The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1860-03-14
Reaping Bitter Fruit.

The strike among the shoemakers of
Massachusetts was on account of the mis-
erably low wages they receive. It's some
what surprising that this large industrial
interest should have gone through the
the panic of 1857, as it did, without any
material loss or detriment, and should
have been reduced TO so low an ebb Just
at this time, when business generally is
recovering from the shock, il then reeeiy-
ed. The causes for this depression, how
ever, and different from the causes that
operated SO injuriously at that time, and
it requires but very little investigation to
discover what they are. The wages OF
the workmen have been reduced to
starvation point, or, as the shoemakers of
Natick express it, TO that point where
"their present compensation for labor falls
'far below the decent requirements of
civilization, forcing many that have
'others dependent on them for support
'to procure dishonest credit or become
common paupers.e The average of their
wages amounts TO but triho over FIVE
dollars per week.
These low rates are attributable 10 two
causes, an overplus Of workmen and the
dropping off Of the southern trade. The
overplus of workmen is occasioned by the
influx of fishermen and others engaged
in pursuits that are mainly suspended in
winter, and who can learn in very short
time to manufacture the inferior articles
that are now sent out from Massachusetts,.
Another fact that has had its influence in
the matter has been the execrable lcgisla-
ton Of the State, which uniformly fayors
capital, utterly regardless Of the laborer.
There is no State in the whole Union
that has so fostered the association Of cap
ital and granted special favors to money
ed corporations as Massachusetts, and
there is no State that has been such
sturdy beggar in the halls of Congress
for general legislation to carry out what
the State had inaugurated. While it has
done this, it always presses hard on the
laborer Massachusetts does much to
educate the tailoring classes, but there is
no State which does so little to protect
these classes from the Entertainments and
despotism of monopolies. The chief cause
Of low wages, however, is to be found in
the withdrawal of southern orders. The
Connecticut manufacturers felt this some
time ago, and held convention 10 de-
wise means to remedy it. The Massachu-
sets shoe manufacturers have sought to
remedy it by cutting down wages, and
we see with what result. The abolition
black republicans of New England have
not been content TO let the South man
age its own labor as it thought best, but
have constantly been agitating and inter
feriug with it, furnishing the money and
the arms for old Browns raid and endors-
ing the infamous doctrines OF Helper, and
endeavoring TO force in their own system
of labor. But this conduct has only had
tho effect TO ALLEVIATE the South, and now
il rebounds upon their own working class
es. The black republicans of New Eng
land are alone responsible for the present
state of affairs in the manufacturing towns.
II has followed from this action as natur-
ally as night follows day, and the worst
is to come yet unless the people of that
section leave off interference with negro
labor in another section of the country,
and do little more for the white labor
at their own doors. The declaration of
Senator WILSON'S own townsmen, that
many of them are forced "to procure
a dishonest credit or become common
paupers," affords the most effectual COM
mentary upon his course and that Of his
fellowa gitators that was ever made. Let
them stop for moment their bowling
about the sleek and woll-to-do negroes at
tho South, and turn their attention to
their starving ncighbors at home.
bet. Free Press.