, 1878-09-26
UNEMPLOYED LABOR.

her weII-iounded claim to be lead
lng state in the Union One main
ground on which that claim is oased
is the fact that with her characters
lHtic intelligence she has been the
hrst In practically applying to the
labor questionable most urgent Ques-
ton OF our time-the uuermng test
OF statistics. Diseases of the body
polite must be accurately diagnosed
before any sure remedy for them can
be prescribed. and half the peril of
a public evil is removed by finding
out its exact dimensions. Not lone
ago the stunning assertions were
made and widely repeated in news
papers, works on politica! economy,
speeches in Congress-, and resolu.
tons at political conventions, that
forty thousand people in Boston,
from two hundred thousand to three
hundred thousand in Massachusetts,
and not less than three millions in
the United States were out of EN-.
pioyment. Massachusetts deserves
the credit of having made the first
attempt to ascertain the facts in the
case. On the 24th of June, 1873,
the Massachusetts Bureau of Stats
tics began thorough canvass of the
State, with view to discover how
much truth there might be in the
reckless and inconsiderate assertions
as to the forced idleness in Massa-
chusetts and the country. The cities
were carefully canvassed, and ans.
wers to the Bureaus circular were
received from all the towns but fifty.
ore, which last, however, counted a
population of but 77,459, out of the
entire population Of l,G51,912 in the
State, and are manifestIy agricultu
raj communities whose laborers are
fully employed. The general result
of the enquiry is that in the nineteen
cities Of the State, there are unem-
ployed 4,400 skilled, and 1896 un.
skilled laborers, and in the three
hundred and twenty-four towns, L..
120 skilled and 5 5,557 unskilled labor.
ers. The number of unemployed
male laborers amounts so far as heard
from, to 21,Sl2. Adding 80 per
cent. for female laborers brings the
number of unemployed to 28,50S.
In this are included 5000 operatives
in Fall River, where the rascalities
of two men led to the closing of sew
eral large mills, which. however, are
now running again. But assuming
that there are 2S,5OS, or 2 per cent.
of the population of Massachusetts,
out of employment, and that this
is fair average of the whole coun-
try, careful estimate of the whole
country may be made, although, with
the exception of New York and
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts has a
greater population of unemployed
than any other State, because heI
industries are largely artificial. On
the basis given, the numbers Of un
employed in the whole United States
reach 570,000-a number too vast
altogether, but small compared with
the preposterously alleged three mil
lions. "The absurdity of the three
million statement" says the Chief OF
the Massachusetts Bureau of Stats.
tics, sis readily seen when it is
known that there are but about ter
million people in the country en-.
gagged in productive industries -
The Chief says, with reason, that
this matter of unemployed labor 'is
a national question" 1t really al
once underlies and rises above all
questions of merely partisan politics.
But it is not to be settled either by
visionary or crotchety theorists, OF
by such blatant agitators as Dennis
kearney, or by the underground
Vaccinations OF dangerous secret or
ganizations like the Knights of La.
Dor, mysterious y Dragging of their
100000 oath bound members. Be.
sides the actually unemployed, there
are perhaps, twice as many whose
hold on regular employment is so
precarious that almost intolerable
anxiety is added to their other bur
dens by the reflection that at any
moment they, too, may be out Of
work, and that three weeks out Of
work would bring them to destitu.
ton. Diminished as the evil is by
the resssuring figures of the Massa,
chusetts Bureau of Statistics, it is
bad enough still. But there is one
remedy for all this trouble-go to
tilIing the soil; there is plenty of
land in the States and Territories to
make all happy if we will only go to
working it, the farmers are the most