The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-29
THE BRITISH PEASANT.


1
AN UNCOMPLIMEnTARY PICTURE OF
HIM AZ HE APPEARS TO-DAY.
How the Agricultural Laborers Live
Their immortality ana It's Cause.-The
Land Laws ana Their MischievOus
Effects.
Correspondence Of the Chicago Tribunel
LONDON, Dec. 7.-As winter advances the
British labor market becomes more troubled
and the distress among the working people
assumes severity unknown In years. The
staple topics OF conversation are reduction In
wages, strikes, lock-outs and suspensions
not In one district, but throughout the coun-
try. The distress at Sheffield is almost I'M
paralleled. Thousands are, It Is said, living
In houses stripped Of furniture, without fire,
and are dependent upon the generosity OF
their neighbors. So 1t Is in Birming ham,
Leeds, Manchester and other manufacturing
centres, and the suffering IL 90 unusually bad
that 1t is expected extraordinary measures
looking to relief will be Immediately taken by
Parliament.
Among the contests now going on is that
between the agricultural laborers Of Kent and
Sussex and their employers. Your corre-
spondent visited number OF the villages In
these counties the past week, and from per-
sonal observation and inquiry, will endeavor
to give you an insight into the merits OF the
struggle. Some 5000 men, women and chill
dren are affected by the lockout and In many
| cases
EXTREME DEsTTTUTION EXISTS.
The proposition OF the tenant-farmer and
landlord is to reduce the laborers wages from
2s Cd per day ga cents) to Is. This Is per day
does not mean 12s per week, but rs per day
| when they can work. ! will put one wet day
| a week as moderate estimate, and the weekly
wages are reduced to los. In some cases.
however, this sum Is supplemented by extras
during certain portions OF the year, making
up q fair average throughout the twelve
months OF 12s. Generally speaking the Eng
lish agricultural laborer has large family;
but will say that four children are the out
come OF every marriage-six or eight would
be nearer the mark. OF course when these
children grow up tn " can go into the fields o
certain portion Of the day, and add to the
family revenue, but owing to the compulsory
education bill they cannot render much sub
stantial assistance until they are thirteen or
fourteen years Of age. In former times 1t
was entirely different. The agrlculturist's
wages were always small, but, as soon az mis-
children could walk around, they began to
earn their living. Therefore you will see that
the head Of the family, from beginning to
end, must have an incessant struggle. He
and his progeny do not live
THEY MERELY EXIST.
Poets have sung and moralists sentiment
strip him OF his romance and look at him
truthfully and soberly, and he presents q
melancholy spectacle. He Is merely beast
OF burden. His condition Is little better than
that OF 2 serf If indeed 1t is as good. He
grovels In poverty and wretchedness-ofte
with an insufficiency Of food. And scarcely
is he able to dream OF any more elevated
state Of existence, for the social forces by
which he is beset almost entirely preclude |
him from breaking through the bonds which |
hold him. He is a drudge; his life Is a life OF
.drudgery; and from his cradle to his grave it |
would be difficult to see where his existence |
could be il!umined by ray OF prosperity or /
hope. At the lowest rung OF the ladder OF |
labor, he Is forced to remain In his thraldom. |
both Intellectual and social, which the custom
OF ages has imposed upon his class
at meeting OF farmers, the other week,
one OF them said that In the counties of Suf-
folk, SUSSEX Kent and Norfolk the wages the
year round
AVERAGED THIRTEEN sHTLL1Nas.
Let us say that this is fair statement.
self, his wife and four children-six people.
The cheapest cottage he can get costs 2s Sd
per week. Allow Cd for fuel; Sd for clothing;
school fees for three children, I'd each, which
the family are left with 9s per week to buy
food, which gives five cents q day to each
British paupers are allowed 10 cents day to
each. Butcher meat is far dearer than In the
beef Is about 28 cents. Butter, tea sugar.
coffee, Is quite as high as in America. Fruit
s more expensive; so Is flour; and the COM
mon qualities OF clothing are not to be bought
or less money than at home Attached to
he cottages are little plots OF ground-that
with the dwelling rented for Is Sd
)eing about fifteen feet square-upon which
small supply Of garden-stuff can be cultiva-
ed. Externally there 10 generally the APP 1
,earance OF cleanliness, which Is apt to lead {
lwells within; bat you have merely to enter |
% be undeceived. kI
HOW DO THEY LIVE AT ALL?
me would naturally ask. put the question / !,
o resident Of Kent the other day, and he !
rave me few points. which upon 1nvestiga- t
ion were fully corroborated. I
"Well, SIR" said he, "they have a hard g
truggle to make ends meet"
But what do they live on?" asked. b
Not tea or coffee, poached eggs or broiled 9
teaks, can tell you. Upon the tables Of the +
neat once week-on Sunday; rarely twice B
week" +
"And even then it must be in small quanti- 8
es2" u
"Yes; man will go to the village butcher t
~ Oueulu"y, Nhu puy pCluupo 10 Ou WOEbU.
hat Is about as far as he can 60 Soup Ia b
lade with it on Sunday" Ii
What do they generally eat?" o
"The ordinary fare consists OF bread and t.
heesc, sometimes porridge boiled vegetables.
nd beer, which can be bought for penny
lass throughout these counties" =,
| had noticed lots Of game on my Journey !,
nd asked this gentleman IL hunger did not !
ten tempt the labOrer to It's appropriation :
Many" he continued supplement their L
rider BY poaching; but owing to the severi- y
7 OF the game laws, II
SUCH THING IS VERY RISKY. ri
, Is q common thing among the boldest to b.
sappear from the villages after dark, and al
i'm up come hours after with rabbit, n
are, partridge, or their smock-pockets "
savily lined with potatoes, turnips, or other X
egetables, stolen from the farmers fields" tt
ut Is pretty hard for a half-starved man Of
it'll family to see abundance around him, "
I'd yet not be able to lay his hands upon it2'' Iii
ventured. e.
YES" said my informant, ''it is hard. The es
arriving process has gone on so long that NJ
iQ fnr ,l>I.I IL