Litchfield enquirer., 1867-07-25
GEO. A. HICKOX, EDITOR.
Workingwomen.

A lature, almost unanimously, as it had pre- viously passed the Legislatures of many other States, making eight hours labor days work, unless otherwise agreed by spe- cial contract. Scarcely member of that body had any faith in such statute; yet, working men had votes, they demanded the law, and no one dared oppose it. Ger tain small politicians were even. seen de- lending labor most obtrusively when mo- body thought of attacking it, idolizing la- Dor, and practicing ali those arts which courtiers of the populace know as we'll how to employ as courtiers of kings. Such is the consideration those who have ballots invariably receive from those who make laws, in democracy.
 There are, however, certain persons nearly connected with these legislative fa- vorites, who have no ballots, and who, 1t seems to us, are treated quite differently. The wives of those very workingmen who are contending with their employers for only eight hours labor, in many, perhaps most cases, commence work at five every morning, continue it without cessation all day, annoyed besides with the care of young children, and finally drop exhausted into their beds at nine in the evening, to rise half refreshed to the performance of their sixteen hour tasks on the following day. Nor must we forget that for them Sun day is no day of rest, nor How often their eight hours of sleep are broken by the care of infant children. Nor is this the case with the wives of laborers and mechanics alone, but often with those of farmers and men of considerable property: In short, no one, who has paid any attention to the subject, doubts that most married women in Connecticut work many more hours than their husbands, and that too in confined and overloaded atmosphere, which makes hard labor infinitely more injurious.
 That our young married women, espe- cially, are seriously over-worked, we have abundant evidence. We seldom see me1f who have been injured by too hard la Dor. The physical man of thirty-five IS not inferior to the physical man of twen- ty A little less active, perhaps, he has equal strength, and more endurance. In what physical condition, on the contrary, do we find the young woman, mar ried at twenty by the time she reaches thirty-fve? In the majority of cases bro- ken in health and impaired in constitution the sickly mother of sickly children and that too, by excessive work. The middle-aged farmers wife, or mechanics wife, who is @ healthy woman, is we firmly believe, an exception to the general rule. This early decay of American women IS common topic of remark, and we have heard every possible explanation given for it. from the use of the air-tight to the d1s- use of the hand-loom but the over-work of generations that has contributed so largely to, if it has not caused such 8 re- suit, is not consideration on which men find it pleasant to dwell. How very serl-
 
 young married women is becoming, we can appreciate when we are told, with much appearance of truth, that the old Puritan stock is dying out-that we are entirely dependent on the emigrant for the slight increase of population which New England shows.
 Here, then, is exactly the chance for the husbands, fathers and brothers who com pose our Legislature, to show that jealous regard which on the Conservative theory, they are supposed to feel, for the interests of their wives, daughters, and sisters. Yet we have not heard from them word in condemnation of the practice which allows working women to labor nearly sixteen out of twenty-four hours; while the working ma,s finds friends among them in embar- rassing abundance; friends who are over whelmingly solicitous that he should work only eight hours per diem, alleging that he needs time for study, for recreation, per haps for helping an over-tasked wife, al- though we never recollect to have seen that reason advanced. How different also is the tone of legislator in speaking of the rights of the working-man, from that in which he speaks of the rights of women! Towards the former he is respectful-al- most submissive; the mere mention of the latter, on the contrary, moves a horde of heavy witted Conservatives to laughter, to attempts at fun, which accomplish only in- suit; while the gay and festive Waller gives them mock support, in style which may pass for wit with those engaged in the dreary work of legislation, but which reads poorly enough in print
 The reason for this difference of treat ment is obvious; the working-man has a vote, while the working g-woman has not. Not because men oppress women of malice aforethought; on the contrary, they have legislated much in their behalf during the past twenty years, but because human nature isso very slow to see and appreciate wrongs