The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-01-23
Is Life Worth Living ?

angered at the inhuman manner i'll
which INDECENT English seamstresses
were treated by their employers, in
spired him TO produce his immortal
''Song of the Shirt" England re-
sponded to his cry for justice, and
vowed that the evils which he deplored
should be at least mitigated, if not
abolished. Il similar appeal to hui
manitv seems to be desirab BILE in this
city just at present, at least if one is
10 Judge from the heartrending story
which prominent merchant told a
Herald reporter Saturday afternoon.
"Six dollars and 53 cents is nice
payment for making 291 shirts, is it
not?" was his indignant question, as
he pulled a pay-book from his pocket
and showed the figures in black and
white. "No, l am wrong. The esti-
mable employers paid $40. but you
must deduct from that 1922 for car
fares, and then you have S6.53 for
making 29l shirts. Who was fool
enough to accept the job? I'll tell
you. A man came here from Silesia
about fifteen months ago with his
wife and two children. He is bright,
intelligent fellow, about 40 years old,
and has worked for some years on a
railroad in Germany. He brought
with him two sewing and
he and his wife managed TO support
themselves for some months by max
ing shields for caps. When the de-
mand for these articles ceased, he
sought other employment, but was
unable to find any. At last friend
told him that a firm in East Fifty
third street would be willing to en-
ploy him in making shirts. He jumped
at the idea, went to the firm, got the
material for the shirts, and set to
work at once, after he had provided
himself with cotton thread and other
necessary articles. That was on Nov
2G. From that day until Dec. 8, he
and his wife and another woman, who
provided a third sewing machine,
worked from 6 o'clock in the morning
to II at night, and at the end of that
time they had finishhd 291 shirts, and
had received 1913.
HE lived in Brooklyn, at consid-
cradle distance from the ferry, and
had to pay considerable sum in car
fares. The agreement was that he
should receive 80 cents for every dozen
shirts, and on Nov. 26 he took three
shirts to his employers, expecting to
be paid at the rate of 2! cents shirt.
But how could he be paid that odd
half cent. Would his employers be mag
unanimous enough to give him s cents
instead of q? Quite the contrary.
They paid him cents instead of u
cents, his lawful due. On Dec. 9 he
took eight dozen shirts to his employ
ers, and received S2.40; on the 9TH he
took another eight dozen and received
81. Ga, the increased wages being ac-
counted for by the fact that these shirts
required to be finished better than the
others, and on the 9th he took third
eight dozen and received the same
amount as for the preceding lot.
AFTER l saw him he had taken his
last eight dozen, and he told me his
story. l got his pay-book from him
and showed it to several influential
gentlemen of this city. Knowing the
price they had to pay for shirts, they
could hardly believe that any en-
ployer would be so mean as to ask
men and women to make them for %
cents each. told them that the mans
wife could not support her children on
such starvation wages, and was
obliged to get coal, tea, and money
form some charitable ladies in Brook
lyn. ] went to q prominent labor bu-
reau and requested the proprietor not
to recommend any man OF woman,
however badly off he or she might be,
to take employment from this firm at
such a rate of payment, and finally /
promised the man whose case at
tracted my attention to the matter to
do my best to get him some job better
than that one. He is an honest
man, and he says that it would
break his heart to see his child
rem sell newspapers on the street
That was the reason why he accepted
such badly-paying work. If The Her.
I'D will only give due prominence to
this story Hoods hopes may be re-
allied in this city. You remember how
he says:
And still in voice of dolorous pitch
would that its tones could reach the rich)
She sang the song of the shirt.
mot even the most stony-hearted
would dare to pay man
and woman for thirteen days labor
such miserable sum rs this firm
paid Regen and his fellow workers, if
he matter were known to the public"
ha,,, InrI n