The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-10-02

general public. CsnonG irdlesto0 has brcaghs
il forward In q most unplsasans way Cor the
farmers and landlords, esd s0onest other
things We have had csgtain pasiianentary
eDquiries. whieh fpe The credit a Old Eng
hand it is to b hoped are not red BY ont
siders. or coufss, - discouEsed In section
Of the British Association, Tie eooditioo Of
the peasantry IL quite different. In the
eyes Of our country gentlemen the fields Of
England are spaces OF paradise with little
less sun and tTile more sin than was to be
found il the original habltstinn Of our race
before the frst couple Tell. However, when
I tell you that in the sixth report Of the
Ohildren's Employment Commission, where
the organize agricultural gangs IN L,ncoln-
shire, Huntingdonshire, Oambrdgesnire,
Norfolk, Suffolk, and Nottinghamshire are
reported on by gentlemen appoi ted for the
purpose by the Queens Mosl Excellent Ma
jesty. You will fnd statements in regard
to the condition Of our agricultural laborers,
particularly their children, % horrible a. 70
be almost incredible. You and your read
ere will agree with me that no time should
be lost b. the artisans Of the msnufac, uring
districts in sending amongst them meo who
shall speak to them Of their wrongs and their
claims, and stir them up till they feel they
belong to the nation, and insist that they
shall in some way or other be admitted to
participate In the blessings of its civilization.
That the artisan In deeply interested in
the condition Of the agricultural laborer, no
one can doubt. The towns where be pur-
sues his calling are flooded by people fleeing
faom the misery and hunger Of the fields,
and every day this pressure will be greater.
And no wonder, when We read OF the state
of things that exists there. Passing over
the condition OF men and women, and look
ing only at the children, what do we see
The labor Of the children from six years
upwards organised into gangs Of from 10 to
40, led about by CANCERS or gang masters
and hired wherever their labor may be
needed. Sometimes walking from four to
six miles TO work in the mornings, and back
again the same distance at night-their prin-
cipal food q lump Of bread in the middle Of
the day. and their fate q 6ogging. il their
young frames give way under 90 heavy q
task. Little or no teaching, no morals, no
religion, no nything that separates the man
from the brute. Is 1t not time. | ask, that
there was stirring up in Englandf That
labor representation leagues, and trades I'M
ion Congresses, and all other bodies who
take any interest in the future of this coun-
try, or In the condition Of the working man
wherever bio lot may be cast, should address
themselves promptly and vigorously to the
condition OF this Slower strata lof labor from
whence mott danger comes to the cause OF
the wOrkingmsn. You have your coolie
difficulty, and very troublesome one have
no doubt you will find it. But if the action
Of your cooie spectators threatens TO inter
iere seriously with the welfare OF the nation
you have the means in your hands, constitu-
tionaly, of dealing with them, only taking
care that you do 80 wisely and justly. These
poor people from the fields here Are part Of
our coolie difficulties. We are actually over
done with labor, and in times of slackness
the sufferings of our poorest workers 10 some
thing awful. This year many hundreds
from the east end of London were sent by
private subscription to Canada, but their
places will soon be filled up. Poverty with
US is Of constant growth. II must be At
tackled at its source, and no party in Eng
land possesses either the desire or the cour
age to enter on such fight but the working
men themselves, and they have only just
come into the possession Of she power BY
which they can WIN in such . contest. Why
every class in the community should be
growing richer whilst the rates for she sup
port Of our paupers-a class dropping down
from the ranks Of labor--are getting larger
10 o puzzle that must be looked into and
made plain. There can be no rest, no peace,
no satisfaction IN q national sense here, till
this is done, aud this, repeat 1t, never will
be done till the workingmen make their
power thoroughly fels. shall before long
be able 70 report some practical work, en-.
tered on having this end in view. We are
| beginning TO Look around us and the growing
necessities Of the poor promise an irritation
OF the public mind which will 6nG kid Of
work for the British parliament, which al
one time 1t never would have dreamed OIL
ENTERING on.