Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1859-03-18
Whlte Slavery IN Now York. .

The following which we extract from the local column
of the New York Tribune affords painful illustration
OF the suerngs of the poor of that city, and will enable
the reader to contrast their miserable condition with that
of the welLclothed weld welprotected secure happy
and contented slaves of the South
1.-TWO CENTS APIECE FOR MAKING MEMS CAPs.-Gur
attention has been recently called to several cases of
treme suffering. few days since the Superintendent
OF the House of industry in visiting among the poor
children Of his charge, called upon one widow woman
Mrs. G who then lived at No. 10 Mulberry street.
She has too fine little girls who attend the House School
Attention particularly called to their circumstances
by the mother applying for aid to pay her rent. She
had disposed of every article of household furniture that
could be pledged to exc out miserable existence and
keep her little family together. We found her, said
the visitor, :" hard at work. making boys black cloth
caps gmed with braid, and bow and buttons lined,
with gs1ed muslin and washeather and with patent
leather front for the making and pressing of which she
received taco Sngs per doeen or taco cents aptece-
did not believe it, and asked to see her passbook 1t
was true In good times she said, used to get
three and sixpence dozen but the price is redu-
ced' Save US from such grasping tradesmen and from
the necessity that makes families dependent upon them
She had pledged the bed from under herself and children
the trock from of her back and by close application
working from early light till dark she could not afford
candle) with such assistance could give her in
the way of bread she had laid away the money for her
rent just due. 10 add little to her store she rad re-
ceived another woman into her room as lodger.
carried with her all the poor widows hard earned rent
and she could find trace of the thief The agent was
nneXorable, and though SOBER honest woman, told
her she must go out unless the rent was paid What
could she do If turned out here she had means to
pay the "advance" las rent in advance is termed in
another house TO 60 into the street for the night was
misery and to sleep with her little girls in the Station
House almost certain death to them. In
her extremity she applied to her friends at the House
industry. Please to lend me three dollars, and will
strive and repay fast as [ can" How long would
the poor mother strive to spare three dollars out of such
wages? With all her eXertions she could barely earn
ten singS per areek! Her rent was paid her children
schooled, fed and clothed from the House Of Indusy
and honest is aided in her efforts to keep her
self and children from becoming paupers. The specimen
cap is in possession of the Superintendent This is but
of many of hard vssage destituton that
to them daily. Have any of readers dollar to send
to aid in relief Of such weauthenticated of need
Or perhaps somebody has dollar to give to the liberal
tradesman who pays two cents apiece for making caps
Was ever Southern slave reduced to the extremity
of this poor white mother of two fine little girls ?"
Is it within the range of possibility that even the mos
helpless and worthless slave that ever had master
could be placed in such desperate cruel heartcrushing
condition? Certainly not. And yet the editor of thu
Tribune, that prince of abolition phanthropiss, ex
claims, Save us from such grasping tradesmen, anC
from the necessity that makes families dependent them
Aye, the necessity that makes families dependent upo
them. If he half the philosopher that he pretend
to be, he would know that wherever the institution
slavery does not exist the necessity which he deplore
must e1l In every community menia and inferior Ia
bor must be performed In free communities the poo
are forced to perform it for such wages as will barrel
sustain life In the free States capital and labor hav
identity of interest but the contrary are anagc
nistic. At the South labor and capital are identified
and interest and humanity 60 hand in hand to promot
the security protection and happiness Of those who SUP
Ipy the place of the inferior laboring classes.
Mere charity cannot relieve the wants of the thou
sands of poor shirt-makers and cap-makers OF Ney
York, who wearing their lives out in misery, ant
hunger, and rags, and shame, for the mere crust ha
keeps body and soul scarcely together Southern be
nevolence might be invoked for their aid. We wouC
ask for the name of the "grasping tradesman ~ VIII
pays the poor widow two cents apiece for making hi
caps. But as Lockaday says, human nature is hu
man nature the merchants Of the South have no inter
est in the labor of the North and in all probability lh
knowledge of the fact that the Irbunes capman get
his caps made for two cents apiece which would enabl
him to sell cheaper than the manufacturer who pays bet
ter wages, would only secure for him larger share
the trade. We repeat, human nature is the same tn
world over and the philosopher who does not make sell
interest and common the basis of his philanthropy
must continue to theorze and speculate in vain for th
amelioraton of human society.-SaU. En-. Neucs.