The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-03-29

To Hon. J. P. Benjamin, Secretary Of State,
Richmond, Va.
N. B.-See the Secretary of War CIr.
seddon) touching YOung's case.
Social Equality in Massachusetts.
While our National legislators ar e
engaged investigating the situation of
affairs on Southern cotton plantations,
let us for one moment glance at the
situation of affairs in New England
cotton manufactures. The vast profits
with which those manufactures are en-
riching their owners has been the sub
ject of common report In many in
stances during the last year the manu-
facturers net profits have amounted to
Siry per cent upon the capital invest
ed. But while this river of wealth has
been steadily flowing into the Golfers
of the cotton lords, the cry has gone up
that the operatives in the cotton mills
are overworked, underpaid, and made
to suffer under a combination of evils
such as no human owner ever inflicted
upon his black slave. The Legislature
of Massachusetts,, owing to the public
attention directed to the subject by
such journals as the Boston Voice, and
the various trades unions in the State,
appointed a commission TO investigate
facts and report their opinion as to a
remedy. Without word of criticism
let US simply republish the testimony
taken at random from the terrible ar
ray of facts brought before the COM
mission.
Henry Jennings, of New Bedford,
stated as follows
"There is q considerable number of
cases Of children kept away from
school. They are employed in almost
all kinds of labor. Some girls have
been employed as young as seven. One
man who has, l believe, three sons,
aged respectively eight, ten and twelve,
told a gentleman of our city, who
asked him if it did not go hard with so
youg child to rise so early in the NOR
ming that sit was very hard thing
for the little fellow at the beginning,
but that he got more used to it now,
and stood it pretty we'll
A letter from Sudbury states that at
the factory in Assabet, partly in that
town, eleven hours are required, and
that children were at work there who
should be at school.
Robert Bowers, of Lawrence, stated:
"There is great number of children,
from twelve TO fifteen years Of age, who
work at night The majority of those
who do night work are under eighteen
years of age. The statute prohibiting
the employment of children under
twelve years of age is constantly vio-
lated in the Lawrence Mills"
The annexed is the testimony Of T.
J. Kidd, of Fall river The picture of
New England ''overseers" drafting ten
| der children from the schools to labor
eleven hours day in the cotton mill, is
surely fitting one to place by the side
of that other picture which so many
Jew England philanthropists have
drawn of the cruelties and barbarities
/ of another class of Overseers in another
section of the Republic The latter is
now, happily, done away; shall its
twin relic" of barbarity IN New Eng
land, here portrayed, be suffered TO re-
main without word Of protest from
the spokesman of human rights and hu-
man freedom2 Mr.. Kidd testified as
follows:
Question Did you know that there
was statute against the employment
of such children2
Answer. There has been some talk
about it Only among few working
men.
Q. You have a school committee.
Have you ever made any representa-
tions to them
A. Don't suppose word was ever
said to them about it.
O. Was there ever any one who tried
to cause the children TO be sent to
school
A. Not since the old man Robinson
died
. Why do not the parents send
them 10 school2
A. Small help is scarce; q great deal
of the machinery has been stopped for
want of small help, SO the overseers |
have been going round to draw the
small children from schools into the
mills; the same as a draft in the army.
Q Do ! understand that agents go
about to take children out of the
schools, and put them into the mills
A. They go round to the parents and
canvass them. This produces nothing
but misery and crime. | have looked |
into il more the last year than before. |
The boys and girls are ell mixed up to-
| gether, from seven years up 10 thirteen, |
and are entirely deTnoralized. One de- |
moralizes the other. They get so that
they don't care for their employers or |
/ their parents The next thing they |
say Is, 81 won't york can 20 round |
| the streets of Fall River in the aight /
\ sud pick up boys who are staying away |
/ from home, and who won't work be- |
cause they are so demoralized 1t all |
/ comes from their not having school |
/ ing. You saa attribute it TO no other |
cause.
Is any more needed7 Here is an |
other morsel from queries Of the same |
sort Mr.. John Weld, of Fail River, |
said:
] don't knoU as have any more !
I TO say. except that have too little boys, /
one eleven and the other about eight /
and half ] am no scholar myself, |
| because ! have always been working
/ in the mill, and | am sorry for IL l |
don want my children brought up in
the same way. / wish 10 get them 70 |
work a little less hours, SO that can |
send them TO night school / want, if |
possible, 20 get s law so that they can
90 to school, and know how TO read and
write theif names,
@. Do they work in the Hill
A. have been forced to send them |
in. l3g eHrirqs lCoHid not k65p lie door
cr1l. had to send them in TO help
( ne earn q living They are getting
pretty big, and ihey Wsnt deal OF
! clothing. and 7 coEa not g.t u OIL gf ~
ssrniBgF. wish to get shorter hours
am willing to loose those extra hours
for the good Of my children.
q Do the children work by the day 7
4. By the asT.
q How old are the children
A. Seven and eight
Q Have you child OF seven work
! ing in the mill :
A. Yes, have.
| q You have only two children work
ing in the mill7