National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-04-04

WAsuINGToN, d. c., March 30, 1856
rr,.rop prp,-ntrcAN. Your readers know
~, - -, ,o,on,t,. a.t.h.
tha' u '"oo' 'oiu - $1,000
lished more ana acoInnllssioner sPpoin'eu'
An appropriation Of foOOOO was made by
Congress to defrAy expenses, salaries Of
oe,oor, Co
-.
NWoS Vue senera' unuers'anuins e'iOns
the friends OF the bureau, senators ana
members especially, that department for
women should be formed as branch Of
.ho hrroou and was indorsed for tho
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mean Oh 'nSS uePar'uioh' w 'ioio s."a
undred senators ana members OF CON
Rress, President Arthur promising ia
anpoint me as such.
,rho friord. NJ tho y.so vyon,an or Tho
- 80 :. A.. 80.
coun Wy were niuen oIa'eu AZ 'ne p~aoose
OF the bill to establish the bureau OF Ia
Dor They very naturally concluded that
the working of the woman's department
of the burea especially would serve to
throw additional light on the subject OF
labor as regards the condition Of labor,
the wrongs inflicted upon labor, the I'M
Just exaetions Of capital upon labor, and
the best means to be devised for the
amelioration Of tho laboring classes.
With the laudable intention of being
fully advised as to tho intentions of the
labor bureau, the class of work it in
tended mapping out. and tho department
assigned woman, | called at the bureau
on the oath instant TO SEQ the commits
sioner. On stating the object Of my visit
he informed mo chat there was no do.
partment for woman in the formation Of
the bureau" and mo work assigned her
Az
perfected for the year"
Considering l had been promised by
President Arthur the position Of chief Of
tho woman's department and my numer-
Gus indorsations by our leading legislat-
ors, and the fact that had been laboring
TO obtain the data for the formation Of
this bureau and its establishment; that
| had been engaged by the Senate and
House committees on education and labor
to compile statistics for them without
any remuneration from the House com.
mittee whatever), and that 1t was gener.
ally accepted by everybody that there
would be womans department. in the
labor bureau, l was certainly amazed
not to say indignant-when told by the
commissioner in language palmer than
words that no woman need apply
The people OF the United States Will
very naturally inquire what this bureau
was formed for? What object is to BE-
accomplished by its establishmentY II
Commissioner Wright knows he is a
Solomon on his own hook. One Of the
grand objects for which this bureau was
formed, If understand 1t, was to inform
the country on the subject OF labor; to
benefit mankind, not solitary indi-
vidual; not for men, but men, women,
and children. have heard the commits
asa mil vi AVH In
standpoint, but We women are after the
practical issues Of lifo. His theories
may be correct, but are not theorizing.
claim that the bureau was established
to show some practical results. He, on
the other hand, maintains that IL was
formed TO enable him TO indulge in theo-
ries. Governments, like individuals, gem
orally have some motive In view 30 gov
ern their actions, and i will not insult
the intelligence of Congress by admitting
that tho act To establish a bu reau of labor
was simply an idle within, without a mo.
tive and without A purpose.
Let us now consider the objects for
which the bureau was formed. 1t could
not have been to show the state of labor
in Europe, for we find one of the most
comprehensive and able reports issued
from the Department of State, under the
head of United States consular reports,
together with n letter from the Secretary
of State, reviewing reports from the con
suls of the United States in relation to
tho state of labor in Europe. This report
embraces full information from every
United States consul in every country in
the world, and furnishes us with ali we
desire to know on the subject Then we
are satisfied as to labor in Europe, in
every sense of the term. mapufacturinp
and mechanical, commercial, professio on al
personal, including woman's employment
in every branch, agriculture. mining
and all other pursuits, Can tho commits.
sioner add ANYTHING to this fund of in,
formation? To whom will he apply2
Then we have the reports from the
consuls of the United States in every
cline
From crcon,o,Ss ;cv maintains.
From midas coral strand
Where Afric's sunny fountains
Roll down their golden sand.
on the commerce, manufactures, &c, o
their consular districts.
Can the commissioner add anything Il
this
Then we have also full and complet,
reports from the consuls of the United
States on the cotton and wooden indus
tries of Europe in answer to o circula
from the Department of State.
The commissioner is certainly not vail
enough to attempt to add anything t,
this report.
Then what is the duty Of the commits
sioner Of labor, and what was his bureau
created for?
We answer readily. In the first place
the commissioner should understand hi
own duty-whieh no don't. He is like
blind horse in field of full bitches. II
doesn't know which way to go, 50 he /
solemn enough to stand still Let us Civ
him credit for that. In the next place
the commissioner does not know what hi
bureau was established for.
He says he is going to view labor from
a scientific standpoint" What he mean
BY this nobody knows--not even the com
missioner himself. He will, perhaps, max