The Morning herald., 1878-06-17
THE HERALD.
Wilmington. Del June ~ 1878.
RIOTS RUINOUS TO THE POOR.


The Quebec riot has been quieted, and if
ever an insurrection of labor, was to be
palliat ID it was that of Quebec. The rate
of wages attempted to be lowered was al
ready at starvation point, and it was the
prospect of sheer starvation, which mad
dened labor into riotous activity. This
means ofrigh,ing the evil is sure to be
ruinous to the poor. '@"
The Baltimore News asks: What did
the unemployed gain by the mischievous
convulsion Of July, 1877? Instead Of re-
.lieving distress it increased and extended
distress. Instead of fstimulatipg liberality
on the part of the employers 1t COMPEL ed
additional economy on the part Of the en-
ployers, and drew upon every one tight
er and more disastrous squeeze, Every
dollar it cost, every dollars worth ofprop-
erty it destroyed, every cents worth Of
trade it delayed or lost, have come from
the activities which were weakened or
dwarfed to that extent, and that much of
progress had to be regained and renewed
before the country could even come up to
the point where the July riots found it.
Surely the good sense, the intelligence
the masses must see and realize what a
frightful blunder was the crime of last July
Surely they must see that the hope of re-
lief is in the revival of trade, and that a
blow which prostrates trade and bleeds it
for weeks and months afterwards, is not
the remedy for hard times. When busi-
ness is good employment is plentiful and
profitable. When business is stunned en-
ployment starves. A weak man needs
nourishment, not blows or bleeding, and
and so with business, commissions kill it
when patient nnrsing would heal it.
The times are hard, but any display of
violence will make them harder, and we
have faith enough in the. intelligence Of
our people to believe that they repent the
gust of passion and unreason which did so
much harm year ago, and will not be
misled into such a suicidal blunder again
but we are all one people, all dependant in
the largest measure upon each other, all
interested alike in the revival of prosperity
and all can, and all should contribute of
our means and patience to attain com.
mon aim. Lei all then do their best to
make the burthen Of privation as light as
possible upon those who must feel it,
weight most keenly, looking forward to
that inspiring condition Of things which
we are gradually nearing, and in which
| ,pital will find it's just relief and Dues
This condition can be forwarded and
helped by the means we have indicated.
Hence we would impress upon those who
can push their work or business, to em-
ploy all those who for whom aught can be
found to do, and those who are idle to
bear their unfortunate lot with all the pa
tience they can command, turning their
hands to whatever may give them tempo
rary relief, until happier condition OF
things is reached. Neither agitation nor
violence will do good, but on the contra
nv are harmful. The outbreak Of last July
only increased the trouble and delayed re-
lief. A repetition Of that violence will
only put us back further from the re-
cuperation necessary. And SO each year
we will drift further and further from the
goal which can only be reached by persis-
tence in the path of peace and patience.
FEw will agree that sixty cents day ls