, 1873-07-24
KEEPING BACK WAGES.

10 thu Editor Of Tho chiea0o Tribune:
SIN: Well knowing that you are always will
ing to uso tho influence Of your powerful pnpor
to holp the cause Of tho down-trodden and OPP
pressed, wo hayo vontured to address to you,
and through you to the public, fow lnoa to
call tho attention Of our businessmen, and tho
public generally, to what 10 fast becoming great
and crying owl, as well Us great oppression
and wrong to dofensoloEs and Woodworking
class OF our folowcitizons, whose condition will,
I have no doubt, receive tho sympathy Of tho
public. I auudo, on behalf Of my follow-work-
mon, to the practice Of many Of our manufaotur-
ing establishments, Of keeping back tue pny Of
their work-peoplo, and having no regular stated
lime for payment, und doling out to them, at
Irregular pcriodB sum 30 small TINT
it ia Of no uso to thom, md
Ia barely Huitlciont to keep soul
and body together, lowing their wives and chill
dren in ha6-atarving condition, unable to OBJ
tain tho nocessarios of lilo. Tho employer nnd
his family live in lu1uriea; and arc abio to attend
d fashionable church, and worship God In
richly-upho1storod pew !; and thon roll home in d
costly family carriago; while his poor wor1-pco-
plo and their families must drug out ozfasonce
in some miserable dwelling, unable to dross their
Wivos and childsen docontly, or ut least Rufl-
cientlY so to enable thom to attend church Or n
sabbath-aohool at which tho children would
loarn somo moral lessou which would, during
tho next six succeeding days, haVo restraining
influence On their lives and conduct.
You would DO surprised ii should toll you that
1t is the practice Of many employors in this city
to pay their work-poopla no moro than S3 per
week, and they keep the rost back till 1t amounts
to hundreds Of dollars, which tho poor workman
is unable to got, and, in many caBos, ho il
threatened with being discharged il he dares to
ask his employer for it, or any increase In tho
weekly Bun1 which ho ia in tho habit Of paying
you and tho public genesally to judge how 4
mnrried man ia to ply his ront his grocer and
butcher, and tho many other incidental expenses
OF family, II ho tH thus deprived Of the fruits
OF la industry and toll. How cau toll be aweet
when It il robbed Of its juBt reward in tue way
above indicated !? The rosnlt is to induce lazi-
neBR and tmprovtdence, aud D feoling OF indifIor-
once TINT is worry deuloralizlng in tho working
mau. have no doubt tint much Of the drunk
ennosa and immortality that exit among
tho working c!asaos can DO traced to tho cause
above named, as it destroys tho incentive to in-
duatry and morality without which the working
men, Or any other, must sink doepor IN tho scale
ali tho owl influences with which thoy may bo
surrounded, and make them moro Iistlcss and
unhappy.
The evil practice above alluded to ia praoticad
moro especially by tho aash aud blind factories
nnd planning mills, but tho worst Of all aro tho
maohnc-Bhops and fo,1ndrles. Some OF tue latsor
might be- mentioned who owe their poor work-
people from 800 to $500 aud e400
each as buck wagoB, mono Of which t1oy
are able to got; and yet sonle OF
these men aro investing large sums In sub-
urban real estate, and building for themselves
aud fanliioH fine Ealatia residences, which must
not only coat . worry largo ss.m to bnlla, but q
small fortune to maintain annually; while tl,oir
work-poople are unable to pny tic ront Of do
cont apartments In the oily, or uoar their ON
ploymont, and arc often obliged to move from
place to place. bocalHo their laullord anl other
creditors are unable to wait for their pay, orgivo
thom further crodit.
We lopo that these few limos will have the do
Birol efroct and Induce tho men aboyo alluded
to 10 deal moro justly by tl,oir worIs-poople aud
aot noro honorably and honestly III tho future.
Yours respectfully, ptUL1r WATHoA,
In hohalf OF Ills Fellow-Worku,on.
CHICAGO, July 81, 1879.