Weekly Trinity journal., 1857-12-26

The Rights of Labor.

To give our readers some idea of the presen
state of affairs in the eastern cities, we publis
the following from Harper's Wee'ly;
The revulsion il thrilling to the marrow
society. Our streets have been haunted durint
the past week by long professions of men callinf.
themselves the Unemployed Workmen,' ant
crying aloud for Work and Bread.
The immediate occasion of these throngs wa
the failure of u project OF the Mayors for The
distribution of $4,000 barrels of flour among tht
families of the unemployed. The end effected
was to occasion a good deal of alarm among
tmd property holders, and to chill n certain
amount of sympathy that was being felt for the
poor. As general rule the proccssionsts were
Of foreign birth, though some of their leaders
were Americans, and somewhat known In polit-
cal circles.
Of course no good effect could be produced by
professions of angry men through the streets,
crying for work and food. Such demonstrations
could only tend to increase dtstrust, protract the
existing embarrassment. and hence diminish the
quantity of work to be given out among the un-
employed. And least of all could any good ef-
feet be anticipated from such movements, whcnu
they proceed from persons whose citizenship, II
il exist ut ALL is OF very recent dato indeed, aud
when the arguments by which these persons seek
to enforce their demands. and the oratory withor
which they press their wants on public notice,
are precisely the arguments and the oratory.
which are familiar in the mouths OF the worst.
dumagogucs and most mischievouS dlsiurbefs o.
the public peace in Europe. As II practical mea'
sure the demonstrations must be consldercc
wholly ill-advised. m
But ss we cannot expect drowning man'T
actions to be governed by the calm common sens'h
and deliberate foresight which Nctuatcs phloso
piers in the cabinet, must not some allowance b'NI
made for the sulerngs of the unemployed, andN
may moi their professions have been the iruit oNl
feeling rather than calculation Granted thaEN
IL ,roin Inv IA a.
them--while they are starving-to display thql
serene resignation and prudent dcmeanor OF W
Brutus or n Seneca? 4
Perhaps not. Perhaps The men who p0radCdE
our streets last week. calling for work or death
threatening The banks, threatening The Sub /
Treasury, threatening the merchants, had non
design in view. and only yielded on that occa1
sion to the unwise promptings of an agGravstedE
temper. IL this view, we must pity rather than
blame them. But in no view of their conduct
can the public demonstrations Of last week be :
considered without regret. II
in some of the cities of Europe bodies of ope
ratives have occasionally frightened the public
authorities into donatives, or, M at Paris, iato
the creation OF unnecessary work. The lta-t re
friction will satisfy every sane person that no
snch hiumpbs can he won here. Neither the
government nor the wealthy class can he terri
fed into paying money rs the purchase of peace,
If il comes to the worst, in this State, the militia
may he relied on.
But are we to let the unemployed starvc2 BY
no means. OF all the various measures of relief
which have been proposed that Of proceeding Mt
once with the public works which have been de-
cidrd upon appears to he the more practical and
effective. 1t is fixed that W" are to have Il new
City Hall and Central Park, and it il certain
that the work TO he consumed on these would
more than keep all our unemployed busy al
winter 1t is further Obvious that, ut the present
time, all such work could bc done more cheaply
than ut any other. These r, asons seem to point
so imp ratively to the cNpedieucy OF setting
III ont these works at once, that no one cannot but
wonder that steps have not been taken already.
If an act of the Legislature is necessary to raise
The money. why is the Legislature not called to-
gcther? If other Obstacles stand in the way, why
are they not rcmovedS