Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1869-07-08
A Voice from New England.

The blacks Of the South, says the New York
Democrat, should now send missionaries to New
England. The bottom rail is getting on top.
A man cannot give away bis dinner and digest
it, nor can New England expect TO be happy
in her garden when she has sent her good peo-
pie far from home to labor in other vineyards.
A writer for the American Workman, en-
ployej IN a mill At Lowell, thus paints with
most accurate truth sat picture. Read it
with care, and see how much Of New England
that giIters Is gold:
Every n:other and father in Lowell
OF Fall River. who dares open the lips, will at
test the truth on that point. We are bound
slaves O. the corporation. Our little children
of SIX and eight years old are obliged TO work
among the flying pickers and wheels, TO clean
aud oi. tie machinery. The rich corporations
cannot afford to let the looms lie idle an hour
at uo0utime. aud give the workers decent time
10 eat food, while the little baby oilers could
clean the machines without such imminent
danger to their lives aud limbs.
There ought % be a statute law, strictly en-
forced, that all the machinery stop at noon two
hours at least ia order that these young white
slaves might DO their work without peril to
limb or HE among the merciieSs engines.
Christian mothers of New England, is our re-
quest unreasonable. Think of your little ones
IN the place Of ours, brought home mangled,
bleeding, diving, because of the rapacity of
miil-owuerS, who value yard of cloth more
than a childs life. Are we bold enough TO
complain or testify what we endure and know
before inquiry commissioners We are re-
fused permission TO work, as our punishment.
That, to YOU might be a small matter; to us,
10 Is in fact a sentence Of death by starvation.
The hours Of our labor are so long, and our la
b1rsO exhausting, We cannot reside far from the
mill the company own all the land and houses
in the vicinity, and we must pay them the rent
by mill orders the only store at which we eau
trade is theirs, and they give 10 trust, but they
viii not pay Us till our wages are overdue at
least one month We must trust them one or
two month work, which we lose if we quit
work, or are discharged because of witness
bearing, laut-6nding, or insubordination. We
must pay the corporation preacher and the cor
poratjun pew-reut, if we never defle our souls
by listening to his pro-Slavery dictum of " SER
wants obey your masters Even the doctor
land too often tue lawyer alsoD, is owned by
the corporation, and we can employ no other,
on pain Of discharge while the corporation pays
bis bill out Of our earnings before it will give
us a penny for food.
D5you say " this picture must be overdrawn,
or you would seek employment in other locali-
tes2'
We cannot VIC are bound hand and foot
with a social chain, harder to break than the
iron letters Of the negro. We, many of us,
were brought up to this labor, and we have no
kgOWlo{ge Of any other branch of business I;
we would be glad to learn any other employ
mcut; but where are the Christian bosses who
viii give us and our children food and shelter
10 return for our ignorant labor in any other
industry
VIII the mechanic who is now striking be-
cause his boss has hired some unskilled or skill
ed hand. who's guilty Of " not having served a
regular apprenticeship to a trade-union shop"
remember that he, too, Is a man and our brother,
and give Us helping hand
win the farmer hire US for what we can
earn. even though lie is obliged to send to the
ends Of tie earth for labor to till the fields?