The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-09-27
A Case for Federal Interference.

In connection with the graphic description
of the sad disaster at Fall River, Mass, which
we copy from the New York Herald we call the
attention of readers to the annexed editorial,
taken from the st. Louis Republicans. The
Elections of the Republican eminently just,
and we fully agree with it in the opinion that
the Federal Government should adopt stripgen
measures for the protection of the poor chill
dren in the factories of New England against
the murderous parsimony of their MASTERS.
There has been quite enough of the paternal
solicitudc of tue "hest Government spent
upon the negroes of the South, the tales of
whose sufferings are, in ninety nine cases out
of a hundred, entirely imaginary, aud We think
it high time that some attention be paid to the
tens of thousands of WHITE SLAVES in the fac
tories, workshops and coal mines of TIE North.
Would it not be we'll for the Federal Gov
eminent to direct it's attention to these con-
stantly recurring disasters in the Massach usetts
manufacturing districts, and devise some plan
for the protection of poor operatives few
years ago factory at Lawrence, filled with
working girls burned to the ground and over
| a hundred of the inmates lost-their lives, be-
cause there was no means of escape. The mill
owners recovered their Insurance. built another
mill with it, and rcstocked it with new opera
| tives, aud that was the end. Now we have u
| repetition of that disaster in the burning of
the Granite mill at Fall liver and the awful
| death of fifty or sixty poor girls and the mutt
| lation for life of a hundred others. Next week
| or next month we may hear of the bursting of
q himsy reservoir and the drowning ct two or
| three hundred peaceful villagers in the same
State. Is life of no value in Massachusetts
manufacturing town? Are poor women and
| girls to be burned up and drowned by the hun
| dred because those amiable gentlemen, " our
| home manufacturers" are too parsimonious TO
provide them with the means of escape from
the fourth OF fifth stories of their factories, or
because they will NOT construct dams stron g
enough to hold waterf 1t may not be exactly
in the line of working of public thought at
present to say 30, but the factory girls of Mas.
sachusetts appear to be as much in need of the
protecting arm of the Federal Government as
the colored people of Georgia and Tennessee
If the authorities of that State will not pro-
tect these helpless females. is it not the duty
of Congress to do it'll We venture to assert
| that the number of victims to the heartless
selfishness of Massachusetts man ufacturers in
the last three months is greater than the mum.
Der of victims to what Massachusetts states.
men call the Esprit of caste" in all the South
in the same time. 1t wonld appear most rea-
sonable, therefore, that when the Federal Gov
eminent is exerting its authority to protect
the lives of one class of helpless citizens in the
South, it had better make a general business
of it aud take another class of helpless persons
in New England under its special protection
There is much reason for stringent congress
| sional legislation for the mana cement of col
lieries III Pennsylvania aud reservoirs ant
spinning mills in Massachusetts as for simila
legislation to govern Western steamboats,. Al
; explosion on the Mississippi, by which twent.
lives are lost, generally provolzes from tn
, New England press u loud demand on Congress
, for more stringent precautions against tn
recklessness of Western steamboatmen; but
calamity in a Massachusetts manufacturin
D town, whereby twice as many lives are sacr
feed to the thoughtful selfshness of the mil
owners, usually winds up in a lyric about th
deacon or milkman who carried the news.