Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-08-29
TI,e Labor Question,

convention Gen. Hunton will receive the nonl'
nation, probably, by acolamatlou.
The Labor Question,
G, w. Elliott in his evidence before the Con-
gressiopal Labor Committee yesterday stated
that he formerly was an importer in Boston,
but DOW is an agrculuraIlst in Nebraak a. lie
said that machinery and Hteam had produced
moro than tho world could consume. The use
of machinery had drawn together into cities
| moro people than ought to be there, and only
twelve per cent. of the population were engaged
in tilling the SOIL the other eighty eight per
cent. living GA food produced by others. The
Western States produce surplus ofiood, where
as the Eastern States arc not thus engaged. nc
asserted that machinery had cheapened the 10
bor Of the working classes during the past year
and recommended that the machinery should
bo limited in the number OF hours that it IS en-
Dloycd, He recommended Congress to devise
some plan whereby the surplus labor ard the
waste lands could be brought together. lie
did not think Congress had any power to reg
ulate the hours Of labor, but the committee
should Collect the data so as TO operate on pup
! lie opinion. lilo believed in credit as pT;nc'
pic, but the present credit system was an
evil when corporation lends 10 persons OF
whose honesty the lenders know .ntthlng' ana
careless if Good interest and security can BE- OBJ
tanned He then made long TRADE against tho
introduction Of cheap labor, which tended to
keen down wages. lie wanted to sec cmlgra
ton restricted, but could not recommend to
| CONGRESS what law should be adopted. lie
wanted population restricted, as it Is IN tratce,
| whore families arc generally limited to three
pcrsous. lie attacked the railroads as great
monopoles, whose managers energies we're
mainly directed to getting all they could out Of
the people, and granting 20 more Than they
were compelled to DO By law or public opinion
| He believed III the honorable and just dlsti'au'
| ton of property.
| Mr.. John Roach, the ship builder, said that
he appeared as Torkingman who had laborcd
ct orc time fer one dollar and sixty cents per
day, from sunrise to sunset, at The AlIarc
Works. lie had watched the progress OF ma.
chipcry, aud he had found that the Eork!ng'
| mau had been benefited. Alter labollne fifteen
| years for one dollar and sky cents per day. he
| had saved enough to begin Tor himself. or a
very small capital. lie did lot work all the
| time, as there was not work TO Go always, ant
even then he had TO take his wages part IS III cash
! and partly in orders On Statesmen. Oac exists
| in this city to day where Mr.. AIlairc had given
j John Reach an order for :. pair tpanta|oons as
part of his week 5 wages. 1t that time work
ucn were saving but the war had taught them
ex.rayaganca. When the wages rosc from one
dollar and sixty cents to four dollars and live
dollars per day, the workiDen!cn !niueed ii
luxuries that they could not afford. Mr.. Roach
asked whether it would be wise 10 destroy Inc
agricultural implements, and thus allow Russia
to compete with the United States il her pro-
duets OF cereals, to the disadvantage OF the
country? Whom England found that she could
not feed her people from her o;Tn lands she re
moved her corn laws and gave hcr people cheap
breads. When she found that she could bulld
ships as chcaply as cry other country IN the
world, she removed her navigation laws Mt;
| Roach then spoke about ship building, ard SAID
| that modern ships could be built now III TIE
country at from $37 to $40 per ton IDLY t4l'p'
ped. After the Revolutionary war lhcc5untfy
was wilderness and without capital. The Wise
men Of the time founded tic navigation laws,
ships were greatly needed and 70 capital 70
| purchase then; ship carpenters were PAID ~
barter Of grain for labor, and 50 on Eut It ue'
| veIoped the ship building, aud by 1872 Amoti.
ca produced vessels that taught EnHa lesson
whi,L she has never forgotten. After 1872 up
to the rebellion $l7, 900, 600 were brought llto
the country for ships built Ia this copntry--~
ships the most rapid and best built IA the world
| On this island IS 900 men were employed III
| building ships up to the var OF the rtball!on.
| To-day only one shipyard exists Gu tue lsaDd
where numerous and Furnishing establishments
| had stood before the rebellion. lie thought
one Of the worst sights was like biz o57n shops,
| where million dollars Of machinery - rlug
| idle and workmcn unemployed because the
| shops wsro idle. lie recltcd the effects OF inc
war in the withdrawal OF ahcr from active pur'
suits aud the rise in wages and everything con
sumcd. Every ono began to be cxtraVaGant, oolh
10 public and private life, and tins was demo on
credit which has DOW to be paid, leaving
heavy taxation behind The time Tor the
realization Of values came, property began TO
find it's level, everything shrank, supposed rch
men were discovered TO be poor, and unhealthy
| economy began TO luIc and the Industries
were checked, throwing the labor classes Gut
of employment. lie also referred to the era Of
railroad speculation, the rapid development OF
mining and manufacture under this speculation,
its sudden stoppagc under the panic and the
| distress which followed in Tic mining districts
and the iron works. lie then referred TO tic
three great branches Of trade-a agriculture, man
| utacturc and commerce. lie then showed that
| with the intrucion Of machinery il working
| farms the workman had been benei ted and
| was able to earn nero wages, for before the
moving machine was Invented farm hands
could not earn moro than IS per month.
MIR. Cyrus Busting, President CT the New
Orleans Chamber Of Commerce did not believe
VIC were producing too much, or that the con.
| dtion of the couItry was as bad as described.
The war took away alargc number Of mechanics
| and the men employed in manufacturing es.
tabIishneDts. When these men came back
they found their places occupied. and their
work dono By machinery, and The Government
had no employment to offer them. These men
have been floating about since. lie said that
the danger now Was that too many men would
20 to agriculture. Improvement Of our means
of internal water navigation was an absolute
necessity. There was no use in raising wheat
or any other crop in Western or Southwestern
States unless there wcro cheap and ready tacl.
ties to transport these crops to the soaboard
cities for sale and Shipping. The Government
should make liberal appropriations for Improve.
Z IL