The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1877-08-25

ward. The kinds of occupations in
which these persons were employed
were broadly generalized and divided as
follows
Professional and ne rsonal services tthe
latter including domestic and house. -
hold help of all lndsi........s....... 2,6S4,7p3
Trade ana transpOrtatiOn...... l'Bl ,s5s
| Manufactures mechanics, mining, &c 2TOI42l
Total Of both sexes over ten years en-
ployed in all occupations in lSIo...... l25O5,92S
That is the way tho figures stood &C.
eOTding to the returns of 1870. OF
course they must be different now.
Making liberal allowance for increase of
population since 1870, and assuming
that the same proportion of persons de-
pend on the same great divisions of in
dustry for employment, the increased
figures may be about as follows: Add
ing twenty per cent. to the total pOpu-
lation OF 1870 of both sexes over ten
years of age, the returns for 1877 should
be 1854, 1888; and the number of these
engaged in or depending upon all occu-
pations for employment should be l5,-
007, 107, distributed as follows among
the great divisions above described :
Agriculture ..;.,.....................' TlO6695
Professional and personal services I'm.
cludng domestic q household hired
help as aDoNe), ),..........'..''..'..... S22l,75l
Trade ana Transportation. 1,429,lS6
Manufactures, mechanics, mining, &C. 1896
Total OF both sexes over ten years old
employed in all occupations Tor de.
pending on them for employment lin -
s71........'...,.,...... ........'.......' l5,OO7lO7
Now it is among these IL, 5,007, 107
working people of both sexes over ten
years of age that the orators and writers
referred to have to find their "three
millions of unemployed men," Let us
see whether it is possible for them to do
it. From the whole number of persons
engaged in or depending for employ
ment on all occupations we must make
certain deductions, embracing two great
classes, namely, those engaged in agri-
culture and those who are engaged in
professional and personal service. These
are deducted because, first, there is but
little cause for complaint about unem-
ployed agricultural labor-if there are
many real farm or plantation hands un-
employed it is their own faut-and be-
cause, second, there is no unusual COM
plant of lack of employment among
doctors, lawyers, ministers, agents, SER
wants, domestic or female household
help. Reducing the figures by the elm
ination of these classes they stand as
follows:
Whole number of persons of
both sexes over ten years
Ufage Ill 1877 depending for
empl0, ment on all Occu.
patIOns.. .......,.'.. ......... l6,CO7,2O1
Deduct agrculture.......... 7100,965
Deuuct professional and per
sOnal occupations.......... S,32l,751
Remainder employed in TOR
depending for employment
upOn) manufactures, me.
Cnanlcs, Mining, trade and
transportation IN lS77...,. 4,B7s,30l
Again it is among these 4,67S, 391
persons Of both sexes that the "three
milllons of unemployed men" we hear
mentioned so often are to be found.
The female operatives employed in
manufactures, mining, trade, transpor.
tation, Sc, in 1870, numbered 372,-
64S and those IN 1877 should, by 20
| per cent. increase, amount to 447, M {;
| deducting this number from the iOrego-
ing 4,07S, ,391 leaves remainder of A.
go, ,2l4 males of all ages in 1877 de-
pending for employment on manufac-
lures, mechanics, mining, trade, trans,
portatlon and the other occupations in
which employment is slack. There are
the figures and it is from the ranks of
that remainder of 4,231 ,214 males of
all ages that the "three millions of un.
employed men" are to be brought.
Looking at these figures there can be no
difficulty in understanding the mon
strous absurdity and wickeduess of such
talk it is as much as to say that three
fOurths of all the males connected with
manufacturing, mechanical, mining,
trade and transportation occupations are
idle Every working man who looks
around him knows it must be grossly
false when he is told three men out of
every four of his fellow working men
are idle and yet that is precisely what
he Is told when loose-tongued orators
aud reckless ready writers tell him that
" three millions of men" are unem-
ployed in the United States.
The subject is too serious for such
wild eXaggel alton. 1t rs unfortunately
true that there are large numbers uu-
employed; and this is especially the fact
With regard to iron and coal production,
railroad and other ira nsportatUn, and
the many occupations connected direct
ly or indirectly with those great indus
trial interests. But even in these, de-
pressed as they have been for the last
four years, there is no such proportion
OF slack employment as the exaggerated
phrases used by writer's on the subject
would lead uniformed people to sup
pose. Let any one take the figures of
last year, showing the aggregates OF
iron and coal production and of railway
and other transportation for that year,
and compare them with the highest fig.
ures in the most successful years anGs-
cedent to 1878, and he will find that the
men who talk of paralysis " of even
these trades and of " unemployed mil
lions" are guilty Of what we may well
denOunce as wild and mischievOus ex-
aggeratiOn. II is in those trades, how.
ever, that the most of the labor trouble
exists, and 1t is bad enough without ex.
aggeration. But before the "green-
back " people, or the "silyer dollar u
advocates, the "resumptionists, b" or the
free traders" or the orators aud writ,