Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-01-05
"GOthams White Slaves "


Is is a horrible state of things shat the
New York Sun is describing in its series
of articles on "Gotbam's White Slaves"
The Indebtedness of New York sewing
women has been told before, notably by
Helen Campbell in her Tribune articles
on prisoners of Poverty" but while
wrongs such as she describes go uncor-
rected the story cannnot be repeated toe
often. No one has moral right to settle
down comfortably in his chair after learn
ing these facts, without asking himself
whether it is in his power to aid in miti-
eating the frightful distress.
The most these poor women earn even
by twelve or fifteen hours hard work
every day, is SIS 90 or $3.50 week. Half
of this must go for rent of the wretched
rooms in which they exist and work, and
out of the other half they must buy food
and clothing and fuel and light, for them
selves and sometimes for their children.
Their horrid condition illustrates the
falsity of certain current notions of
political economy. In almost every mag
azine or newspaper may be found the
mistaken assumption that wages depend
on what is vaguely called the claw OF de-
mand and supply" The truth il that the
demand for labor, wherever it is not arti-
fcially checked, is Unsuitable. In fact
the Suns investigators state that the de-
mand for this kind of "white slave" labor
is never satisfied, though the army of the
white slaves is constantly increasing.
| But this Unsuitable demand has no effect
in raising the wages; on the contrary the
tendency of wages is always downward.
Every year, almost every month, the
working women of Nsw York, and pre-
sumahly elsewhere. must work harder for
still more nlggardly returns. Those who
| possess more than average strength or
skill, and use it, only make the condition
of the others worse, without improving
their own; for if by extra labor woman
makes 81 or S. week the remorseless
employer cuts down the rate of pay for
piece work, so that she, with all her extra
labor, can only get the average wages, So
or So so g week. Or if by any means the
cost OF living is diminished, if by NOV
ing into poorer garrett the rent is low
cred, the rate of wages is lowered to cor
res pond, so that the poor creature gains
no advantage from her added misery.
Ground on this side by the employer,
she is plUndered on the other by
the landlord. Ii by any means.
even by the acceptance of charity, she
manages to make Der position little
less miserable, toe landlord on one side
and the employer on the other soon find
it out, and rent rises while her wages fall.
The pennies that may be given to her
children in charity are practically
snatched by these two and divided be-
tween them. Thus is the economic rela-
ton between rent and wages illustrated;
and though the condition of these New
York sewing women is the extreme, it Is
an example of general tendency.
1t is shame to oar civilization that
these horrors should exist, but so it is.
We are told by press and professors that
it all results from ''the natural laws of
trade" If this be so, surely it is time
some effort was made to counteract the
natural law" just as We can counterfeit
the natural law of gravitation.
The employers are not all to blame
They also, TO very large extent, are vic
tins of the same one-sided competition
The problem Of poverty, such as exists
among the sewing women, is but the
labor problem in another shape. It is
the great problem of the age, and some
how or other it must be solved.