The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1874-06-13
LABOR STATISTICS.
SPEECH OF TuE
HON. MARTIN A. FORAN,
II the Constitutional Convention. in Favor Of Establish
ing Bureau Of Labor Statistics.

II the Constitutional Convention in Favor Of Establish
ING Bureau Of Labor Statistics.
When Titus built the greatest amPhithe
atre the world ever saw, he soleunIzed H.
inauguration IN a hundred days ~ fr;lstin!
ami burial carnage There we're combat!
1t S-t-,. tigers. elephants. lions and MEN
History informs us that during these hun
Irui d4ye there persisted upon the bloody
arena uiu, Thousand animals. hut history
tu.~ wv inform uS W the number ut human
,a,rIncr, We are unable To- tell the mum
nur .- myu thut persisted during thesr bar
utruu~. ,u-uuary orgies. And, SIR. We
,.tu account tur the omission upon IN,
ul..tLrsis THAT slaves. ur men, were pt lrs:
Ea.u. Gao thc Caesars than Wild beasts but
lu rh.. c.NI..zrd enlightened and prugrrs
-lr- J-u..t reason how can We account foI
th. fact that an independent republican
State proves. hy it, legislation, thar 1t re-
cards m.u III less value than money Now
-lr. am unt charging the State with Will
nI Aui euipabiv derelictiun NJ duty.
prefer tu believe the State would hav,
acted differently had wurkIngmen been a,
active lu seeking the promotion VI then
interests is capitalists have been. Capital
t~-~ frr uut slow ia demanding laws fur tn,
protection NJ their special interests work
m-mru have always been SLOW aud back
Atrl m demanding laNs for the protection
uut ui their special Interests. but ot then
inst and natural rights and hence Is -
perhaps uut after All subject If grea
NHutcrucut that their rights have beeI
r.-u.r.l tuu trampled uIDn
Eut. Sir. h- rIar As 1t may the working
men pr the state now demand the creation
ut thIs Iauur bureau a. a means BY whlcl
they c,tu pIac. before the General Assem-
niy q correct, detailed, systemized and eX
uJustIvr kuowledgy Nv their social educa
-Iolal. physical and sanitary condition, n
order that the legislature may cnrrec
abuses ANA prevent their recurrence. | "a
not deem It advisable or even necessary t,
draw Your attention to special cases ot sui
frriug. prlvatiun and wretchedness existini
among the Workingnen Of the State.
have preferred to refer to these things IL
general way as ! know you are al
familiar with the general fact that sucl
privatiuu ana suffering are vide spread an'
only too real And now, sir, | hold TIN
privatiou and suffering can be relieved
removed and prevented by thorougl
knowledge of the truth-a thorough knowl
edge w th- causes which produce 1t. | d.
not ASK you 60 believe what | say, or wha
any labor refnruer says. In the words q
Descartes say "a you, Give unqualified
assent t. no propositions but those tn
truth NJ which is 50 clear and distinct tina
they cannot be doubted. We say suffer
Iug and priyation exists among those VIII,
toll, ana their condition Is little better
than slaves, and III many Instances muct
worse. as the slave Is never troubled ss e
whence comes his next meal. while thou
sands of laborers are but the capitalist.
deny this Now ask the state not ~ TAX,
the assertions II either unqualitedly, but
rather for itself INV stIgate aud determin,
thr truth, for truth Is the only basic foun
datiun ON which the State can attain im
mutabilty 1t is the duty If the State t.
ascertain the truth ur falsehood Of the
claims and assertions Of the citizens. The
Nurkngmen If the State demand no more
nor will they he tlstied with less. And
SIT. the only merit claim for this prophsi
tinu Is that it viii develop, ascertain and
determine sociological truths which tht
State should know and without which II
cannot prosper pr ATTAIN perinanency
capable IF WIthstandiug the mutaklon o
fImr and humant, This much a. claim
tur IL, and | think it sufficient tO commend
d t. the favorable consideration IF thu
statesman and philosopher. II the Stat,
would conform lts legislation to- the doc
trlnr Of Paley that :" the interest OF the
whole of society Is binding upon every part
Of 1t, 1t must determine what are the
needs Of each and every part Of it IN order
that a rightful knowledge Of the whole may
he ascertaned, and IN no way can this be
more surely accomplished than by the es
tabllshment OF bureaus Of statistics
If the statesman believes with B-nthau
that ''the happiness If the individuals d
whom community IS composed that is
their pleasures and security is the sole
end which the legislator ought to have il
view-the sule standard m cOnforInit,
with which each individual ought, as fal
AS depends upon the legislature, be mad,
to fashion his behavior he will favor tn,
creation ~ statistical bureaus IN order tha
the legislator may be able to comprehend
what Will best promote the pleasures anC
best establish the security Of the individual
IF whom the community Is composed. i
the political economist would add to tn,
productive power of the State, he mus
favor the creation Of labor bureaus III OF
der u determine whether producers or
in other words, laborers- not be tn,
grinding process Of unceaslng toll-be un
derguIng constant and permanent physIca
deterioration. and what are the necessary
measures capable Of producing conuter
vailng effect. lt Is well-known histOrlca
fact that factory labor has become heredi
tary ii England. The son is as sure Il
follow the occupation of his father as nigh
follows day. 1t is also well known tina
each generation of this operative race i
more degraded, less productive than, a
physically inferior to, the generation whlcl
preceded 1t. DR. Horace also meant thes
men when he said
'-Etas parentum, pejor aTis, tulIt
Nos requiores, mnx daturUs
Prugenlem, yItiosureum."
The tathers-a race worse than thel
tathers-made us race worse than them
selves, We IN our turn to generate a rae
still worse. TO what extent is this tru
OF our operative class Ii is hard to say
We have no means OF ascertalning. Blu
viii any one deny that the State shoul,