The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1867-11-30
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FROM ASTORIA, L.

To the Editor Of the woxkuaMlx's Advocate.
During The past week | made il my busi-
ness 10 attend Que Of the meetings Of the
Social Science Association, which was held
at the corner Of Fdth sAvenue and Twenty
second street, and heard the remarks Of Mr..
Godkin on Cooperation, and also the noble
appeal Of Mrs. Dali for proper accommoda-
tons for ths femase iaborers Of our cities. A
citizen from the State which has lately con-
demned women and children to toll sixty
hours per week, made some remarks in ans
wer 20 the lady above mentioned, aad the
sitting closed with short and humorous
effort from Eerator Wilson Of Massachusetts,,
who prefaced his address by stating that he
had not given his attention 70 the subjects
previously under discussion. tast
Al the debate was NOT thrown open, il was
impossibsets state the. position taken by
workingmsa in the matter, and it was not
pleasant 70 your correspondent to see the
learned members set up their wooden soldiers
TO oyerthros them. Considerable unneces-
sAry cant about bsue6ttipg the producing
classes might hare been spared, had friends
Reed or Jcssup attended and been permitted
to put the case rightly before these geatle-
men. Il is PITY thss they will not under
stand that the cod and aim Of NIL labor move
ments is simply to secure to agricultural,
mechanical, and intellectual producers the
proceeds OF their I'll, and If The non-laborers
Of society would only keep their hands of
other mems good, the producers would be
well satisfied. True, the trick ia neatly and
legally performed b. ubiquitous land and
money laws, welded into false system OF
political economy, which, in its more import
ant features will not bear to be measured BY
It's own rules
During the sitting, nm attack was made
upon Trades Unions, and Of course, the
Sheffield cases were cited, although previous
" Mr.. Godkin, in his paper on Cooperation,
had told the meeting that In Sheffield be
found the wages Of working girls lower than
at any other place be had visited in his Eu
ropean travels. Tint an employer there, to
whom he put the question, admitted that
they were quite inadequate 70 support life,
and hat in nine cases cat Of ten, girls there
eked out their livelihood by crime What
can be expected from the sons Of mothers
insructeded by the stern pressure of the
fslse wages system mt present obtaining
SareIy that is the true cause Of such out
RACES, and'not Trades Unions which are only
The outward Indications OF the fever raging
beneath. It Is useless 10 argue against the
rights Of men to form associations in this
conntry, though fear 10 England that the
government WIN endeavor to dissolve them
oy what they call law, md compel d man 20
lake what wages insolyent msmmon pIeases
to oGcr, without permtting him to ask his
benchmasc if IL be proper return for biz
labor; for If Trades Unions be wrong, it Is
wrong fwn man % speak TO his neighbor On
such subjects, FOR that would be forming
Trades Union Of twJfncn. Bat LET US hope
that the time il fast approaching when the
mss Of mankind will dictate terms, instead
% being dictsfsd CD w. NC least, their numer-
zeal interiors, and that in the words once
falsely spplist ~ Jshn' O.. Calhoun, win be
made 70 "a nm the future, viz. that f" He who
earns pr0auss, - = true title TO II before
The universe, only t9Fgovernment can touch
:. a y. !. th.s only \ as proper extent q it.
BEFORE coseluding, 4 desire to add, that
one old gentleman rnzjlNA4woFthY onslaught
on that genuine foe a laeor, the credit sys-
TEN, and convinced your correspondsnt. a.
least, that that there,is much truth Ia the
oldfvdlsn adsze, viz go That the root Of 4
\ gr&y hair " WISDOM" IT. The writer. this
speech tasted like lump OF sugar ii the
bottom Of y cup pf very indifferent ten, and
ANDY repaid llis uonbIe Ne had taken ~
attend the meeting. IL Is 10 be hoped. that