The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-07-10
FROM new YORK.
NEW York, July z, 1876.

of greenbscks during the past few months.
Most people run with the tide, but some
Of us are generally to be found padding
earnestly against it. For instance, the
great majority Of newspapers and persons
that advocated currency reform when
Morton, Logan, and Butler we're 80 loud
for it, ceased their efforts in that direction
when those careful gents concluded to
cease their advocacy Of "rag money.
But a few Of us saw and knew that the
doctrine was true, whether il was to pre-
vail or not, and stuck to it. And now it
is fast becoming fashionable again and
all the riff-raff, even the floating popula-
ton Of politicians, will be bowling them
selves hoarse for q more currency" So
suppose that l shall ease up on the doc
trine.
GETTING CROWDED.
l am a good deal like Daniel Boone, or
some other Western pioneer, who was 50
used to solitude that he complained Of
being crowded when another family
moved within fifty miles Of his clearing
have been 50 accustomed to standing al
most alone in defence of unpopular re-
forms, that feel quite crowded" when
find myself associated for once with a
multitude Of highly respectable people, in
promoting measure that is fast becoming
universally popular. | think | will have
to move out and choose another stamping
ground in the ''trackless wilds' Of reform.
At all events will say only this here, and
now about currency The Ohio Demo-
cratic platform has, think, established
this much pretty clearly, that our next
president will be greenbsck man, and he
will be elected either by the Democrats Or
by the Independents. The former have
made good start, and they may succeed
in whipping even the New York World,
and the pseudo Democrats who run with
it, into the rag money ranks, in which case
they are likely to elect the president. 1t
is to be hoped that they will not have
sense enough to do all this, and that the
new clean Independent party will carry
the day.
SAD NEW ENGLAND PICTURE.
Labor has certainly met with serious
mishaps of late. The great strike at South
Wales, Great Britain, has ended adversely
to the workers the coal mines of Penn
sylvania have been defeated, after long
and terrible struggle, and the factory hands
Of New England have had to succunrb in
most cases. How horribly the, latter are
oppressed, note the following recent
statement from famous Lowell, model
among factory towns
The strike Of the mule spinners Of this
city came to a conclusion to-day, and a
large number of them returned to work,
first signing an agreement presented by
the corporation that as long as they remain
In the employ Of the company they shall
not become members Of any association
or union that assumes the right to regulate
or in any way interfere with the prices or
hours of labor that any breach Of the
provision of this agreement shall be con-
sidered misconduct on the part Of the res
pective subscribers, and shall be sufficient
cause for summary discharge from the
employment Of the company, without
notice"
What degradation If had an illustra-
ted paper in charge l would print picture
like this concerning the above facts
The cartoon would represent q mill
Office; a dog with human heart and
workingman's cap, sneaking through the
Office door into the mill, with his tail be-
tween his legs. He is accelerated by the
whip of the proprietor, who says Back
to thy punishment, false fugitive = A.
similar dog, with similar tail, has a pen in
paw, and is signing the agreement. That
would fairly represent this outrage, which
shows how fast New England is having its
old life stamped out. And yet this is only
returning to the
BARBARoUs HABITS OF THE PURITANs.
A Massachusetts paper said last week
The right for any man or number of |
men to strike" is undoubted. Freedom /
in labor and business is one of the privi- /
leges of the modern workman. 1t was
not always no with US. Our earlier laws
prescribed rules and prices for labor with
out hesitation. By one statute our Mas
sachussetts workmen could be fined and
imprisoned for taking what was considered
" excessive wages" Another required
artifcers and laborers to work by the day
for their neighbors in moving, reaping,
etc. Towns were allowed to fix the price
Of labor, and some of our town records
show the exercise Of this right down to
that centennial period which we are now
But then, you know, the poor mill
owners are having snch dreadful times, we
cannot blame them for squeezing what
hey can out of the stupid hands. 7
Hold on what's this 7 Here il a state
nent from England, where the cotton
Ipinning il not protected, and where com
,etition il twice a. fierce a. it is in New
England, that rather initiates against the
dea that
"PooR OPPRESSED" MILL dW1e&As
ant make enough to support their fami-
les decently in respectable palaces, and
'esldes lay up few millions for . rainy
ay. Now and then, when those fellows
ave an object to gain by Dragging, M in !
he following case, they let the cat out Of
he bag. Mark this, and gnash your !,
eeth, when you think Of the misery Of
'xlish cotton weavers mn
L cAte- t1p- spinning appears 70 pay wen I'm o
TAI ~tsnacording to the prosPectus Of p
other clasn Of indus n
= profits approach .