New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-09-28
pERILS OF TENEMENT WORKSHOPS.

MASS MEETING OF woRKINGMEN-THE BOARD OF
HEALTH ASKED TO BREAK UP CIGAR MAKING IN
TENEMENTs-sPEECH OF JOHN swINToN.
The cigar-makers employed two hours OF
their holiday yesterday TO meet and protest W
tenementhouse system Of manufacturing cigars III
ready described in the columns OF THE TRIBUNE. "ef
mania Hall large as it is was almost filed at u m
nv vorkipgmep determined II possible. to break up
the dens which are enia gerng the health OF the coh
munity, and anxious TO express their views On 'n P
idly growing evil The assemblaae presenter no' un
Interesting study, composed as 1t was OF tne na'"e
many countries The Bohemian element was very
large and beside these there many Germans whe
tho English Irish and Amercan-born COMPRISED the
ramainder Tho speeohes were delivered In Engnsn,
German and the pleasant language OF Bohemia ana the
sentiments expressed were uttered with an emphasis
and esrnestness that left room to doubt the determ
nation and anxiety behind them.
Martin p Peate President of the Cigar makers Union
called the meeting TO order and nominated John swim
ton as Chairman Messrs. Elliott Konger and swander-
lick as Presidents and Messrs Peate strasser and
Bracek as Secretaries MI swnton made the following
speech;
When the President Of the Cigar.makers' Union re-
take the OF this meeting (Which has turned
out TO be great in its numbers as trust IL VIII pe ia
knowledge OF one of great industries OF the
city about which had previously known nothing What
could not help being surprised, but when ne accom-
panied short tour of observation, he showed me
many things at which could not help being shocked.
Some years ago when visiting the Island Of Cuba took
occasion to get inside view OF some OF those great
establishments in Havana and other places, wnefe
many thousands OF ensaved Chinese are employed IN
cigar-making. ! the factories where the poor
creatures are kept at work. saw the complex ters OF
steerage hunks, bunk alongside OF bunk DUNK a10se
bunk tier over tey w be fashion, in which they were
fed saw the way which they liyed-f homeless
slave under caprice Of heartess driver can De sau
to live at all in any true But, though have
passed lifetime in this city had never u rev GAYS
ago, known anything about the condition OF the hdus
| try in which you are here employed.
When learned that there were IA 900 registered cigar
makers, and women in the city, besides enough
children of both sexes TO run the number up 10 1uvV
when learned Of the destructive change that was begun
carving on tie trade when found how tenemens
turned into factories, where scores OF families to all
meps where the toers ride or are ridden of the night
mare during sleep when realize the conditions under
! Workwomen, work-children, and work crones-exsted
in those ment-barrackfactories when saw that
paidaced families of egarmakers who are KEEP. to,
ether and kept under surveillance by the ba
work. eat sleep, and are cotfned ; when found that
| these mutitudinous workers were living in way to
which human beings should never be subjected,
| and which was not only baneful 10 thein-
s sSTe' spread Ses PnTouSh their
men and brethren when saw or heard these things,
seemed that they related to the public wei.
that in trying 10 bring about some sort OF
Improvement. you guilty of any crime against hui
mainly or any outrage upon liberty, any assault upon
ndusfry or any violation OF law and order. 1t did not
seem To- me az though anybody could justly you
| OF being dangerous men, peculiarly belldeservng
men you tried to guard families, TO protect your
hearths 10 your lives and your manhood and to
render oerabe sunless part Of this hard old world
| in which you doomed to exist. Nay, on the con-
trary rather seemed TO me that IN your action. you
were promoting welfare and wholesomeness of the
entire community; defending Flfth-aye no less than
Second-st MadisOnsquare as well as Tompknssquare;
protecting those by whom you are maugned, and
| shielding those by whom you are assailed,
learn from the resolutions that the Cgar-makers'
Union OF this citya union once strong but now de-
vtaiized by the introduction OF the sweating processs
DESTROYS that the evils complained OF shall DO taken into
account and taken in hand by the Board OF Heath-a
body which ought TO be called sacred as well as penpo.
| tentlarv when we the amount OF great and good
work il has already done. Let me bespeak for your
Committee the intelligent aud benefcent cooperation Of
that Board really does not TO that the idea
OF this appeal be considered peculiarly wicked,
that it is likely to interfere with any beneheent
for the advantage Of sveTysody that the indus
brought an end. 1t is for the interest Of Aston,
Stewart and vanderbilt,-of Bennett, Reid and DANA
farai now before me- all other workngmen of every
sort and the whole body OF bosses" IN the cigar
human nature and the public welfare this OF these
tenement factories should be done away with For the
rights each the rights OF every man, and the
oppression OF any class is wrong against all classes'
The employing body can get no permanent advaptage
The wealthy mans wine is tinGed with the
h to that !n Of S this s
opposed to the tenement factories and anxious
more Of the bosses feel that they must give in to the
tenement system or be undermined By it, 1t is grevous
10 hear that this system threatens to bring the whole
trade under its control swapping those who oppose it,
and reducing TO its miserable conditions the twice ten
thousand workers of this city who get hard living at
cIgarmaking Now. friends, before the speakers from
your ranks are called on 10 set forth in their
various Languages the grounds OF complaint and the
ways OF improvement permit me to make two or three
general remarks.
In the first place. in discussing those socalindusral
questions have postrum Of the curea sort, and
10 theoretical programme for the TRANSFORMATION OF
| the universe. so far as am concerned have thus
| far looked only for some practical means OF dealing
| with the sur-charged denominations of our city.
In the second place do not peheVe that the miien'
| mum can be realized all at once.
In the third place. believe that IN this country the
people effect all beneficial objects by pacific MEANS
and am opposed to all reform through violence and
revolution. This reform which you seek can be brought
about by moral and is for the benefit OF all the
| people OF the CITY,
| Mr. swinton's address greeted with great ap-
pla1se and cries of appreciation. 1t was followed by
| one stin more emphatic because more specific and
personal from Frederick Honrchhausen who spoke In
German and said substantially that the object which
had called them together worthy OF their best
and greatest efforts Up to the present time nothing
had been done TO improve the condition OF the poor
workmen in the fostering tenements and he reverted
alphabetically the baneful effects OF the tenement ie
particularly on the women and children As 1t was now
men, their wives, and children compelled to work
together for l6 hours day in order to keep
| body and soul together. He could not understand
| how anybody could be callous TO such suffer
| ings. In some cases 70 families lived
together IN one house and were ruled over
with q sway like that Of a despot II the sanitary
authorities attempted to remedy this evil or to mitigate
IL the bosses" engaged the ablest legal aid to defeat
Them The speaker described the sitting air charged
with the smell Of perspring men and women and chill
dren and pictured the spectacle Of PALE detected chill
drep without play grounds yards gardens compelled
to stay indoors and breathe the poisonous air laden
with nicotian odOrs Statistics showed how terribly
these influences affected tho longevity OF the workmen
who lived ten to twenty less than their employers
He hoped finally that those who had gathered together
here would not be- content with the presentation of
memorial TO the Board of HEALTH but would be deter
mined TO carry this movement TO triumphant issue
nwallngs must be used shops This was the re-