The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-02-08
The Labor we comnete with.


The following statements, which are sum-
married by the Cincinnati 1anes-Star, win /
give our readers an insight into the character !
of the labor that the Free Traders would have
American labor to compete with. The facts
stated need no comment. They speak for them
selves, and they speak for the Democratic tar
iff policy which win compel the labor of this
country to come in competition with tim
poverish our manufacturing industries and re-
duce to squalor and want the operatives who
have contributed SO much to our national
wealth, growth and independence. Read, and
determine whether the TRUE American policy
is protection to home industries, which makes
US independent of the pauper labor of Europe,
or Free Trade, or Tariff for Revenue only,
which will reduce our labor element to an
equality with that described:
In the Black Country, within seven miles f
the great free trade city of birmingham, 1000
people are engaged in making nails and rivets.
About 10000 of these operatives are females.
A writer in the London Standard, who WIS.,
tied this center of English industry not long
ago, drawsa vivid picture of the poverty and
distress there Witnessed He says
In the middle of shed which adjoins a squalid-
looking house there Is whole family at work in the
production Of these nails; father mother, sons and
daughters too, very young in years. but
with that sad look OF premature age which Is always
to be noticed IN the faces Ct child WORKERS. The gay
to be crushed out OF them. In the center Of the
shed, with its raftered ceilings bleak and wretch
ed building through the walls of which the wind
readily finds Its way-there Is a "hearth feo by
.'gledes'' breezes Probably there is girl or
woman blowing at the bellows, Will the strips OF
iron from which the nails are made become molten
The homes of these unfortunate laborers are
said to be dismal beyond description. In many
instances 'they are more like novels than hu-
man dwelling Places They are devoid of all
ordinary cenveniences. They shelter, and that
is all, the toilers who for few short hours
rest within their rickety walls. In nine cases
out of ten there is only one room below and
two above; and in nlnety-n nine cases out OF
hundred they are inhabited by large families.
How they manage to exist at all in some OF
the houses is problem which may well exer
else the ingenuity OF some social philosopher
to solyep Il o 81 D. .
AS to the wages these people get the same
writer says: -a,- .l-.er
The remuneration they receive is Incredibly
small. 1t is no unusual thing-on the contrary, it
Is rather the usual customfora family of three or
four persons, after working something like fourteen
hours a day, TO earn 81 ($5) in week. But out OF
this money there has to be deducted Is Sd for car
riaget to convey the nails to the gaffers, as they
are Termed In the district; then there Is allowance
to be made for fuel and the repairing of the ma
chinery which reduces the 81 about los Sd $41S)
for three people-for three people who have COM
menced to work every morning at half-past or s,
and who have. worked on through all the weary
day, with no substantial food, until late at night
All the Black County laborers, old and
young, men and women and children, are rag
ged, miserable and hopelessly wretched. They
seldom or never taste meat from one week
end to another. One wOrkwomaG said to the
STANDARD writer when bread comes hot from
the bake-house oven on Saturday we eat it
like ravenous wolves" 1t would be hard to
believe that large class of English working
people were IN such a, condition as here de-
scribed if the evidence did not come from high
English authority Cheapness of manuiac-
lures at such cost is dear indeed.
A REMARKABLE CAREEB.--We had an in
terview the other day with "Losh," the we'll
known carrier on the mallroute from Staun-
ton to this place and learned from him these
interesting facts: He has been carrier on this
route at various times since the year 1885, ag-
gregating eight years in all. The distance
travelled by the carrier is SO miles each day
During this time he has Travelled 12020S miles
about 30 times the distance from New York
to San Francisco and five and four fifths times
around the globe, It would require railroad
train, going at the rate of 20 miles an hour and
running day and night, $50 days to travel the
same distance, Within the time of his service
in the employment of Uncle SAM" he has
carried, at the lowest calculation, one hundred
tons of mail matter-millions of letters, with
their countless and varied messages.
"Losh' Che is known by no other nance
looks to be about 35 years old and is still
manipulating the mail bags on the above route.
Heis regarded as themost faithful carrier who
has ever been on the road and never misses a
trip when he,can possibly avoid Highland