The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-11-09
The Old Question of Unemployed Labor
We take from the New York Herald Oh
Nov. 3rd the following gloomy picture
<hok 80

Nov. Bird the following gloomy pio'u =.
If affairs in that city: =,
Tb;s ouestion of food is the basis OF the '.
earnest controversy now IN PROCESS ,brsstens =:
most serious trouble before long in tins croWa q
ed city. Almost every day sees some large
factory other source OF emPioymens os ~ nnar-
at;ves thrpwn idle upon the streets. On Sat, r
urday q large mandatory OF hoopsklf1s anu !
corsets in West Twsntyssi1tn o, ss5ee sGo men
and women closed it's doors, as also dld q largo
silk factory near by. y, ~, p;,1,
meeting of delegates from all tne Die nr,SN
night, was attended by 1900 men. Inc sPirl'
was most determined not to submit to the re-
duction of wages resolved upon by the p "ada
which elected thunders Of applause ~. NO
meetings were held last night. Herald reporys
ers circulating among the workingmeeh rJ hni1
| to be responsible for their lack of work ana
| wages There were stern suggestions tna1
perhaps the monetary strngency conia Do pd re-
iudicio1s use Of crowbars in opening some OF
the closed banks and other moneyed lns sSeus
tions of the city. 1t was estimated by tn1se
conversant with the facts that there are To-Day
40. 900 people compulsoriIy idle. who would DC
glad to work and earn their food, clothlng,
Goals and shelter, if those who have the means ;
, claim as o natural right, work, and just wages
, therefor How they are to live through the
winter, deprived of both, is q question WHOSE
solution puzzles and worries the thinking men
of the laboring class, and must soon force isseif
mon the serious conside. alton of our govern
} ing men and property owners;
absent from the building jobs; AS there are
1 thousands of outsiders asking for work :
o it will lie no hard matter for the bosses to nj
up their gangs and continue the few VOTES
b now in progress. This, however, will not IN
@ the least help to feed the thousands who are
- idle and sigh in vain over their prospect toI
u the long, gloomy winter, while they herceiS
70 cnrse the 6eartless SPECTATORS whose misdeeds
n have precipitated upon the innocent INDUSTRY
GUS masses this pressure of want. .
le No hint could be heard of violence TOWARD
n. those who, by taking the reduced wages, en-
deavor to support their suffering families. -
strike when there is only work for one man II
I'd ten could have but little effect, could do NJ
~ good, and would surely fail to coerce the en-
~ Blowers Therefore the men out of work mus
is think of some more potent remedy for tnei
cy trouble. Would it not be worth the while Q
~ If our CITY authorities and the large propert
ne holders to assist the working classes IN solV1h
ia this most serious problem of supporting
larger population by SUPPLYING 9esd~a the,
lat upon charity New York wants honest lano
w not p pauperism. These idle men and wome
ne' must have work, or they VIII soon ciamor II
,ur support at the public institutions.
ia The problem is we'll called a serious on
,ch II is one constantly recurring in thickly il
ia habited portions of the globe, though as
nld rarely presented in this country. In pag
,b- countries the problem is solved by letting t
ads upfortunates starve, in England and 9th
civ Protestant countries of Europe by impri
lrill onipg them for life in penitentlary
ion horrors called the poor-house. Sometlm
and in these latter regions, the destitute pref
op- the Pagan plan and starve to death ratf
an than encounter the terrors of the poor-hou
und Finally, it seems that this plague of I
who old societies ia coming home to US In Z
and country, too. More and more will 1t
this the case that labor will be found with
buy employment, and that provision must
aese made for able bodied poverty. 1t is e
enough to know what must be done "
luch helpless poverty. The infant, the
: be crepit, the sick man, must be taken car
old, by others but what shall we do for
Sold strong and skilful laborer or mecha
oney who is we'll able to support himself
family but can get no work
are This question is virtually the same
Iture that which constantly threatens the pr
RES Of the civilized world: "How much 9
Y le- the laborer be paid I" If he cannot G
This enough by full work to support his far
,nse- comfortably, it is as bad as though WI
see were good but labor too scant. Ihere
n so general impression that "the world Q
on to every one aliving" on the sole condition
IS of he is willing to work faithfully forit W
Ava men feel within themselves this will
and ness, amounting even to eagerness, and
will canrot get the work, they experienc
nable sense of injustice, and become embitte
and 1t ia so, too, when they are underl
cable This gives rise to all the bad blood
ct of tween the upper and lower classes of SOC
lie on and makes pretense for Communism
. other excuses.
ng of We presume that the history of
n the York, and eventually of all the u
little States, will be in this regard not unlike
much history already written. Power Sc
ming everything in it's own favor, unless
men suaded to better things by the sweet '
some Of Christian Charity. Revolutions
thout rage, but after their delirium the chat
lot be noverty will be stronger than ever. I