The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-08-07

recalled and firmly established. !"
hor Representatives Presenting
their. Cnres for Poverty--Hhat o
Greenbacker Wants-.-A Chao s OF
False Doctrine.
NEW YORK, August 4.-Mr. William a.
| Carsey was the first witness before the Con
rressional Labor Committee YESTERDAY
morning. He said be was the secretary OF
the Greenha Labor party. Two years ago
he had the honor OF being elected president
| Of the Trades and Labor Unions. He'Was
also an officer of the Bricklayers' U mon.
Mr.. Carsey was examined at length as 10
the causes OF distress and the remedies pro-
posed by him. :,
Mr.. Thompson: What are the causes OF
the general Distress? A. Legislation Tor
| class interest, for railroad, watering, anu
land-srabbing interests. The railroads, Tor
instance, ore owned by two or three men,
who employ hundreds OF thousands or ais
charge them at pleasure. Then the manu-
factories are owned by few men, and cap
ital is so concentrated that q man now born
without capital and finding no employment
must starve. We ask for legislation which
should give this man chance to live ii ne
cannot find employment. The first measure
we prorose is the homestead act, and that
the government should lend the settlers
seed, tools, &C., so that they, could
make their own homes and earn
their own living. We believe that
the Government should employ the peo-
ple by a system OF great public improve
ments, such as the Hudson tunnel, the MIS-
slssippi-rlyer improvements, the Florida
ship-canaI. the Texas-Pacifc railroad. Let
the men employed on these works be .cltl'
zens OF the United States: let them be paid
| in currency or in the silver and gold which
is now living idle in your Treasury vaults.
This would bring money into circulation,
it would initiate prices, and general pros
| perity would revive. ag
| Mr.. Carsey then spoke OF the vast num-
Der OF failures caused by the present money
and labor system.
"There will! be no prosperity again until
we initiate prices, because nowthe deprecla'
ton OF prices is so great that il man builds
q house or starts any business prices nave
become so deprecated by the time ne gels
fairly started that he must become bank
rupt Prosperity never will return until
currency and prices are inflated"
a What other causes OF distress are
tberes A. Well, we should have indus.
trial instead Of commercial education. Our
people now are being educated for lawyers,
clerks, ministers, and doctors, instead OF
being educated for farmers and mechanics.
Thus we have thousands OF people who
only know how to make their living by their
wits.
SOME REMEDIES SUGGESTED. Isl.
| O. But is not there surplus OF mecllan-
les, too. A Yes, there IS but not. OF SO
| hos n m H.
way at noon and know OF no way OF living
eycept bv their wits. we should also have
. bureau OF industry, to collect all the facts
necessary for an understanding OF the con-
dition OF workingmen. We want tue con.
tract system OF Government works abolished
The system OF contracts awarded to the low
est bidder is one which always leads to
swindling. ] have been contractor myself
and speak by the card. Laughter 1t brings
about system OF estimates which must be
based upon the lowest class Of material and
the lowest class Of labor. In the end the cor.
tractor, who OF course must have bis proht,
must either cheat the inspectors or the GOV.
eminent, Another measure l would recon-
mend is to prohibit the eXportqtion OF the
raw materials we produce and winch we
can make up ourselves into manufactured
goods, and thereby employ our starving
Workmen. and to prohibit at the same time
the importation of foreign manufactured
/ goods. believe that this country produces
| everything necessary for our needs, and we
should set our people to work by procuring
and manufacturing these articles. There Is
no sense in exporting three hundred million
dollars worth OF raw cotton anu importing
six hundred million dollars worth OF manu-
featured cotton goods. 1t is not wise sys
tenn to export our raw materials ana 10 lei
our working people starve.
@. How would you raise the revenues OF
the Government? A. BY direct taxation
by direct tax on the income OF everybody
II man is allowed, by the protection OF
the Government, to accumulate million, nt
should pay handsomely for the support o.
that Government. Earnestly Iwant very
much TO impress upon this committee tht
necessi.yof Congress doing something i'm
mediately and passing these relief measures
next winter to give the people food, other
wise we shall have trouble.
COMPULSORY COOPERATION PROPOSED.
Mr.. Osborne Ward, who: said he was ;
| teacher in Brooklyn-a machinist formerly
he said, until they did not want him aDl
| longer-was the next spokesman OF the SO
| cialistic labor movement. He announced
| the decided opposition OF Ills party 10 tut
greenback and imitation theories promul
gated by Mr.. Carsey, but agreed with MN
in regard to the system OF great puDlic I'M
provements to be carried on by the Govern
ment. He denied that working people were
better off now than they were tfty years
ago; that they had any more shoes, or any
more clothing, or any more 1000. IA
thought cooperation was bad, ana that co
| oneretion like that OF the Shakers was tht
true remedy for the present distress OF TIT
working classes.
o. why don't you and your friends form
such a cooperative association now! A
i We want to form such an association OF TIT
entire people OF the United States and u
/ form the Government as a nucleus Of it.
MIR. Rice: Suppose yon want to 90 int
the association, and I don't, would yor
compel me 2 A. We'd convert you; wee
| Christianize you. [Laughter.l
! Mr.. Rice: But suppose l wouldn't b.
Il ~~11-1