The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-04-23
QUESTION OF LABOR.

sonsl property increased elghty.seven per
cent. The wealth per capita in 1861
was S5lO32 while in 1870 it was S83o.79.
This vast increase in wealth, aud wealth
producing power aid not, however,
prevent industries from becoming pa
rslyzed, and hundreds of workmen from
being cast out of employment.
The main cause of the labor
er's poverty is the manner
it which he is psid-the system of wages,
which are not gusged by the value OF the
services performed, but by the pressing
necessities of the workman. The method
of paying laborers in scrip" or store
orders in lieu of money, which Is so com
mon throughout the State, is one that
should be positively prohibited by legis-
islstive ensctments. The Bureau advises
that the contracting Of the labor OF pris-
oners in the penal or re:ormatory institu-
tiors of the State be prohibited after ex-
lsting contracts expire, and thst laws
authorizing cooperative manufacturing
and mining associations be passed. The
subject of trade unions naturally occupies
large portion of the report, and 1t is
mlnutely discussed. The great Machinist
and Blscksmiths' Union was formed
in 1859 and embraces machinlsts
and others of similar occupations
in every State Since that year the toll
lowing trades have organized national
unions: Printers, iron moulders,
knights of St. Crispin, (shoemskers)
daughters of St. Crispin, coopers, iron
and steel heaters, puddlers, rollers and
catchers, bricklayers, painters, carpen-
tiers, plssterers, matters, morocco dressers,
tailors, locomotive engineers and fremen,
cabinet makers, carriage makers, cigar
makers, coal miners, ship carpenters,
railroad conductors, t-ainmen, and glass
makers.
The first trades assent bly, IN Ohio WAS
organized in 1864. In '6G Il convention
Of delegates from the various unions met
in Baltimore, and formed the National
Labor Union, which held number Of
meetings, but when it formed a political
party in 1870, it ceased to exist as labor
union. In 1878 it was revived, and is
still in existence. The once powerful
Miners National Union spraug into be-
ing at Youngstown in 1878, but it died
a couple of years ago. The National
Amalgamsted Association of Iron, Steel
and Tin Workers dates from 1876, and
embraces what formerly were three sepa-
rate societies, from the three departments
of q rolling mill. It's constitution define
the object of the society.
The objects of this association shall be
to obtain by conciliation or by other
means that are fair and lawful, fair re-
muneration to the members for their
labor; snd to afford mutual protection to
members against broken contracts, OBJ
roxious rules, unlawful discharge or other
systems of injustice or oppression" The
Cigar Makers Union was one of the first
formed, and is still in vigorous life. The
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
was founded in 1868, and has ten thou
sand members, which is claimed to be 80
per cent. of the skilled railroad engineers
IN the country. None but white men
can become members. From trade IN
ions the transition is an easy one to man
ufactures and manufactures.
The first blast furnace in the United
States of which there is any record, was
built by London company at Hammer
smith, Massachusetts, in 1914. In l7l7,
pig iron first began to be exported to
Ecg'and. Coke was first used by F. II.
Ohphsnt, of Fsyette county, Pa, in 1886,
and anthracite st Munich Chunk, Pa, in
1880. In 1916, bituminous coal was used
for the first time in smelling iron at
Lowellville, Mohonlng county, o. In
1910, there were 153 furnaces producing
1000 tons of pig iron. In 1874 there
were 704 producing 1853, Alb tons, of
which Sc were in Ohio, their product be-
ing 332, l66 tons
The first rolling mill in this country
was located on Falling Creek IN
in 1922. In 1851, the
second one was built at Lynn,
Mass. Maryland bar iron was exported
to England from 1892 until the Revolu-
tionsry war, although the English mer-
chants endesvored to prohibit the pro-
ducuon of bar iron in America as
common nuisance. There are now 332
rolling mills, forty-six Of which are in
Ohio, with capacity for $4,000 tons.
In 1872 the coal property in the State
was valued at 100000, 1t Is now
estimated at S6,O0O,OOO.
The first glass house in America
was started in jamestown, Va,
in 1892. The industry began in Pitts
burgh in 1898, the material being
brought from thirty to one hundred !
miles distance. In regard TO convict
labor the report gays: "As the
State increases IN population, and
crimes and prisons and prisoners increase
in proportion, the prisons will neces-
sarily become vast industrial establish
ments, in active operation more days
in the year than nrnety-nIne out of