune ana other journals Of
l2YRe Clrcul6uon. Ip6 e1m0-l o., TIE GdrmrK en-.
er0aehrnsnf wh,cA machinery rs every day making
Hhat has heretofore been performed by kaan muscles
slons-s pct peculiar 10 sny one plsnsh VI employ.
men... The restlsis inquiry and Invention OF the
present 10 rapidly and surely intrudns iron muscles,
which do not become hungry, or experience the do.
preston of low wages and consequent low fare,
into every department Of human industry, GRO wding
out and setting adrift thousands Of the industrious,
to seeh new aid untIied means Of subsistence from
which soon again to be driven, BY what many OF
them have come to look upon AZ their grestest most
perseveIiBg and relentless enemy machinery.
WHITTIER, would thoughtfully ana anxious
ly ask, do these facts, which stare US N the
face from every quarter, tendi What Is Sheir
miehty signihcsncy The unprecedented In
crease OF the most cunningiy adapted, durable and
in gleat part the woIk heretofore done by us-Ihs
laborers-and on the other hand, the sure and GER
tain increase of that most reliable portion OF hu.
their muscles, and whose hope OF bread for then-
selves and children is In the performance TO large
extent Of that same labor thus snatchsd from BY
the onsplins OF invention What wonder that the
the ply steal force which God has given him. or the
mechanic who plies bis trade, should staEd ashast
and feel his heart sink within him - he 10 forced
from his legitimate occupation, to another and still
another end al last 6nds his employs altogether
htful and uncertain, from The number of his fellows
driven TO the same condition a. himself His labor
Is truly a drug IN the market" and stern necessity
IL fast putting him. 1t has not already wholly at
the mercy OF capital. could not but sadly ponder,
AZ one while watching the nicely adjusted move.
ments Of cheap engine, which had elected him and
for years he had obtained livelihood for themselves
aud families, significantly observed to me that "ths
best thing that could be done with that thing would
be to break TO pieces ana pitch II out Of the win
dow" They saw wood about town now when they
can get 1t to do a. the machinery which they have
In such successful Operations in Chicago and some
duoed here. Their Daughters. too. who have, till
within SIX month back. had work al % so per week
In the factories, are now out OF employ. This, you
know. 10 bus one OF countless similar illustrations
which TAKE place every day In posr families . H.
We have thus allowed our friend 70 state
his whole case Though he only submitted
it that we might comment on its substance,)
and We now solicit his attention to some
thoughts by it suggested.
Why does our friend 90 back only to the
Hand. Press to exhibit the disastrous effects
Of Machinery on the interests of Labor!
The Hand. Press itself is labor-savmg
machine of immense capacity-far more SO
in its day than the Pswer.Press which Is
new extensively superseding it. It threw
wholly out of employment and reduced to
absolute destitution thousands upon thou
sands Of skillful, accurate, admirable pen
men who had given the best years Of their
lives TO acquire skill in profession or pux-
suit which the Press almost extirpased.
To be at all consistent, H. must demand,
net the destruction Of the Pewer-Press
only, but Of al Pointing or Copying Presses
whatever.
'Ah! but then there could be no news
papersr-Nsy; that does not follow. Kos
suth's first gazette was not printed, but
carefully prepared abstract Of the sayings
and doiDgs Of the Hungarian Diet, whereof
copies were made by scribes for general
diffusion. There have been many such In
stances Of Imprinted journals.
well; there could be no such journals
as We now have No, nor could there be
without the Power Press. We could not
afford such paper az The Tribune new il
for four times its present price If We were
obliged to print it on Haad-Presses In
fact, no such paper could be supported Of
Ill.
The mbsisting truth, then, must b &C.
eepted and looked fairly in the face. The
mountain viii act come to Mahomst; he
must g to the mountain. Tks sxistsncs
and rapid progress Of Mschinssy y : fast
which canned - - saids; H. vosld Win
~ saaast 3 backward; naehiassy sas.