Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-12-10

WOrkingmen. nod, ot,,o..t
The advocates of a protective tariff have
q good deal to say about the Benefits their
policy Gonfers upon the workingmenH
which is mot surprising, because II the
woTkingmen, should once discover the
truth, that protection robs them, and en-
riches the capitalists only. there, wonld
be no more protectiongf 19''DO ''
The workipgmen Iof this country are
slowly, and at considerable cost to them
selves, learning that protection only in
juFesthem. They have ediscoverf d already.
that by h,protectingo 9the PENNSYLVANIA
iron makers, the whole craft of shipbuild-
ers and enginebuilders, has been injured,
Indeed almost ruined, We have several
TINES pointed out the ptostraton. of the
shipbuilding interest,", Which is the result
Of the High prices of iron and other pro-
tpetedl manufactures. 1.-The NeI0baayport
Herald, giving some account of the hand
some profits made by the, cotton manufac-
|,prers Of that city, lets out, incidentally, a
INSTRUMENTATION. OF Importance to Amer
lean maehinists:V 1s.I d.'U 10 o1.t- ur
The C, ,tton mills in this city have done
good business during the last. half year.
We said some time since Of the Ocean Mill,
that aft-r paying it's dividend it had ten
| per cent. to addtO its reserved funds. On
Tuesday, the Bartlett Mills declared a diVi-
dend OF ten per cent. on their capital of
! $350000, dcllich todS little 0oer one-hdV of the
Leuratngs in sic months. The y dnaeS MtH' IN
the same time has earned some t,oenty eight per.
cent. on its capital of quarter OF a million.
III, however, declared on Wednesday, but
ten per cent, like the Bartlett reserving for
| Improved machinery. We understand that
| il has ten uousgnd dollars lin gOld) aoorth
L ~. If, ID,
| will pass its dividend, though it has earned
ten per cent, and since TIE breakdown
at the close of the war, it has netted full
bfGy Thousand dollars, and is now in fair
way to recover ITSELF" ,....,. Do,
Here are these protectionists, these friends
of American wOrkmen and mecbahies, get
ting their machinery made in England !
That is the way they protect the ma
chinsts of this country. ...... b.
But we read frequently, in the protection
lst journals, that protection" secures good
wages aud comfortable living to American
mechauics aud workmen, at least in the
branches of industry protected. Does it?
The Boston Daily EUeni,lg VOice for No
vember 80 has an article on "Factory
Girls" which shows that, while the manu-
featuring corporations 'are making divi
dends to stockholders from thirty to one
hundred per cent, the girls in the millsare
sadly Overworked, underfed and underpaid,
and at.tle same time subjected to rigOr
of discipline which admits of no relaxation
until nature itself gives way" ... .... ..
The average earnings are stated to be
."about one dollar a day." for which "most
of them toll eleven hours a day." although
some mills have reduced, or are about to
reduce, the time to ten hours. 1t is only
Withit, a Euyv fhat it hos hDon rann.oJ
f ON fourteen hours. They pay for bard
two dollars and twenty-five cents per
week, to which, in Lowell, the factories
add fifty cents a week. Those WHO know
what it costs to purchase provisions
will not be surprised to be told
that 'the clearinghouse keepers can
scarcely make both ends meet;' aud to
learn from "A Factory Girl" that 1--WE
usually have for breakfast hard, sour bis
cult small piece of something called pie,
and miserable tea" AT such price it Is
impossible that the fare should be decently
good. 1t is charged, also, that the paint
and flOorin the rooms of the operatives are
never washed, and they are allowed "only
one clean sheet in two weeks and two
towelsper week for thirty-ffVe boarlers."
Also, "our gas is not turned on until a
quarter before six, so that we have but
three quarters of an hour to wash, put up
our hair, do our chalhberwork and eat
breakfast .i.tH N .ar0f ""- o.. s71a
Then as to discipline, we are told that
everything is done by the tap of the bell,
LII the, morning, three taps of the bell are
given for Starting the engine; and in three
minutes after, the yard gates areIclosed.p
This rule is so rigidly enforced that, "a few
weeks ago,a young woman, after walking
two miles, was shut out because she reached
the yard gate three minutes. too late, and
had to walk back, losing her day. During
the day mo operative must leave the room
in which she is employed, not even if the
machinery stops" and no talking or read
fngis allowed For violating rules forfeit
ureJ Of wages Is the common penalty; ani
1.-TWO weeks notieeJmust be given to leave,
or two weeks wages are forfeited of
course. wages are not paid every week."
as they are earned. ''' 80
Fhis Is how che workwomen of hIassaehu-
sets are protected" by the people oiwho
scream out for "protectiout American in
.dustry," and eall any one hard names who
dares to oppose them. oHsProtection to
American 9industry,T means sending to
England for your machinery half-staEving
and tyrannizing over your workmen and
women, and declaring dividends of thirty,
forty, fifty and a hundred per cent. per an
NJ, V E,,0,,S,,o Dooft \ ID .tT