The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-12-28
AsADsToRY.
How English Agricultural La
borers Manage to Exc Out a
Miserable Existence. ts7!a
Fearful State Of immortality, Owing to
the Manner in Which They Are
Forced to Live.

Correspondence Of the Chicago Tribune. .... .
LONDON, December I.-As winter al
yances the British labor market become
more troubled; and distress among tn
working people assumes severity IN
known in years The staple topics o
conversation are reduction in wages
strikes, lock-outs, and suspensions,-notil
one district, but throughout the country
The distress at Sheffield Is almost unparal
leled. Thousands are, it is said, living II
houses stripped Of furniture, without fire
and are dependent upon the generosity o
their neighbors. So it Is in Birmingham
Leeds, Manchester, aud other manufactur
ing centres, and the suffering is so unu
sually bad that 1t is expected extraordi
nary measures looking to relief will b.
Immediately taken by Parliament.
Among the contests now going on Il
that between the agricultural laborers o
Kent and Sussex and their employers
Your correspondent visited number o
the villages in these counties the pas
week, and, from personal observation anC
inquiry, will endeayor to give you an in
sight into the merits OF the struggle. Somt
5000 men, women and children are al
iected by the lockout, and in many cases
EXTREME DEsrIrrTIoN EXISTS. pa
The proposition OF tho tenant. farmer and
landlord Is to reduce the laborers' wages
from Is Cd per day (62 centsl TO 3. This
Is per day does not mean rs per week,
but 2s per day when they can work. j will
put one wet day week as moderate es,
innate, 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 fair av.
erage throughout the twelve months OF rs.
Generally speaking. the English agricul:
tural laborer has large family, but will
say that four children are the outcome oil
every marriage,-six or eight would be
nearer the mark. OF course, when these
children grow up, they can 90 into tho
fields a certain portion OF the day, and add
TO the family revenue; but, owing to the
Compulsory Education bill, they cannot
render much substantial assistance until
they are Is or Il years OF age. "a.
In former times il was entirely different.
The agriculturist's wagesisSere always
small; but, as soon as his children could
walk around, they began to earn theil
living. Therefore you will 500 that TIC
head OF the family, from beginning TO end
must have an incessant struggle. de and
his progeny do not live,-they merely ex
ist. Poets have sung and moralists senti'
mentally descanted upon the British peas
ant: but strip him OF his romance, snd look
at him truthfully and soberly, and he pre-
sents melancholy spectacle. He is merel,
beast of burden. His condition is little
better than that OF serf, II indeed II u
az good. Hegroyelsin poverty and wretch
edness.-oiten with an insufficiency o
food. And scarcely Is he able to dream o
any more elevated state OF existence, FOL
the social forces by which he Is beset al
most entirely preclude him from breaking
through the bonds which hold him. Id
| Ia n drudge; his life is life OF drudgery
and, from his cradle to his grave, 1t woulc
be difficult to see where his existenc,
could be illumined by o ray Of prosperii
~ or hone. At the lowest rung Of the lad
der OF labor, he Is forced to remain in hi
thraldom, both intellectual aud social
which the custom OF ages has Imposed
upon his class. ..si .,.ls. -
At a meeting Of farmers the other week
one OF them said that in the counties o
Suffolk, Sussex, Kent and Norfolk, thu
wages the year round averaged l3s. LIE
US say that this Is fair statement. Taxi
a family composed Of the laborer himself
his wife and four children-six people
The cheapest cottage he can get costs =
Sd per week. Allow Cd for fuel; I'd 10
clothing; school fees for three children, z
each, which they are compelled 70 pay; y
| for boots; and the family are left with D
per week TO buy food. which gives tiv'
cents day 10 each. British paupers ar
allowed ten cents day to each. Butche
meat Is far dearer than In the states. Nut
ton is % cents pound, and beef Is abou
% cents. Butter, tea, sugar, coffee, ar
quite as high as in America. Fruit
more expensive; SO Is flour; and the com
mon qualities OF clothing arc not TO D
bought for less money than Of home, ~
tached to the cottages are little plots Q
ground,-that connected with the dwellin
tented for 2s Sd, being about fifteen fee
souare-upon which small supply g
garden stuff can be cultivated. EXTERNAL
there Is generally the appearance oil clean
illness, which Il apt to lead one 70 n
belief that comfort and plenty dwell
within; but you have merely to enter to b
nnlerpfyed