Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-01-26
THE UIREIINGS OF THE NORTH

We extract from the New York Sun the following live.
y picture of the poyertystrcken condition of the labor
ing classes in the Northern States.
The more value should be attached TO this artless and
natbetc tale of wrong and wretchedness from the fact
that il is the spontaneous ouburst Of heart well nigh
broken by the asperes and brutality Of the serye sys
TEN under which the white slaves of the North eke out
their scanty subsistence;
A SEWING GIRLS APPEAL FOR SEWING GlRLs.-70 the
P,tbHc-We of the many oppressed and down trodden
have from the repeated injustice done to u.s. and to hun
dreds of others by employers in this city, at last deteT
mined TO raise our voice of complaint in the hearing of
the friends of humanity.
Most of the fur dealers and manufacturers of furs in
New York, employ hundreds OF poor girls, TO pre-
mare their goods for sale by lining aud trimming them
in various styles and promise TO pay certain prices
per piece for certain kinds OF work. There are, also
hundreds employed making cloth caps and hoop skirts
who are weekly cheated out OF part OF their earnings
who no doubt are compelled TO submit TO it or II
atemp 10 claim our rights are often nsulted by replies
in coarse language and not unirequently told to
leave if we don't like our pay, &c speak from my ex-
perence particularly OF the fur manufacturers yet
there are few who advertise for sewing girls who do
not in degree pay them OIL IN the same way, as
these fur dealers do.
We. as every one knows, by thousands, in cold
heat rain snow or sleet walk the streets early in the
morning work place, carrying perhaps, in an old
newspaper what call our dinner, often only bread or
at best a little cold meat with bread aBd potatoes and
o'clock in the evening stopping only at to eat our
cold lunch Tor these men who have made and max
ing fortunes from our abors and who besides stinngy
paying u.s. talk though We were what many Of them
seem to be- brutes in human shape.
And here let me say that our slavery and that of
tens of thousands North is far more miserable than is
that of the well fed well clothed and well caredor col
ored slave of the South whose condition we hear 30
much sympathy expressed for even from the pupts and
no doubt oten too, by the very men who oppress Us,
and even cheat Us out of our hard earned shilngs.
New let me assure YOU kind reader that what write
is no picture of the Imagination but is real truth that
have seen and felt have thousands Of other working
girls True YOU will see here and there girl that is
gcnteely dressed making ladyke appearance who, it
may be- is not compelled to pay weekly board having
some relative with whom she lives and hence she gets
along far better than many others. 1t is true, also that
this class of girls come getting the money they
earn than others who make poorer appearance. For
these shrewd money getting men, in their heartesneSs,
oppress those who seem fendless and needy
Yes the very ones that they if they were men with
sou 8 and woshpped any other God than money, should
be most kind and Just TO- if any difference made, al
ways far worse their hands
have in this humble way eudeayored to show some
facts and seek some redress for class that really needs
the sympathy Of every honest heart, though have
only shown drop Of the of injustice that the
working girls Of the city experience weeky,and COM
PEELED to submit to. Alas. How true it is that