Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-10-01
THE LAWS DELAYS.
The Workingman's Grievance-HOw
Labor and Money are Kept Away
by Our stay-Laws. 1

The W0rkingman's Grtevance-HOw
Labor and Money are Kept Away
by Our stay-Laws.
To the Union and American:
In Great Britain the working classes are
protected by beneficial enactments of Par.
Lament. In factories, in workshops, in
mines the workingman must be paid bis
wages in full every Saturday, aad on rail-
roads the first of every month. No tam
pering can evade tie law. If the laborer i.
refused his dues on SatuI day evening, he
can Immediately complain before mlgis-
trate, and q constable closes the shop OF
factory till his just demands are satisfied.
This prompt enforcement of the law Is q
great advantage to society. The certainty
ofhis wages abates half the anxieties and
miseries of poverty. An employer, without
meaDs to pay, has no moral right to hire
hands without previously notifying them OF
the fact.
How is it Tennessee? To ask the ques-
ton is to answer. Oftentimes the laborer
is put off from day to day and week to
week, obliged to ask credit of his grocer for
the necessaries of life, although he has
plenty of money due him. The grocer runs
q risk; he is specializing on the honesty of
the employer, not Of the laborer, and the
grocer charges the laborer for this risk. So
the poor man suffers, and his good rame as
well as his substance is sacrificed. Suppose
he seeks the redress of law. 1t is familiar
tale. Many days elapse before he can get
q judgment, which seldom r lieves the
pressing wants of his family, thanks to our
stay laws, and the workiugman must wait
nine months on empty stomach to get his
dues. This lack Of promptness in collect
ing is a general stumbling block to all enter
prise. Perhap. the employer is not always
TO blame. Often it is soma one else who
keeps the employer out of the money with
which he would gladly pay his hands. No
man dare venture to invest either his labor
or bis money in Tennessee, under existing
laws, because he can never know when he
will get it back.
To show that am dealing with no i'm
aeinary grievance, allow me to relate an
every day experience. A well-to-do farmer
in - county came to Nashville and en-
gagged six skilled bricklayers, at 81 per day,
to build brick house, promising them q
long job, and pay every Saturday night.
They took the train Monday morning, pay
ing their own fare, and began work Tues
day morning. Saturday night $20w due
to each man, snd when they called on the
farmer, he told them with a smiling coun-
tensnce that they would have to 90 TO Nash
vile where the money was ready for them
st such a pace. Fortunately they had
enough money left to pay their fare back to
Nashville, but on calling at the appointed
place they each received S. of the $40 due.
So after deducting their fare back and forth,
they had two dollars to show for their weeks
work. Of course they could not afford to
waste that two dollars in paying fare out
sgail ], and SO they never went back. Meth
or can they prosecute the farmer, for it
would cost too much running back and for
ward, to say no5ning of lawyers fees.
Rest assured of it, you can never secure
the immigration of any class of desirable
citizens until your laws say "the laborer is
worthy of bis hire" Even on our railroads,
some are behind over month, and l hear
that one is behind great deal longer pc
Rod. say to such unfortunates, shove
out, s. l.. SIGMAN.