Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1873-11-01
BRADLAUGH'S SKETCHES.
Condition of the Agricuitu' al Population NJ
Of Eng land.

BRADLAUGH' SKETCHES.
Condition of the Agricuitu' al Population
of Eng land.
NY. Tribune reports Of Mr.. Bradlarghs lecturesl
There is another matter upon which
wish to make a special plea. l mean
the state of cur agricultural laborers.
And / am not going 10 do it from any
view of mine. My view wOuld be bit
ter one indeed. But / will give it to
you from u report made under authority
of the crown and signed by the present
bishop of Manchester. Mr.. Henly. and
Mr.. Stanhope-a commission which GER
taiply did not take evidence in any
spirit of undue favor toward the labOrer.
Aud here let me say word for press
ing these things upon your attentio",
for there are editors here who do mol
know our grieis or our wrongs, who
say that these are matters which need
not be here discussed. But when there
are 70 mauy pens and tongues to paint
verything golden to You, surely at least
one tongue may be permitted to show
the other lining of the clond. pro
longed npplause) Bishop Frazer says
of some Of the dwellings, i'll Suffolk that
they are deiestablr of some of them
in Northampton that they are II dis
grace to civilization; OF some of them
III Sussex tina they are Disgrace to
any civilized community, and then he
gives case in Norfolk and draws
picture of an agricultural laborer's
dwelling. "One small room." says he,
"in winch ia, her, mother, grandfather,
grand mother, sons and daughters are
born, live, IL you call 1t life, aud die, in
which every operation Of Nal ure, dress
ing, undressing, birth, d, ath, Is per
formed by each within the sight and
hearing Of all, in which children OF as
much as fourteen or ixteen years of
age of both sexes, are driven to sleep
in the same bel. that is, if you can call
these things beds, in which human ma
ture is degraded below the level of
the swine" And this, he says, is pic
ture from lite. bell We that, while
that state of things exists, we have the
right to try to wrest the laid out Of the
hands of those who have used it so
badly. Take the laborer's wages. II
your newspaper reports are not utterly
incorrect, person not long ago in
this room spoke of laborer's wages as
from six to eight shillings day. Why,
I have been carefully through the re-
turns of every county in England, and
leaving the counties of Northumberland
and Du, ham out of the question, say
there Is no case in which the highest
wages, taking the year round, has aver
aged more than 14s week, and / say
that the bulk of the wages has averaged
about s. 9l to 9s 6d a week, and stand
with facts and figures to quote from.
In Hereford Jail, the cost Of a prIso-
ner for food alone comes to more than
twice as much per week as the Hereford
laborer g, ts to buy himself food, cloth
ing, houseroom, and the luxnries of life,
if he can get them. Uanghter.) Why
the laborer's wage is an awful wa e.
And / am told they waste it in beer.
naughter.) I was the other day in
east Sussex. which is entirely owned by
the duke of Richmond, Lord Leconfield,
and Lord Egremont. A relative of mine
has rented "a cottage in that district, and
much to their disgust they are obliged
occasionally to put up with nv presence
in that neighborhood. Ihave gone about
among the laborers there and into their
homes. The duke OF Richmond is a
rich duke. You can make q fence Of
fourteen ruiles around his Goodwood
estate, and he is 80 much in favor #
civilization that he woull not allow a
telegraph wire to cross his land till last
wear, and then he only consented because
the prince of Wales wanted to send
word about his bets. The bulk of the
peoples wages there average from Is Sd
10 Il 81 day. We will call it Is 81,
and Won have then something to look
at. Here is o man who has to keep his
wife and two or three or four childi en-
and DIV rent for his cottage. Where is
he to get money to sprnd in beer? And
II he did, c'nld YOU wonder at him find
ing the villsge ale-honse pleasant whe'
you see how wretched and miserable a
dwelling be has? Il is cold, and thoug'
there il plenty of wood living about, if
his wife tried to gather few sticks she
wop1d be dragged bef re tn" maeistrate
md sent to Jail for trespass. lam not
l3v6fcplo ing. 1t is the truth / am put
inRuend put it as a reason why we
be right to be agitaring and to be
d. Rented in onr country. (AppIause }
80 told mnch of the ignorance
lahorers. Can yon wonder At
ignolApce? Th ir children have
10 school. They haye been
lin the fields from the
- old. N>An seven or eight
- lawn. vh;ch -. s have he internal
pSy. The starv;rc S.sssNee % any
running along bshind = Ssss $50
ARE is fat and the laborsr :. ;m.uge.
y him tonch Il. and the r,,;lD .nln.
~ take him, and in our o,nmt :,
11110e commit burxlsry n. y
w hhit Why, they S..S
- The right TO scared
- ekns poWee-N