The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-05-29
FROM CALIFORNIA.
ADDRESS or THE MECHANICS STATE
COUNCIL.


Ihe following address, which -has f.-t
been issued Ply this body, q the working
men and women Wy lhe United states ar4
Europe yI.ctuaiiy exposes the ~ uis sought
" ts perperrated Nd lhc gulub.e by the so-
called Labor Exchange,
Where's, At institution swing Itself t.
California Labor Exclans-. 7" has issued 7.
circular setting forth ts J1s.u-s. flr ldeiaat
year, showing q class 81 'ac-.. a1l some
things which are not facts, iur tIe purpose uf
inducing emigration tl this c.a-t There
fore, Che Mechanics State Council or C4u-
i0ruI1, representing very large majority uI
the mechanic, ana macy other .ah0r.nz mar
IL tte STATE, With = view " protecting Ua
.abou1g classes NJ Europe ARIA other parts
MA the State, from the Injurious effects or
such partial ali Ona-sjtei statements. uru-
Semi the following factz f1r lhg careful a.u-
siderat'n of those inread.a. lo emizra.a t5
CaiI1raa.
Constant employment which &. -l general
Llrops and the elder States of the liaa.
is SOMETHING almost unknown uplu ..s
coast. This arises from several causes.
Hers, t4ere are b1t very fev manufRrt1rIa-
Oi AMY nd the building 1f railroad. aul
other public work is exceedingly hm.tef-
and capital demands such a h " rate 8r i..-
Jerest, that when piece D' work is -um
manced it iS pushed On completion az ,lHr
AZ possible tlat the money invested mlr
commence paying Tuis makes a constant
change f employment ami mp'1var- -xh MOI
one piece 80 work IS done. t.e lablrer .r
mechanic may Nv several weeks 1l expense
before employment can he procured. Etrm
hands are subject W. a similar 1855 UT trne.
for tne reason that three -f0urths M tne flrn-
ing 20 this coast consists Odd wleat-ra. SIM.
Nhen sufficient rain has fallen IVY tlg ilIl er
early winter, tne farmer .eeI large num
ber M hand. t0 prepare the saH ami pl. ia
the crop THIS may occupy three month";
BOt more after which uJt more than one
fourth of the hands are required until bar
vest ume-a period NY f1ur months during
which time lab0rers must wander Oh, wi.n
their blankets GA their backs, 60 seek Other
employment, ana vi thcy wv employtaur.
during bali ile interval between saad timn
and harvest, thy deem themselves fortunate
In harvest tIme transient hands set extra
wages-say two dollars ann half DER day
which term docs not usually exceed eizt, rr
nine weeks, when transient Farm hand, mu.t
shonl Ter their blankets and seek employ
ment elsewhere. Mechanics III cities arI
towns are also Suti wy ~ much loss of um
Their wages and time worked, and their sN-
penSes, are determined with a iair degree IVY
accuracy, from consultation with indwlil-
Al and an examination or tla book, of tha
Mechanics Labor Eycha1g. from which the
following are obtained
Average va4ss NJ An CLASSES 1f me-
Avrrage uuub4r "A day worked. rar
Total receipts io- wages par annum. 500 .a
House rent per month"; sit
+" (" Dat anuum SII3 0l
Cost of living 9r uur psr-lns per
annlmt 42lUH
Clothng ls1oo
Total expenditure, per aunuu. ST.
Margin. pu
Single men chm, hy practicing strict l-
nomy, ive for about SO pet month, OF s+-J
per annum. When proper allowance wv
made for clothing, their yearly savings wilI
not exceed those Of mechanics Or lahnrers n
other parts W.T. the Uaited States Tut WV Y.
cruel part Nh tha circular i~snel by the 'tCl-
hiornla LABOR Exchange,' Is the atteml. Cd
induce the emigration w females There 4re
upon che books Of the "N0man's C0-op.rA-
I've Union" nearly six hundred applicants
for employment thAt cannot bg Supplied.
neither Is their any probability 0f thetr M.
tanning work for some time % come. R5
the statement IVY the circllar referrgI tU. IVY
would be inferred that tha demand f1r IanIr
a greater than the supply; for Instance, .u
a number VI orders for women, more Rre lr-
terel than furnished. Tho seeming Aefa.-
ency IN al such cases Is more shan supplied
from large class w persons who make d-
rect application tO employees Ii In estimated
that there are fifty .uvusand Cinnamon uDon
this coast, aud That tley ARE employed upon
nearly all the railroad work, % the exclusion
Of white men ana Il i a common thing,
throughout this State. f1r Cinnamon to be
employed a. cooks, chamber boys, house
servants, nurses, Gs. The rates ~ wags
paid them are les than t0 white girls, aui
II this growing custom increases As FAST f0r
Tie mex ten years az u has ior the last VI ye
white girls must work f0r a mere SUBJ .iat-
enee, or give their places % the Monaghan.
In reference to farming lads, Il wv lct
this coast contains SOM VI the finest a-ri-
cultural ands ia lhs world There arc other
facts also, which should IVY known as w..i
Nearly All che lands of this State not already
oceupe By settlers, arc claimed bs sp-cu'a-
tors, under Mexican grants 81 other ttles,
who refuse 10 scll for les than from ten to
twenty dollars per acre. Il IS very signi-
ficant fact that ore w thc trustees 0l tlis
same California Labor Exchange 0Ehs tw1
hundred Thousand acres, which cost nim one
dollar ana quarter IS than Two wears g0,
anj NG.ch he now refuses W ssl tl tne nc-
tnal settler for less than hve % twenty dol
lars Pc- acre.
The number 81 persons employed nm sat
forth BY the circular referred %, n "a cuIated
u mislead. Many persons are eu Logged
only f0r A few days and discharged they
relurn 70 the Exchange and are employed
again. ana thus the sane person may be
emPl. ed many timea ~ che course of "A .ew
weeks
The Mechanics State Council ha- uy
no means t1 discourage a reasonable fm STA
ton 10 this coast On the CONTRARY, ~ =
desired, but only ia a sufficient number t1
meet the Just demands 0f capital, to devaii IN
tbs resources o. the couotry =. fast A. re-
muneratve market II supplied, anu Hlthout
4 injury TO the migrants themselves, snd M All
the producing classes Of the Pasihe S'ates.
4 Persons receiving this circular, re rc-
K quested TO ask lis Publication ~ the heWs-
papers Of their nelghblrnoed, ana W. re4 est
Y he newspapers every where " give lt an an
\ sernOn.
I Published by order az TIE council.
\ IA. M WISS, Presidslt.
w. D DELANY, Seereilrg.
San FRAScIsco, April 10, 1869.