The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-04-12
4 SENATOR'S EXPERIENCE.

| IN recent speech at Great
Falls, n. H., senator Henry. Wilson,
referring to some experiences in his
early life, said ! feel that I have
to speak for toiling men ard 10 toll
ing men. i was born here in your
county of Stafford. was born in
poverty: want sal by my cradle.
know what it is to ask q mother for
bread when she has none to give. I
left my home at ten years of age
and served an apprenticeship of
eleven years, receiving months
schooling each year, and at the end
of eleven years hard work, a yoke
Of oxen and six sheep, which
brought me eighty-foGr dollars. A
dollarWoald cover every penny /
spent from the time was born I'M
til was tWenty-One years of age.
know what it is to travel weary
miles and ask my fellow men to
give me leave to toll. I remember
that in September 1885, walked into
your village from my native town,
and went through your mills, seek
ing employment. If anybody had
offered me 50 or - q month,
should have accepted it gladly. l
went down to Salmon Falls, | went
TO Dover, 1 went TO Newmarket,
and tried to get work without sue
cess, aud l returned home weary
but not discouraged, and put nay
pack on my back and walked to the
town where l now live and learned
4 mechanics trade. / know the
hard lot that t0ihng men have to
endure in this world, and every pull
satiOn of my heart, every cOnvic-
ton of my judgment, puts me on
the side of the tOiliDg men of my
of ali counties. -,
/ am glad the working men Of |
Europe are getting discontented and
want better wages. | thank God |
that man in the United States can
earn from three 10 four dollars, in
ten honr's work, easier than he |
could forty years ago earn one dol
lar, working from twelve to fifteen |
hours. The first month ] worked |
after l was twenty-one years ofage, !
[ went into the woods, drove team,
cut milI-logs, wood, rose in the
b .fore daylight and worked |
hard until after dark at night, and |
received the magnificent sum OF
Xix dollars! And when l got the
money, those dollars looked as |
arge to me as the moon looked to-
night. On the farm to which /
served my apprenticeship, I have
seen the best men who ever put a
'cythe in grass working for from
iity cents 10 four shilIings day in
he longest days in the SIMMER.
Yesterday l visited that farm. /
lsked the men who were there what
hey paid men in haying time last
and they said from 50 to
- 80 day. This was paid on the
same ground where men worked
'orty years ago for from fifty cents
o four shillings, and took their pay
n farm products, not money.
nave seen some of the brightest of
women go to the farm houses and
work for from fifty cents to four
'hilling a week, milking the cows,
making butter and cheese, washing,
spinning and weaving, doing all
kinds of hard work. 1 was told
yesterday that many young women
we're earning in the shops, 81 day
Ind that those who worked in
houses were getting from 50 80
NCEh " % w. 1
To-day laboring men and women
IF our country are earning from
hree to four times as much in day
Is they could earn forty years ago,
md days work is shorter now
han then. After L had learned q
rade in the place where now live
| worked fourteen and fifteen
hours day, month after month, to
,arn forty dollars a month. There
ire hundreds of men there now
Who in ten hours can earn a hun
ired dollars more easily than ]
could earn forty in fifteen hours.
I'm grateful to God that it is so.
10 not care anything about a few
men or corporations piling up
treat amount of money. / believe
Tod meant this world to grow good
men ard women, and not to pile up
money. That is my belief, and /
want to see men and women who
pear the burdens and the work have
fun share of all they earn, and
hat and honest days work shall
lways have fair days pay.