The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-08-28

considered with relation to the census OF
the State in 1876. The population, rs MIL
he shown further on, has not materially
Increased since then. The population OF
the State is 1,G5l,Ol2; Of which $4,000 be-
long TO the skilled and unskilled laborers
III, 1874 males and 1877 500 females. The
total unemployed MS reported above, re,
lated, rs tile circular indicated, 10 males
It Is therefore Just to ascertain the total
unemployed males and females; this is
done by adding SO.7 per cent (thc proper
tion Of females to males unemployed OIL
81, Sl2 to itself, which gives 9S,50s as The
aggregate number Of skilled and unskilled
laborers, male and female, out Of employ
mcnt in Massachusetts June ], 1878.
The public can place the utmost conf
dcnce In this statement, and we have no
fcar OF successful refutation. Against il
can only be placed the wild guess OF some
one who does not stop to consider his
statement and who has not the slightest
foundation for his figures. We say the
figures reported herein are reliable: we
have given the croaker the benefit oil every
doubt. When the board Of assessors OF
anytown orthe authorities OF any city have
differed among themselyesas TO inc nun
her OF unemployed, we have without OK
ception used the largest number; we have
not been content even to halve thc,dtier,
ence. For instance, the chief Of police Of
salem and his men conquered IN an csti-
mate for that city. Aftcrward the Mayor
wrote to the bureau that he BELIEVED the
number was much larger and stated what
he thought it should be. We, therefore,
adopted the Mayors figures. ~
We have done this invariably. And
whenever the assessors OF any town, OF
the authorities in any city have been una
ble or unwilling to make report, repre-
entatiyes OF tho Bureau have given the
place thorough canvass, by interviewing
all classes OF people, overseers Of the poor
employers OF labor, roadmen, and al in z
position to give information, and obtained
fair estimate. With rare exceptions, the
town and city officials have not only re
spondetl cheerfully to the State, but have
| In most instances, spent good deal O
time in obtaining the actual number o.
persons out OF employment, 'i.
We shall not, therefore, make any argll
lnent after this statements giventhe pub
lie; we have criticised everything pertain
ing to It with severity ourselves, and dc
not hesitate to make known all the weak
points, that others may know all that en-
tiers into the statement.
lfit should be said that this report is the
result OF estimates, it should bercmembcr
ed that the estimates are those of intellt
gent officials, each board making an est
mate for its own locality, with which It Il
personally acquainted; and that the judy
ment OF at least two thousand men make
up the total, instead Of the estimatesof one
who tries to apply his estimation powers
to n whole state or nation at once. We be
lieye the statement to be absolutely within,
the truth, and Il must stand until somt
one can give results Of q better investiga'
ton. The figures given nre greater, RATHER
than less, than the real number out o.
work. silta
II may be claimed that June was thu
wrong month in which to take the account
OF the unemployed, because in the agri
cultural districts laborers were busy then
True: but it should be remembered that
then the shut.down mills Of the State wcrt
still shut down, and the shoe factories dull
while now very many OF these mills are IN
operation, and the shoe factories busy ev
erywhcrc. II the account related to An
gust |, instead Of June !, the total would
not be onc.half as large rs that given. Al
this investigation relating to June1, 1878
corroboratcs the results of the invcstiga
ton OF November and December, 1877, the
latter criticism fails. @ ..a. ~
In June, in Fall River, beside the skilled
and unskiled ,workmen accounted for In
the table, there were eight thousand
women, and children of both sexes under
eighteen years OF age, operatives, ont d
work, seven thousand Of which number
were out on account OF the transactions o.
two mon. Most Of them now have some
employment.
Fall River has seen more absolute sui
icring than all the rest Of The State; but
IT was the result of special causes.
This is n national question: and from
the statement Of unemployed In Massa'
Chusctts, we are able to make most care
full estimate for the whole country, III.
though, with the exception Of New York
and Pennsylvania, Massachusetts has q
greater proportion Of unemployed than
any other State, because her industries
are so largely artificial. On the basis given,
the unemployed in the whole United
States reaches $4,000 a number too vast
altogether, but small compared with 8,
100000. The absurdity OF the 3,0OO,0Ol
statement is readily seen when tits known
that there are but about 100000 people
in the country engaged in productive in