The Labor enquirer., 1884-09-06

childrsn 4 the criche ox baby hrm, she
|ays:
mile o. two i not stall Il uncom-
mon distance for mothen to calgy their
babies to these plsces knew : case
where mother carried her baby three
miles every morning and then walked
back mile TO the factory whore she waa
employed. She had 70 repeat the same
walk retaining from work after o'clock
in the evening. II makes no difference
= to the kind of weather there is to be
encountered. Think Of worn cut women,
scarcely half clad, getting up It 5 5o'clock
lin the winter, preparing scanty break
fast. then walking with baby in her
arms, and perhaps : counle Of little chill
dren trudging along side through the
lFain, snow or sleet by easlieht to .
nursery. Itsppears to me the condition
Of the working class is getting worse
instead Of better"
BY other sworn evidence the cpal
miners are described a. going into the
mines before sunrise and coming out
after sunset. These men take their boys
of ia years and upwards with them, in
order that they may be able to make .
living. s8
/ Whose fault is it that such places yield
| a plentiful crop of @Mollie' McGuires7"
The capitalist rides home to his man
sion on the hill with his span of high
steppers; there is found wealth and
comfort in profnsion. The man that
stands before his broiling furnace, with
brawny bare breast and arms, wends his
way home and meets his children COM
ing in from the factories, that should
have been at school and then in house
of one or two rooms are found six OF
eight of family.
Four hundred millionaires in one city,
that have made their money simply by
gathering the cream from labor, repair
to church and drop their pennies into
the missionary box to send the gospel to
the heather. And while the church
bells are still Ginning, FIVE hundred
mothers kneel in garrets, by the bedside
Of sick, hungry and dying children. and
plead with merciful father to open his
gates and let their babies in.
Take your statistics, as shown by your
last census reparts, and point out one
class of producers, except farmers, that
are shown to have made any money.
Simply one class, if you please, have
made more than comfortable living; /;
and half of them not that. What mat
ters it then that you are worth $43, ,000-
600, 900 tb-day? Are your carpenters asa
class, laying by an, thing? Are your
miners, your iron workers; are they, as
classes, worth double what they were
ten years ago? Where are your wage
workers that are laying up anything for
old age? The producers that have piled
up this $43,aO0,0O0,0OO have compara-
lively none of it. If these men are lay
| ing up treasures it must be in Heaven,
for they are not shown by your census
reports. /-N.+
| The census shows that your farmer
makes scant 10 per cent, while it also
shows that your iron mongers made from
36 to 81 per cent on their capital in
vested, and run about two-thirds of the
time. The producers of this industry
are paid the liberal compensation, on an
average, of S1.16 per day. s.-t, z5
Your steel manufacturers make the
small profit of 81 per cent on their capi-
tai and pay their producers the large
compensation of $l.5O per day. And
this is a fair example of division of the
profits of labor, as between the employer
and the producer.
To deny these facts is to deny the
figures contained in your census reports.
1t is to deny plain facts that have been
asserted on your floor of congress and
none dared to challenge their truth.
Wages have deprecated with us since
1881. but we will take the wages paid
in foreign countries, as shown by con-
sular reports in that year and see how
our labor compares with England;
Bricklayers in England got Ss.12 per
week, in Chicago they got from $6 to $40
per week. Take the average and you
would have about English prices. Car
penters and joiners in England got $s.25,
in Chicago they got from 81 to $l2 plas-
terers in England got $50 per week, in
Chicago So to I5; cabinet makers in Eng
land $40 per week, in Chicago 81 to 15 /;
saddlers in England $3.50 per week, in
Chicago from s6 to sl2; laborers, porters,
etc, in England IS per week. in Chicago
from S5 to $6. The average wages of
carpenters in Liverpool for 1881 was So,
in Chicago they were from $50 to $l2.
Now please bearin mind that rents are
much cheaper in Engl and, and clothing
is on an average nearly on e-half cheaper
than it is here. One more particular
will enable You to make estimates for
yourselves; the supply of the table.
Bread in Liverpool per pound 81 to 4
cents, New York to A, Chicago 4 to A
flour in Liverpool 81 to cents, New
York to 4, Chicago q to Al cents.
1 Meats in Liverpool from one to two
1 times higher than in Chicago and New