The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-07-10
found that while they were not at all

lOuuu LutG WuIO onOy VOAo NV ~
ignorant of evil and vice, they had
learned to take care of themselves.
He says: "The mill girls are familiar
with coarse and vile language. and can
hear it unabashed and without blush
ing; they can answer in like terms.
But these facts are not, in their case,
marks of extreme depravity or immor-
atty. They afford no evidence of un-
chastity. do not believe that this vice
prevails to any considerable extent
among the Young women of the mills"
He found that most of the operatives
live in small buildings where there are
only two or three families under one
roof, system which he thinks is much
better than life in large tenement houses,
but even in these small houses
the cellars are not properly secured
against the ingress of surface water,
aud the water closets are inadequate
and unsuitable. The cookery is
not usually very good. Nearly
every thing is fried, and bones which
would make good, nutritive soup, are
thrown to their dogs. The younger
operatives read the trashy New York
story papers with the long ''to be con-
tinued" yarns, but he found most of the
elders reading paper devoted to the
liberation of the working people of
America, whose declaration of princi-
Piles was ultra COmmunistic, and which
did not hesitate to advise workingmen
to supply their needs from the stores of
their neighbors and to help themselves
to the money in the National banks. He
also had a conversation with the editor
of labor reform newspaper, published
in the town, who claimed that the mill
owners were thoroughly selfish and had
no regard for the interest or welfare of
their operatives, and that factory life
had nearly reached serfdom. Notwith-
standing the teachings of these papers,
he found few signs of interest in reforms
of any kind among these people, though
some of the spinners were discontinued
and have an organization for the pro-
motion of their interests. As to the
payment of the operatives, the writer
made the following notes from his con-
versations with mill agents and mana
gers:
"The women weavers are paid lit
tie more than 81 per day. Any boy of
IS OR IA years old can make So so per
week. Operatives pay for rent, for four
rooms, from $3.50 to Sc per month.
The owners and managers are satisfied
with the Ten-hour law, and do not think
any additional legislation necessary Tin
this State) for the proper regulation of
the relations between capital and labor,
or the working people and their en-
ployers. We prefer 10 hours per day,
but as the machinery is run by steam
power we have to start it little before
the hour, and some of the hands always
&c to work at once, in order to add a
little to the days production, and so to
their wages. At present rates of pay
the average operatives can save some
thing from their wages. If we compare
the cost of living and wages of the
times before the War, say 1860, with
the cost of living and wages now, we
shall find that operatives are better paid
now than they were then. All of us,
operatives and employers, have lived
more extravagantly since the War than
ever before. All wars make waste, and
we are all of us suffering from the con-
sequences of the waste caused by our
Civil War, and especially by the unwise
expenditure of money since 1865. When
wages were very high, few years ago,
the operatives wasted nearly all that
they received. Few of them saved any
thing. We must all learn and practice
economy. Many people who are re-
garded as being rich are living more
carefully ard economically than most of
the working-people, because they have
more foresight and clearer under
standing of the absolute necessity of
keeping their expenditures within their
income"
Their amusements after work are
very simple. They stroll the streets to
the Post-otfice, candy-shop, and soda
fountain, and there are entertainments
of a mild variety order, where they have
beer, piano-playing, and singing. Con-
siderable liquor is consumed, and the
business is so profitable that mill work
ers who lose their places for any cause
nearly always open saloons. In this
town there were nearly 1000 more OPP
erativest than the mills could employ:
"These were destitute of work except
when, now and then, the temporary ILL
ness of some hand left place vacant,
and so gave the opportunity of work to
one of these superfluous laborers for
day or two. There was much hardship
among these people. Many had fami-
lies, and their children suffered for
food. In some of the worst cases the
city gave assistance; the labor unions
sustained others, in part, and neighbor-
ly kindness among the operatives was
more helpful than either. The Labor
Reform agitation, in all its stages, from
vague discomfort to violent denuncia-
ton, was reinforced and sustained
chiefly by the presence of this unem-
ployed Glass;
The principal recommendation made
by the writer to bring the mill workers
into more sympathy with the influences
and spirit of our national life is q better
and he thinks that the time
should soon come "when the prepara-
ton and supply of suitable reading mat
ter, as an instrument for the education
and guidance of the working people.
will be regarded as necessary part of
the equipment of the manufacturers in
a town lilo fhis - opd that %ho ,o~:l.,