Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-04-03
NOMINATIONS BENEFIT rnL
WORKING CLASSES!

WOhhiNt tLASStS.
Some modern writers, more
fond Of rhetorical embeIlish nent
than OF patient investigation, have
asserted that the introduction o.
new tools and machines into the
arts naturally results in depreci-
niInS the moral and social con'li
tlon OF the operatives themselves
These theorists have depicted
seppo-ititious cases wherein the
skIlful craitsmIl, Is represented a,
standing nourufully amid his IN
med prospects, ragged, iamished
and altogether in a pIfable state
OF mind and body; these mise ie>
being incident upon the introduc
ton Of tools to suppl,nt manual
labor. No importance can be at
tached to such statements, If in
deed they should be dignified
with any notice whatever; the,
are wholly imaginary a ID can.
not lie supported by a parti ie o,
evidence. II, IN the contrary,
We look on the opposite side Of
the shield ii We consider how
tar mankind are benefited In hlv.
ing their hard work performed
ior them by marhlnery--we sbtll
lind that we hive some ground
worth surveying aud sore facts
and featcres hitch are 40. thy oi
attention.
- Where enc person was employ
. ed ferperiv by tn. d,y's work at
manual labor, twenty are now
hired; Instead OF one person bci y
dIscharged Lecause new inven
ton made his or her labor value
less, dozen are III request to q h
after The tools that have Leea nitro
duced TO do the work better and
quicker. Ii we are acked Tor a
proof OF this assertion, We my
take at random the mills IN the
CITY OF Lowell. In 1872, thcre
was but one mill IN that pla 4
for the manufacture of cotton
cloth. Since that time there
have been upwards OF SIXTY fac
tories built and put in operation
20 supply the demand tor the tab.
rlc in question. What caused
this increase? The demand Tor
cotton goods, primarily; but how
could that demand have been sat
ishej except by the invention OF
+. the power-looD; or by what agen
cy, other than the great popular
call tor cheap stutfs, filled by the
substitution of ma, hines Tor man
uaI labor, would those long rows
of mills, the pride OF the East rn
States. have arisen so rapidly
Look al the thronging thousand,
that now fill the streets nf our
Cotton spinning towns, aud CON
pare them with the few who
were seen there IN the darker
ages when tools were conpira
lively unknown, and we have the
strongest evidence that the IN, en-.
ton of this one machine (the
power loom) has immea>urabl.
increased the demand Tor work
people.
Ii is not, however, in the case
OF the cotton spinlers alone tn IA,
We my trace a decided gun to
the community in the substitution
OF machinery Tor slower an
more tatIguing manu- Al processes.
lr the sewing machine 'naauiic-
tories and In the product OIL oil
watches by mashlnrry We have
the anplest proo.s lh It We are
extrsvag 'nt-that when we say
inventions benefit the workin-
el,sses, We only repeat ia Is thai
are substantis,ed 10y every day
experience There .re not ONLY
more mechanics employed now
than formerly, but tn re are more
wages eirued by each man IN II
there were years aso, and the.
social standinsis also mu h bet
t.: than b-toge the age OF una
chinery. The sewing ma h ne
mandatory at b I'd gep1rt, CJal.,
is an example OF he system oI
producing mach, ne.y by ma. hin-
ery; the watch ia tory u Wal
than, Mass, Is aqothe,; AMI We
assert, e'nphatl caIl,. tht We
have never seen a rlaSS OF work
men who were uIor- intelligent
welI-to do, and energetic than ran
bsseen at those places. These
manufactures have tools for near.
ly every conceivable purpose;
but even machinery, no :eyes