The Labor enquirer., 1885-04-18
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reports Of the consuls of the United
States on the cotton and WOODEN indus I
tries of Europe in answer to circular
ftoEe the department Of state. a4Id
SMUSAhlssio u Il certainly not vain
enouah to sttempt to add sauything to
this Sb0lA lg91 sBu ,cI9lOil
Then what is the duty of the commits
sions, ,lsbsr, and wihstEssh his bureau
createA6rP !
We aptwerreadnyA II, the first place,
the commissioner should understand his
own duty, which Doesn't; He isikel
q blind horse in field full of bitches.
Ha aPsn'tknow which way to 60, 50 he
ibNemen ehdGgh to standstill. fet us
giEa him credit for that. In the next
bface, fhe eommissioner does not know
xhet bis bureau, was established for! 4
BE SAYS SAYS be is "eofng to view labor
fom ssais4tifc stand point What Be
means by this nobody knows-not even
be cohmisapher himself. He will, per-
hsps, make an almanac, and tell us OF
shAfd6on, ,dBfhountains, valleys and in
habitants., Ny Interpretation OF the
diliesassiened the gtureauI idf labor is
to gather data and statistics respecting
labor in the United ssales to ascertain
il any lsws can be passed to Improve
the eohdihon Of the laboters; the proper
relations between capital ard labor the,
best means to promote harmonious re:
lations between the employers and the
employed, and the varied interests of
the country.
The wsman'sy ydepartmenf-Te investi-
gate and determine the best means for
the Improvement Of the condition Of
female employees, the securing for women
fair open field for their competition in
all industries in which they can be en-
ployed, and equal pay for equal work. 1t
is the duty of the bureau to recommend
congress to establish unit of value for
labor from which the value of every de-
scription of labor can be computed.
There is a unit of value for time, weight,
measure, distance, heat, power, cleo
tricty, etc. With the legal establishment
by congress of such a unit of value for
labor the day of strikes will be over. -
1t Is clearly the duty of the labor
bureau to aid in devising means for the
benefit of the labor element of the land
and for such purpose the labor bureau
was created.
We common people can see no science
displayed in stitching shirt or handing
a shovel or pick. Hood has immortal
lied the one, while physical strength
alone is needed for the other. We in
tended establishing common sense
bureau for the purpose of collecting
knowledge-praetical knowledge to bene.
fit the wage-working element. The
naval observatory is the proper place
fer astronomical observations the
bureau of labor. If the commissioner oi
labor is scientist or astronomer send
him to the Smithsonian Institution OF
+ the observatory. For heavens sake
take him away from the labor bureau.
The needs. of the poor is the proper
question for discussion in the labor bu.
reau-the needs of 4the poor who are
able to work and VINO are not protected
in the rights belonging to labor.
In the bureau of labor, as at present
constituted, the wage woman has no
friend, and certainly no representative
no one to understand her needs; no one
competent to work on the problem as to
what is best to b. done to benefit her
condition. Size has no representative
there now, and il Mr.. Commissioner
Wright has his say, she will never have,
This Is contrary to she taeit understand
ingd the trainers Of the bill, and is an
seatrage which we 'wilinot tamely sub
NIT to.
And again: Mr.. Carroll Wright, COM
missioner, etc., informed me that this
bureau knows nolsek.T Innocent fellowl
Then why in the appointment of his
fifteen agents did he take all men and
,no 8omenR Z THE, fact is, Mr.. Carroll
Wright, commissioner, etc., considers
himself a public laborar clothed in
Ibruadcioth and fiae linen and views
manual labor through a gold-mounted
telescope. This don't suit the men and
women who have to gain their bread
by the sweat of their brows. A sclen-
tifc dinner would not sest easy on the
stomach of bona fde laborer. Bread
is practlcal-meat is practical-bread
and meat -away5with science and teles-
copes. We asked for bread and he gave
us stone. There Is not much science
inthis, MI. Wright? 81 am confused to
know where your astronomical observa-
tons will come in.
The labor bureau has to deal with the
stern realities of this world-not take
observations of the heavenly bodies.
We don't know whether the moon and
stars are inhabited or not, but we do
know this earth lis, and that the thous-
ands of unemployed men and women
living in filthy fll-ventilated rooms,
with the bare crusts to feed upon-half
starved and half clothed-living in fear
of death, but too poor to die, with the
morgue and the dissecting table await