The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-05-08
CHEAP JOHN.
what Clara Morris Heard and Saw In
Snu ErnnciEcR.


San Francisco.
There is poor old woman just across
the street who came to California yesrs
ago. Her husband found plenty of WORK
to do and did it, until one terrible day
be came to pause in his labor-a pause
that has covered many wretched year ;
for to him who at thirty is crippled and
blind, the years are both long and bit
ter. Then the wife came to the front.
She could not go out TO service, because
of the three little ones and that living
wee, her husband so, being young and
strong, she took in washing. She worked,
as woman always works, with reckless
disregard of self She might have fed
and sheltered her brood with half the
| lsbor, but she was ambitious for them.
Her always suffering husband had to
have luxuries. Her little ones were
sent to school in nest snd tidy dresses.
In the meantime Chinese laundries -four.
i:hed, increased in number, were every.
where. She was compelled TO lower
wages to keep her work. Suddenly the
mania for futed rufiles swept over the
town. Everything was ruffied, and
therefore everything must be futed.
Fluting-irons cost money. With low
cred wages, she had barely kept the
wolf from the door. She sat up all night
and crimped rufies with knife-blade /;
but that wss pronounced old-fashioned );
the washing went to the Chinese laun-
dry. For several years she had lived in
tiny little frame house of four rooms,
in which her children, her husband and
herself lived and had their being, At
last she turned to office-sweeping- hard
work for small pay, but still keeping
bread in their mouths.
For eighteen months she held that,
and then the China boy asked for the
Job. He was told q woman hsd it.
Said Jim Lee; "What do you pay
her? ?" Somuch, says the man in charge.
"Well," says Jim Lee, 81 will sweep
the Office and make fires when needed
for the same money" " Weslol," de0
INJURED the man but Jim Lee breaks in
again with the offer to sweep the office,
light fires and clean the windows for the
same money that was paid the woman
for sweeping alone. Jim Lee got the
Job. To~day that poor old woman
receives charity for the first time. The
Chinese monopolize most Of all the small
trades. Taere is the trouble. They do
tin work; they run sewing machines;
they make shoes they are rag-pickers,
gardeners, p0rters, BARRIERS, bakers,
photographers assistants-oh, well, they
do everything. A tin smith had store
in one of the smaller streets. His bus
mess was thriving. He thought he
would indulge in cheap labor. He took
in q couple of Cinnamon; they learned
the trade, and then secretly taught it to
some of their friends, who dubbed
together and started small tin shop in
the same block, where they unders0ld
him clean out Of the business. When
they got possession of trade they
employed only their own people. Day
before yesterday bought an article of
underwear. and 1 expressed some sur
prise at its small cost. go, yes"
answered the sales-woman: last winter
that would have cost seventy.fve cents
more; hut We employ Cinnamon now"
" And what has become of the girls you
formerly employed ?" Well, few Of
them found their way into the ballet of
some of the smaller thesters, l have been
told, and some, am very sorry to say,
did wOrse-gone wrong in fact" And
so il goes.