, 1874-01-04

pudd1era and toilera came out Will
> complaint, Of oppression, the city
It was worse than smallpox, and got into ts it,
puddlers. Politicians petted them. Committees
raised money for them: Their grievances wore
the theme of harangues by demagogne;s; w1o
wanted votes. and their wrongs we're well VEN
tilated. They had ouly been getting
FROM IS TO $8 pER DAY,
and their work was hard work. Tho hounces
worn By their wives we're quite aB .great IN
quantity, but lighter in quality, than that worn
By the wives OF their oppressors. and the houses
in which they lived we're smaller In polntt, t, Of Of
food they had beaten the employers, for they
had bought and eaten, or thrown into slop-palls,
the earliest fruits and vegetables, while A1r.
Caution, the mill-owner, had been meanly wait,
ing for prices to come down. People who Woold
not have bought peck OF now potatoes until
they could get them for 10 cents were deeply
moved with compassion for the poor puddlerss
who had been eating them ut 50 cents quart, and
creating disease by throwing good bread into
alleys to rot. Money poured in for the support
Of the poor laborer in his contest With the rich
capitalist. One could scarcely get into and
omnibus without meeting
ONE OF THE OPPRESSED,
in fine broadcloth suit, dirty shirt. gold chaln'
seal ring, and watch, with Havana n his teeth,
and defiant swagger all him: Cigar-s1op5
and Neutrality-suspicious. reaped rich harvest, and
the men who had begun life as poor 1aborers, -
who had saved and contriyel until they brought
hundreds OF Thousands Of dollars to the city
every year,-tho men who had made her,-who
had built mills and wharves, churches and
them-nho had brought thousands OF mechanics
and laboreru to the city, and found them profit
able employment who had given to every one
of them just such opportunities Of growing rich
as they had. and whose peculiar qualities Wero
justa necessary to general prosperity as king
bolt to wagon,
WE'RE TREATED AS PUBLIC ENEMIES.
Men who farmed at $40 month began to think
that thoy had been oppressed without knowing
it. A general policy Of discomfort sprang up:
oppressed, why were not all men wronged and
oppresaed2 The higher prices demanded for
labor raised everything else, and no poor naau
has since bought his butter at 1915 cents .
pound in the Pittsburgh market arc :5's was
q fair price before. The atr16o 70. lasted long
recovered, Her merchants learned to see West
ern dealers pass her to buy castings and ma
chiuery in the East which Bho could have sup
piled but for the discomfort and selfish demands
Of her wo1kmen. When her oil was discovered,
Boston supplied the pipes, castings, aad engines
for pumping it up. Men with money grew cau-
tious about investing it in enterprises likely to
bo ruined any day BY ..
BREACH OF CONTRACT ON THE PART oF WoAh-
MEN,
and the city did not keep up with the march OF
improvement in the degree that was to have
been expected from her great natural resources.
The home of every workingman then, who has
gained homo, 10 worth less from the check to
dinner-pot and CRATE have cost him more since
that time for the capital of skilled labor 80 long
locked up in her saloons. Every poor mans
coal, chair, table, and bedstead cost more for the
law OF strikes thus maintained; and farmers,
paying double for labor, doubled the price Of
every product, and often moro than double, from
the loss occesioned By discomfort and unfaithful-
ness On the part of hired help.
While the oppressed workmen we're riding in
omnlbuses, loating in saloons, and eating tue
bread raised by begging, there lived, in Pitts
bu1gh.
born aristosEats, brothers, who had each two
little fists Of his Own, a paic Of actire feet, u
square Ett1o head that MAS always level, and q
heart in tho right place. with just enough bone
was poor widow, and people say. was su a1isto-
CRITIC as to wash rather than beg. The boys
sold papers with the Dews OF the strike, and
always took their monsy home to their mother.
and soon gave them other work and they
always did it with such wicked disregard Of all
lawR, except those which required them to do it
well and as soon as possible, that they got more
work,-wora that somptimos kept thom busy ten
hours, OF twelve hours or even twenty hours out
Of the twent7-four; bit their Inv was to do their
work, and do it aa If il Was theirs. They are
TWO OF THE NEALTH1EsT NlILroWNERs
in that city now, and extend their operations all
over this country, md into Europe; but they
never cau get diamonds quite bright enough for
the hands Of. their mother; aad the stout old
lady is not able to carry all tho yelgete, silks.
and laces they would like to hang on her. They
spend thousands year in helping poor laborers,
and thus in souesort, atone for their sin in being
capitalists. They give work and bread to grcat
many mea and women, in surrounding their
mother with every luxury that love can suggest
and money buy and havo thought no other
laces 20 handsome as hers. Of which every mesh
represented patience, self-denial, industry, econ
omy, q mothers firm, judicious authority, and
sons rerereut obedience and protecting care
Five years ago, went up to tho Allegheny
Mountains, in search Of the health lost in uurs-
ing wounded men. I bought two acres of pine
forest, and built house on it. There xas
beautiful, sunny opening, on which proposed
to raise fruit, but found that the money I should
have to pay for labor to get started would buy
all the fruit could raise IN yearB,-buy it in
tho Philadelphia market, and bring it by express.
There we're plenty OF men sitting in the grocery
stores, or pitching horse Shoes by the black
smith-shop, but none Of them thought be could
afford to work for what the enterprise would
warrant, even il should contribute my little
capital of land and skill. Any Of these men
were willing to accept my gratuitous services in
sickness or difficulty Of any kind; but, when /
wanted log-heap made and burned, or n little
wood chopped, ed 70 " .,n son c,.,r.rrsr
to come and do it, He was another specimen OF
total depravity; came to that neighborhood with
both pockets full-of willing hands; bought an
ak, and chopped himself cut nice little farm;
chopped com Portable house on it put into it,
as his wife. one Of tho haudsomest women ever
sew; every Two years added a rosy baby to his