The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-05-12
Che GatsIligeuter.


Baltimore American.
The twelfth report Of the Massachusetts,
Bureau OF Statistics Of Labor contains
some curious evidence in support OF the
welI,known medical theory that the pri'
mary cause of the craving for stimulantl
ia innutritiou and waste Tissue. This the
orY rests upon some well,knowu facts in
physiology, and is confirmed by obssrvs'
tion in many directions. Alcohol arrests
waste OF tissue to a certain degree; II ID
craVed unuAturally, by all who have &C
quired or inherited any taste for It, in ev'
cry case oil reaction from excitement, OIL
mental or physical oVerwoTk. OF an&mia,
blood poisoning, or vitiation or degensracv
OF tissue In consequence Of hereditary
faint, insufficient food, or impure Atmos'
phers. The logs and swamps Of Holland
produce the same appetite for gin that ia
encouraged by the Teeking garrets and
cellars OF London. Alcoholism il, in this
view Of the case, disease Of society
which civilization must teach itself how
10 cure, or to prevent, IS it prevents small
pox by vaccination, The relation be-
tween intempsrauce and mental over.
work has been pretty clearly traced and
defined.
The report referred to above indirectly
gives some singularly strong testimony to
the relation Of physical overwork and
drinking habits, The Labor Bureau was
directed to collect data aud obtain testi'
mony, from employers and hands in New
England factories and mills, relative to q
uniform system oil laws TO regulate hours
Of labor. With this end in view, Mr..
Wright Canvassed 246 establishments, and
545 employees, on the general subject, ask
ing many incidental questions besides,
The testimony Of manufactures was con-
h!Cting "a to the effects OF reduction in
the hours Of labor upon the milling inter.
ests; but the most intelligent seemed to
think that hands would produce as much
working sixty or sixty'six hours
wrote one manufacturer; I'VE would all
be happier and better of" Many admit.
ted that decrease OF time and an increase
OF speed would have "a good effect upon
employees. Some taid the hands would
like 1t better; 1t would improve their
health and DO good for them in many
ways; others, that 1t would injure their
health and make them idle and careless.
Less hours Of work the evidence goes to
prove, produces better class OF opera.
tives-moTe skilled labor. As one says,
"the most skilled labor goes in for short
hours" The majority concur that the
shorter labor period benefits employees
physically. They get TO work more easily;
40 a hla IN pnYk tnnPa ainaIKlu. thaHa Il
less sickness; the women and children
improve materially in appearance. One or
two owners, however, he'd that st would
give them more time TO loaf around grog.
shops" and this is the point where the
strongest evidence bears to exactly the con.
trary Issult-eVidenCe from masters as
much as from hands. "Nore Of my help
would waste their leisure" says one Elm.
ployer; "they are all Americans. Very
lew but would make good use oil their
time" ~ believe" says another, shat
many lchO nor make a bad tSe of their leisure
lrould Improve il they had more" The hands
I've are still giving testimony from the re.
port) want their extra hour for improve.
ment; ii will give them more time 10 rest
and think; the women to sew and
do housewotk; the men to cultivate
their gardens. The operatives nearly
all cay one thing: That a man
would be better of; he would have more
rest, more ambition, more chance to i'm.
prove himself. "Not five per cent would
get drunk, says one. III did not have
my extra time in my pocket, said another,
II should have It In my bones" A third
says, with the earnes'ness OF conviction:
"Fewer hours means less incompetence;
long hours and poorly paid labor tend 10
brutalize." VI see the most drunken.
ness" reports fourth "among the over.
worked and poorly pAid.P "IntempsrRnCe
does prevail" says 9Th, "Rnd we
think poverty causes much Of IT,"
"AIost fntemperanCe, declares another,
among those that work the most
hours; long hours create q
desire for stimulants." A seventh believes
that "long hours induce intemperance;
the short.hour laborer eats food the long.
hour laborer takes stimulants" eleven
hours" adds an eighth, "brings q poorer
Class OF help, therefore more intemper.
ance." "People are 30 run down.! chimes
in a ninth witness, "that they resort TO all
kinds OF beverages for strength" Evidence
OF this sort IL stronger than any com.
ment can make 1t. The question Of anne.
liorating the condition Of operatives and
removing thsrefrom the influence Of bad
tendencies and habits, Is a humane ques.
ton, not an economic one; but, II mill
owners would look iato It more carefully,
they would zee that they have business
interest in It, as well Rs a charitable one.
Better work.people and better work go'to.
gether, and these make the returns Of
profit much sursr than they would other.
wise become. Bit the beginning Of re-
forms 10 this direction must rest upon the
recognized limits Of human energy, which
cannot be trantCended without waste and
lOsR.