Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-04-02
A Senator's Experience--The Con-
trast of Life

In recent speech at Great Falls,
| n. H., Senator Wilson, referring to
some experiences in his early life,
said
feel that have right to speak
tor toiling men and to toiling men,
| was born in poverty want sat by
my cradle. | know what it is to ask
mother for bread when she has none
to give. | 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 of hard work a yoke
of oxen and six sheep, which bro't
me eighty-four dollars. A dollar
would cover every penny spent
from the time | was born until | 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
| remember that in September, Is.
80, | walked into New Hampshire
town and went through the mills, in
search of employment. If anybody
had offered me eight or nine dollars
month, | should have accepted it
gladly. Failing to obtain employ
ment,I walked away to another town
and became an apprentice to me-
chanic. | know the hard lot that all
toiling men have to endure in this
world, and every pulsation of my
heart, every conviction of judgment,
puts mo on the side of the toiling men
of my country--aye, of every coun-
try.
am glad tne workmen OF Europe
are disconnected and want better
wages. | thank God that man in
the United States to-day can earn
from three to four dollars, at ten
hours work, easier than he could, for
tv years ago, earn ono dollar, work.
ing from twelve to fifteen hours. The
first month | worked after | was 81
years of age, | went into the woods,
drove team, cut mill.logs, wood, rose
in the morning before daylight and
worked hard until after dark at
night, and ! received for it the mag.
nifcent sum ofsix dollars And up.
on getting tho money, those dollars
looked as large to mo as the moon
looked tonight. On the farm on
which | served my apprenticeship, |
have seen the best men that ever put
soytho in grass working for from fif-
ty cents to four shillings q day,in the
longest days of the summer. Yester-
dap | visited that farm. asked tho
men who were there what they paid
men in haying time last summer, and
they said irom'S2 to 81 so day
This was paid on the same ground
where men worked forty years ago
for fifty cents, aud took their pay in
farm products instead of money. /
have seen some Of the brightest wo-
men 20 into farm houses and work
for fifty cents q week, milking the
cows, making butter and cheese, and
washing, spinning and weaving, DO
ing oil kinds Of hard work. | was
told yesterday that many young wo-
men were earning in the shops one
dollar day, and that those who la
bored in houses were getting from
50 30 to SO so week.
To-day the laboring men and wo-
men of our country are earning from
three TO four times as much in a day
as they could forty years ago, and
days work is shorter now than it
was then. After / had learned trade
in the place where | lived, | worked
fourteen and fifteen hours day, for
many d month There are hundreds
of men there now who in ten hours
can earn hundred dollars month
more easily than | could forty years
ago working fifteen hours. / am
grateful to God that this is so. do
not care anything about a few mon
or corporations piling up great
amount Of money. | believe God
meant this world to produce good
men and women. That is my be-
lief and | want to see the men and
women who bear the burdens and do
the work have full share of all they
earn. and that an honest days work
shall always have fair days pay