Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-01-31

that the average amoant Of wages was forty
millions Of pounds sterling, while the rental
OF land was forty-two millions. At that
rate Of wages the laborer was able 10 pro-
cure, by his own industry, only half the
quantity Of food that was considered BY
medical men of the greatest eminence As the
minimum amount that can be safely kiven
for the support Of criminals; and il has
often been observed that at certain seasons
Of the year crimes are committed for the
sake OF obtaining the food and shelter Of a
prison. as the English, since the DAYS Of
! Howard, have been growing Ea0re and more
humane to their criminal population. /
once heard radical speaker, who was adj
dressing a crowd Of poor men in Manchos-
| ter, say: / was ,rclly cieHid before thew sent
me to prison in coach, and then | got fat
Since 1861 there has been a rise of from one
| TO two millions in the wages Of labors, but
am not able to say what the average is nov.
The following rather extraordinary case.
headed, I" The Problem Of LIFE appeared
in the Times few weeks ago:
John Crsss las,erer, was charged be-
fore the County Justices Of Winfofne with
stealing hurdle, value sixpence. the pro-
perry Of Mr.. Thomas Martin. The prisoner
pleaded guilty. He said that he hal worked
about four and twenty years for Mr.. Bart
lett. He had wife who had lately been
confined, and seven children wholly incapa-
Bile Of doing any thing for themselves. There
were, therefore, nine OF them 70 live on seven
shillings per week. They were in starving
condition; and as they had nothing to burn,
he took the hurdle. The bench asked wiefh-
er seven shillings a week WIS all the wages
/ he had. Prisoner replied that be received
eight shlilings a week wages, but had TO pay
one shilling per week hoase rent; this
brought II down to seven shillings per week
for nine persons TO live ON. In reply 70
other questions, prisoner said that he had tut
work occasionally, when there was any for
him, bat he had only one week of tut-work
since harvest, when he earned one shilling
extra. MIR. Bartlett, being in the town, was
sent for. He admitted that the prisoner was
first-class laborer, and that when he work.
ed by the day he gave him only eight shil-
ings per week, but he LEI him have his
matching and other tut-wosk, including
hedging. Prisoner said that the whole Of the
hedging last winter was seventy lugg. Itwas
true that he got a pound or two extra dur
ing last harvest, but that went for Let Of
little things they required besides mere food.
He aked his master If it was not true that
all he had earned over eight shillings per
week since harvest was one shilling. Mr..
Bartlett said he did not recollect; he gave
him all the tut-work he had. The bench
sentenced the prisoner to fourteen days hard
labor Weymouth Telegram.
Since the appearance of that paragraph,
upwards of l00pounds have been forward
ed to the editor for John Cross, and the
Magistrates have received well-merited
castigation from the newspapers all over the
country.
At present there is unusual prosperity in
Great Britain, bat when the usual channels
of trade and commerce are interrupted. rs
they were during the recent American war.
there is an amount of restitution and dis
tress among the lower classes of people
which it is very painful to contemplate.
Even in times of prosperity six or seven
millions Of pounds are raised annually in
poor-rates, and half as much in private
charity to keep the people from starving,
but this does not suffice TO meet the evil:
for ever an anon, misery and starvation. in
their most hideous forms, obtrude them
selves upon the public gaze, SO that it is ex-
ceedingly painful for any one unused to such
scenes to pass through the pent-up narrow
streets and pestiferous courts and alleys in
which these plague spots Of British civiliza-
ton are found. In London, the richest city
in the world instances of starvation by hun
ger and cold may be counted every winter
by the thousand. The courts and alleys of
that mighty city swarm with armies of UNI
paid men and women-John Cross town
relatives-who are obliged to work for any
thing their employers choose to give, for II
one Should refuse to labor az the low rate of
remuneration offered, another is ready 10
pounce upon it with the avidity with which
a hslfstarved dog seizes a bone
In this week of rejoicing from one end Of
England to the other, on account of the adj
vent of the Worlds Messiah, while Others
In the great metropolis are reveling in the
enjoyment of all the comforts and luxuries
that the wealth Of the world will afford, we
are told by the city missionaries thai in the
Clerkenwell district there are poor widows
who can barely earn shilling week, and
whose usual weekly fare is FIVE penny-worths
of bread, two pounds OF potatoes and six
OF groceries. This arises partly
from the vicious habits and misfortuncs Of
the sufferers, but mainly from the glutting
of the labor market by the extraordinary
attractions Of the great metropolis. Il would
be well if large sumbers Of the vast popu-
lation Of London and its vicinity could be
induced to remove to the Southern States Of
America, to occupy those extensive tracts Of
land described in the Richmond Times Of
the u instant, and others transferred to other
rising empires of America and Australia [;
for the earth is still wide enough to supply
homes and provision for all its
and social science must be
greatly at faultso long as these scenes Of mis-
cry are found in close proximity with the |
prosperous and happy abodes Of British lard |
may not add American civilization. a
ASGIo-AMERIcAS.