The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-06-13
.ne Truth About Massac s,,"s,ssn.ton-
,,.,,ccS Of n Declining 49,
w.,,sd Decay of Agrfc"."
IFrnm the NAt'nH'
- nlni1N-n Ilnrll

rrufn About ~,r..,,,nx,-t
l,.,,ccs Of n Declining
.s,,,sd Decay OF Agrfc"i"
from the Nat:"n.'
orol offrct Of the attentive pcrusai
nc socond annual report OF the Mass;-
ons'.n,ts Bureau OF Labor Statlstics Is cn,'-
.'rtIv Siscouracing. The proofs arc "un;';
's,'s and ,umistakabic to the almost lhc,Su
,1n fact that the condition OF inc WI ,.n,;n-
classes throughout MASSACHUSETTS = - rol.-
80 mo that the contrast between Tue i1' 70
Nv. ~: ,nsitions Of employer and cmi'"Huhh
.tc,diiy becoming greater, that inc ,;uli, nf
n%mcn who emerge from the co''.,..
r,,rE;npmcn Is extremely small. ana tn;'. 'I'S
relntions between employer ana rlll'o.so
ore becoming more and more '"S'l'e 'nu w.
Taot. when we read that the average
earning OF over 1000 persons, elipi2iSu
in thirty-ihree cotion-sl,ia'i.nS, .s'nr,nors
mcntS, Including the bctter-pald oFer"eeIs
n,d c,rcmen, was 80 cents per day. or less
Isen IS a week: that even at these rates
work is not steady all the year round tha'
few are able, even if the work is had, 10
work steadily ten and eleven hours day;
that LARGE numbers are obliged to stop work
from sheer exhaustion: that young lads
walk thirty and more miles day While
tending the machines: that many become
intempera,c from oyerwork; that the
change Of hands in large factories
i frequently equal to an entire
change every four months; that very
few persons die while they are opera
tiveS, because. finding their health give
WAY under their tolls and exposures, they
leave their employment and cease 10 DC
operatiNeS-whcn we read such things as
these We are introduced TO condition OF
affairs the existence Of which Is Tar from
being generally known. W hen we rcao OF
men being dismissed from their occupation
,l,,,tY l,ny-h nI han ~
incut in discussing the ciGht-hour move
ment. and refused employment in every
mil in the State. where notices from their
previous employers had preceded them
of men and their families incontinently
turned out OF house and home because
they could not agree on the SUBJECT oil
factory wages with TIE owner OF the
: tenement Of numerous employers COM
biuinc 10 prevent the men from belong
ing 10 associations and labor unions Of en-
p,oyerS who openly boast that since Il labor
union broke up "thev can do as they please
with the men, of employers who, claim
in@ TO he Christians, testify before COM
mittce concerning their men :" 1fthey were
kept 1T work fourteen hours day it would
be better for them. They would die as
quick one way as another, They Will
drink. don't know of anything in their
employment that makes them so, though
il Is tatiguing work when we read of
such spirit as that on the part OF employ
rr. We need not longer wonder at the grow
in- frequency and increasing bitterness OF
strikes. On the contrary, we are filled
with conviction that there is n radical
wrong somewhere which has brought about
this change from the time when Lowell fac
tory girls earned handsome marriage por-
lions with two or three years labor, and
found time after working hours to write,
edit, and read q very respectable ncwspa-
per. Where the evil lies it would be pre-
>umptuouS to indicate with any degree of
positiyencSS. That il is more deeply seated
than is generally believed we have no
doubt. That the reading Of such reports
aS Colonel divers will convince many per-
sons of the gravity Of the evil, and recon.
Gle them TO the treest and most exhaustive
discussion Of the remedies, is the chief, as
it will be the most immediate. result of the
establishment of the bureau itself. 1t Is
unfortunately too true that the prejudice
against everything suvoriuo of So-callcd IL
Dor reform tor the moment almost bars its
intelligent discussion, and it is particularly
to bc regretted that the extreme bulk OF
the bureau report will prevent many from
examining it who might Otherwise contrl-
butte TO make its contents known. But the
mere existence Of permanent bureau, au-
thoriZcd 10 take testimony on the subject,
and capable Of exercising that authority
with fairness and intelligence. is Il long
step towards 4 correct understanding OF
this great problem.
Among The many different phases Of the
labor question. on which an extremely
valuable collection ol evidence is given, we
have been especially struck with the IN
tueucc Of the tridc>-llniouS on iutemOcr-
aMcc. With the single exception, a> far az
we remember. Of the gentleman whose evil
denCe in favor Of fourteen hours work is
quoted above, every witness declares that
the traGc>-uni0n> are most decided pro-
moer> o. temperance. They furnish gen
orally Il meeting place. which they seek to
make attractive 10 members. and where
N least once L week the dram->hop il
neglected for business in which all
are interested. The trades-,nion Gu
coura@c> economy, and raises the esprit DE-
corps Of the workncn. Apart from the
question OF wages, on which many different
opinions prevail, the influence OF trades
unions is almost unanimously described rs
beneficial both by worklncn. employers.
aud di>intcre>ted outsiders. Notably is the !!
evidence striking and intcrestin" Of tue i'll !
!luence oi the great tri>pln organization III !
advancing The prosperity, sohreJv, and in !.
fcii!gcnce OF entire districts, the benefits Of |
the organization being in a measure shared |
by thousands who do not belong to it. This !
evidence contrasts materially with the |
the great shoemakers' strike, and comes
largely from merchants and others in the |
towns affected, who look with infinite dis !
appointment on Mr.. SIMPSONS Chinese !
because they buy nothing. spend nothing, |
pay no share al the taxes. ana are "no ]
better than so muCa machinery"
Tt:e part OF the report, however
OF ali j., in our opinion, the moe Which
be, is that relating 10 agricr' remarks
chusctts. 1t may be s'' lure in MaSSa-
words.-rapid decay .mncd up i'll two
value of land, III =. Increased nominal
cupied by CHER rents, fewer farms oc-
genUra| owners, diminished product,
p" decline Of prosperity, lower wages,
lore ignorant population, increasing
number OF women employed at hand out
door labor (surc>t sign OF Il declining civil
ization), and steady deterioration in the
STYLE ol farming these are the conditions
described by cumulative mass OF evidence
that is perfectly irresistible, and that is, I'LL
fortunately, only too strongly confirmed
sIph Ii,ruit> ri t.gn.lIs 81 have