Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-06-29
California as It is Viewed by an IOwan.

"A AOl I11Cl 1CS1OCuC VI lONb Nlltcs
from Oakland, California, as follows
California has for long time past
been the Arcadia to which all are
urged to come. Thousands have come
still they keep coming. and yet that
piece of strong language, ''fooled,' is
only too often the verdict of those who
come to this s:Golden State seeking
their fortunes.
Land owners and agents, and Ill
Californians who have their own good
or that of their own country at heart,
are. rightly enough, DESTROYS Of in
creasing the population of this vast
State, whose resources are 50 bound.
less. With this end in view, and be.
ing justly proud of their noble State,
they constantly urge the tide of emf.
grafton on toward the Pacific shores.
Surely there is 80 screw loose" some.
where. The fact is this The country
is so OverstOcked with workers in con.
sequence of the numerous emigrants
that the supply for all positions is far
greater than the demand. Clerks and
book-keepers are drugs in the market.
Cities are crowded with them. They
go into the country, perhaps to fill I'M.
important places, with salaries which,
like the places they pay for, are too
unimportant to be of much use.
Salaries in the cities are quite high,
but the positions which command high
salaries are filled, with no room for
new corners. Nor will friends and in.
fluence avail to secure a position for a
man. Employers will not discharge
men already in employ simply in order
to accommodate, nor can they hire
men for the sake OF obliging friends
when they have no work to be done,
or places to be filled. A young man
asking for position of an influential
man met the question, "What is your
business p "a mechanic :sOh -
was the reply, with sigh of relief.
II was afraid you was going to say
clerk or b0ok-keeper. You may thank
your stars, young man, that you have
a trade.''
But those who have trades-while
they have a sight advantage-are not
much better off. Take machinists, fol
instance. The lecturers, and newspa'
per writer's, when telling of the SO, 50
or SIS a day, forget to add that which
alters the case, viz: that very few
machine-shops have 'sstOck.work' on
hand, as in the East. All depend up.
on the orders for mining or other ma
chinery which may come in. In con.
sequence, while shop may be for one
or many months so pressed with work
that it hires every man it can use, and
works night and day, when the engage
ment is fulfilled there is no more work
to do, and all hands are discharged
until another order is received. Sup
pose man is so extremely fortunate
as to find employment Immediately
upon his arrival here. Suppose he re.
ceives "a or even SIS day. He works
two or three weeks or months, is dis.
charged and ont of work for rs many
more weeks Or months is hired, and
works again for another few days OF
weeks, etc. The high wages (Which
are growing constantly smaller as the
supply of workers increases) scarcely
answer in the place of the less-paid
but steady work &c left. This is not
the case with one or two, or dozen
men. but with hundreds. Men beg
for work at any price; they offer to
work for board, or even for a few
meals +; any recOmpense is better than
the desperate need to which they are
driven.
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