Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-08-23
The Labor Question.

The Labor Question.
Professor Sumner in his examination ty the
Corgressioue c02,tnittcc OF the labor question
10 New York, yesterday, said he was professor
Of political and social science in Yale College.
lie thought it was difficult for any person 10
claim that I.s had thoroughly Investigated the
labor question. lie did not know any person
who had undertaken to study this general de.
prcssi3c, bacau=e he thought any political econ.
omist would be careful in giving his views be-
attention to the fact that within the last lev
years tho means Of transportation and commu-
rication lad become greater, aud by these
means be thought that over production was
const auence, and had made complete reyolu
ton over the whole world
! lie spoke Of the opening CT the Susz Caoa
| anG its effect on the market in EngaDd. lie
said that when it was first opened goods came
much quicker and caused glut in The market,
raw goods accumulatlug on top OF old. But
| this glut had now been Overcome. Within the
! last quarter Ct o century there had been great
improvement III machinery OF sll kiuGs, and,
taking tue accumulated effort Of a these ma
chiots, they must produce a temporary set
back and vas another factor ID causing this
depression 10 labor circles. The effect OF ma.
chinery Vas to cheaper luIurics and bring down
things 10 poor classes which century ago they
never thought Of Machinery had been great
good to the masses. though in case Of individ.
uais anl classes it he's worked them evil. Peo'
pie camc to the United States first because they
wcro oppressed in the cid c3uutry, and they
did not like to leave their Old homes, but were
forced 10 do S..
Emigration from ireland was caused By pow
ertY end reports Of famine. lre!aud' condition
since the famine was very prosperous, aud be
understood now that ii was iu very good condl'
tl1n. Another cluse OF reaction which has
been going on Vas the Franco Pfus5lan var,
which threw q great trade to Eoglaod, aud con-
stquonly 10 1871 aud 1872 England was 10 a
state Of wonderful prosperity, SO much SO that
the Lordon Economist used TO speak OF it every
week. Germany since 1873 has gone through
period Of crcat pr7ations. During THIS pros,
pctily 10 England many people accumulated
large fortunes, and she began making improve.
mentl ia South America aud Au4lralla, bulId
iog cauals, railroads, sc, 1.-THE United State:
bad been free 10 1872 she might have bteu
able to compete with England When the Goa
ard iT3u trade Was being carried CD to great
extent. Tie iab}rer in the United States. sal
W.T., ess in tho present time u not having a:
good tine, as good subsistence as the aborcl
10 Eo2laud. In this country there were tWcIV,
people to the mile, and in Belgium there Wtr<
four hundred and sixty persons to the mile
aod the latter lived very fairly. lie did no.
; think revolution would cause any change in
his resoccr The only way was 10 liud SOM
method b. which lnau ) labor could be III dt
productive, CT else move 10 another place
where labor vas moro productive. Wltucs:
spoke very highly Ct Air. Wright's statistic:
d: Of tic coalition Ct labor in Massachusetts, and
: said That i was very carefully compiled. Ihf
; state O! labor in Massachusetts was very bad
If there was auy other State in which it wa:
wo1sa, it WAS Ltaat of Pennsy lvauia, on account
uf Geprts on in the c1at and irou trade. L. CT
causes Of depression IN this country all dated
; lrom The war. Fifteen years ago We set tc
; work to de5!rty capital. and took many mcr
from their labor aud set them at work to dc
this work Of destruction: During aI this dc:
strueti1n the people in the North did not tnd
aBy dcrr:sscn but the Southern citica wcgl
: devastated. VIC we're issuing notes TO meet
; this iestruciiCl ami showing of tbs period Of
! suffering which would revert to III agan. Ia
J 1873 wc began 10 feel this period OF suffering,
anl We have Dot got over it yet. This present
) dcprc; On 10 business was the result OF war
aD;i We were now just shouldering our burden
} We had gone through all this misery and sui
: ferug. aud mad cot paid Of the debt We haC
not taken up this uorcdeemld paper. The Ct
feet OF his vast amount Of paper passing a.
curtc1cv Induced an era Of speculation. There
Was 20 way of making up for the capital De
J a.ro5el We could postpone the period q
suffering from this ithation, but it would b:
J all the heavier when it came in the eud.-
; When the crisis Of 1879 came it shocked every
pcrsor, and people began to ask themselves il
they were solvent, and began making lnvento
rics Of what they owned The people Of the
whole country since 1878 were trying to sol!dlty
and settle up their accounts. During the las:
fvo years many persons had accumulated CAPT
} tai by reducing their expenditures. Tic
s!aguaticn in labor. Every pers0o could oEly
!; work along the best way he could. lie knew
) Of no other way. Since the war We had to put
up with heavy ts1ltion. and this burden we
had to bear. Taxes had to be paid for the
protection, not to tho Government, but to pro.
tec.cc bodies. We had heard q great deal lately
about c7cfp7oductior; he c!assed it as dispro.
portioIate production. Lie thought manufac
tories could grow up as we'll in this country as
10 the old country. They had grown up 10
Massachusetts, and Rhode Island Ohio aud
Illinois had built up great independent indus
tries on account of their railroad facilities
To Mr.. Hewitt witness said that where trade
was fee there could be 10 disproportonate
production. Witness thought it was due to
the protective system. Protected industries
had tendency to rush along and hasten this
state Of things The tariff was greatly to
blame for our production Of every year being
greatly in excess of the demand. The tariff
cougcsteG the population in SOME districts to
which it would not otherwise have been at.
trac,ed. The orl7 remedy for this was dis
ritu,ion Ct the people among the industries
Of the c0untry. lie thought benevolent or.
CARNATIONS could oit better than the Govern
merit
TENNESSEE REpUH.ICANS.-Th republicans
Of Tennessee me! 10 State convention yester.
day, with cx Gov. Henry S. Footo az prcsi.
dent.