The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-03-16
A word that is written don't know when its
pnuGnAMMg.
Plans to Raise Wages aud Reduce WOrklul
Hours,

Knightaol Laborin New York say thatthey
know nothing about the railroad strike il
the Southwest, II called upon to aid the
strikers, they will do everything that /
ordered; 80 far, nothing has bsen said
about Eastern cooperation. The officers
Of the New York Central Labor Union
who are all OF them knights Of Labor, be-
lieve that they will have enough to do in
this neighborhoOd without concerning
themselves actively elsew where, The sum
mer's programme OF work is believed u
include determined effort 10 establish @
better rate OF pay in certain trades whose
workmen and wOrkWOmen are now mlseT'
ably treated by employersi the eight
hour advocates who are preparing for a
general enforcement OF the eight-hOur Law
IN New York after tbs lst OF next May,
are also working hard to induce ths
unions 10 strike together for shorte!
hours. One Of the leaders in both these
movements said to-day:
Amy one who goes among the poor
workers OF Now York, especially in the
tenemenL-houBe districts, knows that there
must bs q change some day, You will
tind thousands Of men, women and chill
dren wearing their lives out by the most
ncessant toll, for which they receVejust
enough pay to keep body and soul together,
1t is an existence which OhUrs no hope to
the workman or his family, and organized
labor must come 10 the help Of these peO-
pie too weak and ignorant to hel p them.
selves. For instance, know women VINO
work sixteen hours q day upon cheap
clothes get 81 so a week and have to pay
their own rent and provide their own ma
chimes. They work harder than any aul
mails can be made to work and live III hor-
rlble tenements; decent living ia out Of the
question. Now the Central Lsbor Union
dnds this condition Of things, and no
matter how little rich people may sympa-
thize with the unlors, they will admit that
women ought not To bs compelled to work
In vile tenement houses sixteen hours u
dsy, in order to earn 81 80 week, There
Ia something wrong and We intend to
to make experiments towards finding q
remedy.
"Fhst OF all, It may be'sRid that in every
class OF labor n certain sum OF money is
necessary to enable the laborer 10 live de.
Gently; what that amount may bo Can
easily bs asCertOined. Let us say, for Rrgn
meul's sake, that q woman who Bsws on
clothes ought to have S. week in order
to enable herto live in reasonable Comfolt;
II that is fixed upon a. the miulmun rate
lor sewing women, believe that the
unions ought to INSIST that no employer
shall pay women less than So aweek. UD.
der the present System, by which people
work In their tenpmenie, 1t Is not possible
for the unions to control or even TO know
what an employer pays h!s people but II
ati labor WAS done in large shops We could
say to the employer: You must pay this
woman S. u week oryou must not employ
her at all. Otherwise the whole power Of
organized lsbor 10 this country vail bg eX
eIted to break up your business.' The
came argument may be- used with regard
to hours. "A woman ought not in decpnCy
to work more than twelve hours day and
eight hours would be- better. We can say
TO the employer that his people must not
ba allowed to work beyonda certain num-
Der Of hours a day. II he cannot treat his
workpeople so far as pay and hours are
concerned in manner which we consider
decent let him get out Of the business.
Under the teneuent.house system we
can do nothing for these poor wretChes.
Therefore we propose TO break up the
tenement-houso system. Upon the same
ground that the Btato has right to pre-.
vent a man from poisoning himself, We
believe that We have the right 10 prevent
these people from working, even II they
wish to, under conditions prjudlcial to
health, morals, and posterity. The com.
petition Of tenement'house labor keeps
wages down; that Is another reason why
we propose 10 put'Sn end TO the system
The moment people are employed In large
shops we can attempt three things for
their benefit: That their hours shall be
their pay sufficient to support
them in deCenCy; their workshops 1T for
men and women to work in.
at ia the lowest grade OF workpeople,
those who will work tor the least pay, that
makes the rates for " hole trades. To illu-
strste, suppose we have $4,000 shop girls
In New York, waiting bsntnd counters in
retail shops; certain number Of these
girls are glad, thanks to circumstances, to
take less wages than others some may
live at home, consequently they work for
three or four dollars a week In competition
with the girl who has her board to pay.
Ten thousand Of these girls who live at
home, make thu standard wages for the
10000 who do not. and much suffering re.
suits. The 10000 can live on these wages
but what kind oil q life Is III We want to
establish for the sLop grlB minimum
rate OF nav below which an employer
shall not have the right to co. The car
drivers have minimum rate Of 50 day
for twelve houts' work. SO far 50 good.
All trades oughtto have minimum rate
We are not holding the good workman
dovtit TO the level Of hiB incompetent fellow
because employers may pay any wages
they like above The minimum rate.
nYou ask mo where emplOyer1 are To
tind the extra money demandedY BY
charging higher prices. We have no
quarrel with employers; we know per.
Iectly well that competition ia fierce
among them aud that the humsne om'
ployer goes to the wall. The tendency In
prices has always been downward Ut the
expense Of the workman. tits time for
the tide to turn. Well'to'uo people can
nav more for the clothes they wear and
the meat they eat. Things are not equi.
tably distributed. When see a man in
DelmoniCo's restaurant payingas much for
one meal as would suffice to keep q Lud.
low street tailpfs faulty for month, /
say 10 myself, THAT fellow ought 10 pay
more for bis coat, made partly by the
Ludlow street tai or, perhaps, and lees ipr
hia breakfast. This tailor would DO a little
richer, and Delmonlco would be- a little
pooref--the distribution would DO more
equitable.
hFot the present, therefore, we want to
atom tenement.hOuse manufacture oil all
kinds, IN order 10 get at the employers oil
thesc poor wteiChes. And yOu will notice
ibat the Knights Of Labor refuse TO ALLOW
any cigsr.tnaksfs who employ tenement.
house labor to use the union label. That
VIII break up that branch oibuslnesg. AT
everything In the future is to have label
other trades can he attended 10 In turn,
IT.
Honesty Rewarded,