New-York tribune., 1886-11-14

|
plants stand against her, she has usually paiu On
compulsion, and insisted that she always mea.'
TO- Her machires never lack operators anu 'no
grade of work turned ont is of the best quah,y
Her advertisement appears at irregular 1h'ersa'''
is answered by swarms OF applicants an '"o,o
are always numbers waiting their turn. oh ''u'
street n few blocks distant Is deep. basement
crowded with machines and presided over oy
woman with many of her personal characteI's.o''
1t is the lowest order of slop work tnas is uono
bere but It helps to fill the bargain counters OF
the poorer stores and the workers are an always
shifting quantity. 1t Is certain that both places
are practically the property of Mrs. F. Du'
no man has vet been cunning enough to determine
once for all her responsibility, and no law YET
framed covers any ground thst she has chosen rs
her own. Her prototypes are to DC Iouho III e'oi'
trade open to women, and their NUMBERS e,o"
with the growth of the great city ana strehs'nen
in like proportion. The story of one IS practicaiS
the story of all. Popularity supposed 70 DO
method of trickery confined chleny 10 'c"'' ~
vestgat,on shows that Americans must share the
od;um in almost as great degree an that the long
| list includes every nationality known TO traue
| We have dealt thus far with fraud as the hrst
| and chief procurer for bargain-countera Another
| method results from fact that thus lar mus' sum
| ND as manly Jewish. Fill within very little more
| than a year. a large dry-goods hrn on tDe "es'
| Side employed many women in It's underwear
department The work was piece-work and hone
| by the class of women who own their own
machines and work at home. Prices were never
| high but the work was steady and the pay prompt
| The firm for time made specially OF "Mother
Hubbard night gowns for which they paid 81
dozen for making this word covering the making
| and uniting in of yoke and sleeves. the seamer
having in some cases IL ade the bodies at 30 cents
Dozen Many of the women. however, maze the
| entire garment at 81 80 per dozen, ten Deing 'no
| utmost number practicable In II day OIL lourtenh
| hours Suddenly the women were informed thaU
| their services would not be required longer AN
| East Side firm bearing Jewish name hau COLI
tracted to do the same work at 80 cents a dozen,
| and all other underwear in the same proportions
Steam had taken the place of foot-power, and the
| " omen must find employment with hrms wbo wero
! willing TO keep TO slower methods Necessarily
| these are an always lessening minority. Competl-
| tion in this race for wealth crashes out every
| possibility of thought for the worker save as so
! mncb nroducipv power, and what hand and foot
cannot do steam must. In several casos in this
special manufacture the factories have been
transferred to New-Jersey and Pennsyivania
where rent is mere song, and where girls nock
in from the adjacent country, eager for the work
that represents something higher than elther
ordinary mill work or the household service they
despise
Z" What can we do l"said one manufacturer lately,
when asked how he thought the thing would END
" If there were any power quicker than steam or
any way of managing so that women couiu ieeu
6ve or ak machines that woud'have to come next.
else every one of would go to the wall together
the pressure is so tremendous Or course there $
M cbauce for the women but then you must
remember there's precious little chance 1or inc
emplover either This competition Is sort OF
, ] rlnt market Will cheap gOOHS
and gives sense of prosperity, but IL is the death
of all legitimate reasonable business 1t won't
t surprse me if this whole trade OF manufacturing
underwear becomes monopoly and one man
like OH, for instance swallows up the whoi'
thing Lord help the women then Tor thereIl pt
T no help in man"
uSunnose co-operation were triedi What would
= be the effect II
. 4No effect because there isn't confidence enough
anywhere TO make men dare n cooperative scheme
Fven the workers would distrust it, and sharp
! business man laughs In your face If you mention
the word 1t doesn't suit American notions l.
a might be a good thing If there were any OLD
n fashioned business men left men content Will
+. slow profits and honest dealing as my 1athcr wa
a for instance But he woul Int have ghost oil
- cha,ce today. The whole system of business /
A rotten and there will have to be Reconstruction
4 clean from the bottom though it's the men tha
nead II frat We're the maddest nation for money OF
. the face of the earth and the race is more KILN
L | one every year. Pm baf inclined to think some
times that mankind will soon be pretty much
r. suueruty the machines are getting So intelligent
and il may be these conditions that seem to upse
Il Won 30 are simply means of killing of those tina
N are not wanted and giving place to less sensitlV
=. order of beings Lord help them, say again
IN for there's no help IN man.
The sneaker nodded, as if this rather unexpecte
O;, tinu 10 an
. might lie the real solution of all difficulties an
~ hurried away to his waiting niche IN the grea
=, competitive system. And as he went, there eau
% 70 me words spoken by one of the workers.
- whose life hope was dead. and who also had h'
- theory of any future under to-day's conditions;
~ awe worked eleven years. I've tried i've trade
~ with nv needle and machine. My shortest da
80 has been fourteen hours for had the children an
o tnev had to be fed There's not of these trade
n0 that don't know we'll 1t isn't work that PN
v anv tronble In getting It's wages. Five yea
'u AGO l could earn 81 90 day ana we were comfor
" able Then il began to 90 down. 81 25-then .
There it stopped awhile. and | got used to tina
and could even get some remains OF comfort Of
~ of it, had to plan to the last half cent We wel
- cold often but We were never hungry. but then
fell again-to 80 cents-to 50. For year the be
| that can do l have earned not over 80 cents
VI dav-sometimes only 75. I'm sixty-two years o!
a can't learn new ways. | am strong. l alwa
"1 was strong Irun the machine fourteen hours
day with lust the stoppings that have to be to g
- the work ready. I've never asked Il man alive I
st,' n penny beyond what my own hands can earn a.
,ov dons want it. suppose the Lord knows " hat
~, all means. It's His world and His children in
90. and I've kept myself from going crazy many
~ time by saying it His world and that somehC
.i il must all come right in the end. But don't
80 hove it any He's forgotten. There's nothi
ID left but men that live to grind the face OF
md poor '""' 0"u0 tr. mora ws
ira hiaAs - na cbiIdre,
Ian o"' Vi -, g., .. don,, I'm