The Wilmingtonian., 1885-03-07
SATURDAY, MARCH =, 1885.
THE AMERICAN LABORER,
A Sickening Story of Misery and
Destitution,


DestitutiOn.
We are all aware that bill passed Con-
gress for the relief of the American laborer.
That he needs relief is undeniable. Here
even in Wilmington we see proof of it all
around us. The Associated Charities has
probably through its kind hearted mission
aries makes that fact known to the reader
The workingman and his family are bene-
ficiary of the charitable societies of this
city.
We do not wish to be considered alarm
lists, but at the same time, when terrible
stories of the most extreme distress, to
which that that exists among us in Wilmin-
gton, is literally trifie, it is fair to suppose
those facts should be made known.
There appeared in recent issue of the
New YoIk EOening Post, in a letter dated
Stafford, Con-, description of the condi-
dion of affairs in the Noltheru part of Con-
nscticut at the chief centres of the wooden
Industry, which if true, and there is no rea-
son whatever to doubt its authenticity, is
nothing less than heart rending. The wri-
ter, though processing his ability to cite nu
merous cases, gives as an illustration the
condition of affairs as they ernst nCO at Stat
ford, one of the chief centres of the wooden
industry. This city is situated at the head
waters of the Willimantic river, and con-
sists actually of congeries of villages
strung along the banks of the Wilimantic
for about five miles.
The writer says-the whole country for
miles about is dependent upon these villages
as forming local market of considerable
Importance, and these, again, depend for
their very existence upon the wages paying
capacity of the mills. All told, the number
of persons Of both sexes and all ages, whose
only means of subsistence arises from oper-
ative labor in the factories, amount to up.
ward of S,000-comprising about 400 fam.
ilies-together with from 500 to 600 young
girls, operatives in the Yeave-rooms, whose
parents are not residents in the town, ant
who, therefore, when the mill closes aud
their savings are exhausted, are in the situ
alton of homeless wanderers. have seer
dozens OF young girls tramping on the road
from town TO town during the last two
fenceless, obliged to ask lodging in barn.
when denied admission to the house, thinly
clad, hungry-often emaciated by long star.
walton and protracted exposure. (Right
here in the presence of the above facts
whether rhetoricians condemn the abrupt
ness of the remark, or christian moralists re
fuse to recognize, or even at the risk of {
froNn from Mrs. Grundy we think it our
duty to remind our readers that within th,
last few days $1,000 was collected in thre,
Wilmington churches for the purpose o
foreign missions! All for the help of Africa
China, India! We do hope for the christian
credit of our fellow townspeople, men anC
women that this is the first relation tha
has reached their ears of the condition o
things in their own land
To continue, however, the writer in III,
New York EUening Post says-as to tramp,
of the stronger sex, young and old, but abl
bodied and capable in m ost instances, the,
swarm in scores on every highway and by
way in every part OF the state: some of then
sullen, desperate; Others sad, cringing, will
the stamp of patient suffering upon thei
paid faces. Poor souls, with the shar,
winds of the sudden weather crises cuttino
them to the bone, what is left of them, with
the inefficient organization for the poor il
New England towns, but to be found dea,
OF cold morning in the hayloft of somt
farmers barn, less cared for than the oxel
in the stalls beneath AS result Of thi
wholesale vagrarcy, begging, pilfering, lar
eeny in all its varieties, and outrages 0
kinds ndescrbab!e have become events o
such common occurrence that the farmer
have begun to talk of vigilance committees
and OF organizing into squads to hunt noe
tnrnal llunderers whose only blame is tha
in the absence Of work, they mnst steal o.
die! lady in Stafford Springs told tn,
writer that she knew Of more than thirt,
families whose only food for some week
has been small ration of Indian meal {,
each member-without milk, butter or sea
soning of any kind, salt excepted, 20 softer
the puyerty of the diet. 1T is the saddles
in the world, " said the lady, ito sec, as
have seen, poor, haggard sunken-eyed girli
and boys, whose only real illness is th,
fever Of hunger, dying BY SLOW degrees, aud
not to be able to bring them relief.
For the last few months the local grocer,
have refused to receive from the farmers ia
barter such commodities Of the farm as but
ter, eggs and even potatoes, on the ground
that there is no sale for them except on
credit, which, under the present circum,
stances they cannot afford to gNc. Poultry,
pork, beef, and other s0nrccs Of farm rey.
enue have become equally unsaleablc owing
to the inability of the wages earning classes