Morning journal and courier., 1888-02-21
RRIsTLING WITH FACTS.

Tuesday, February 2I. Isss.
 BRIsTLING WITH FACTS. The e-Report of the Labor Rureau-Re-
 dress Always ObtainabIe for Labor
 Grievances I'm Connecticut.
 The report of Labor Commissioner Hotch- kiss is now out. It is document of five hundred pages, covering 8 vast amount of in- formation; and the mere listing of it's con-
 tents would occupy column. A single re
 view of it can, therefore, scarcely do full
 justice to the whole. The commissioner
 omits all attempt at statistical information or
 reasoning save such as is conveyed by the
 figures furnished by Carroll D. Wright.
 The report deals largely with history and
 reviews the legislation of Connecticut from
 the earliest times, showing how it has at
 various times tried to encourage industry, to
 regulate prices and wages, to protect con- sumers by supervising distribution (as is done to- day with "oleo" and molasses) and to control, more or less, the actions and rela- tions of employers and employees. This is exceedingly interesting and to many s'new and instructive. The conclusion reached by the commissioner is that "patience and per severance have always brought redress of reasonable grievances in Connecticut" But he adds:
 Whatever be the cause, the tendency now is not toward less legislation and larger in dividual liberty, but in exactly the opposite direction. Men are asking for laws that will not permit them to work, or to be worked, above a certain number of hours daily. En- actments ard demanded that will limit the ordinary control of parents over their own children. It is singular state of affairs. If the public good demands such enactments, of l course they must be granted But our peo- pie should see distinctly what such enact ments mean. They mean the limitation of personal liberty; that we are retrograding; that our people are becoming less self-reli- ant; more dependent; less able to teke care | of themselves. If we must have such laws and such machinery of State to l compel our people to treat each other justly
 and decently, let us bow to the inevitable, | but let us know that "that way death lies. J The report seems to indicate that this is \ coming, for it says on another page: 1 "Competition has cut profits down to the | quick and wages to the bone. Laborers are plenty; places are not 50 plenty. It ia new ! much more radical legislation than we will at I first be willing to give"
 The commissioners conclusions are that In l our legislstion-
 The interests of all the people of the State have been regarded.
 Our General Assembly has not been given to ex- As much as possible has been left to individual liberty and local authority.
 It has reflected the industrial condition of the reo
 The benefcent effect of industrial legislation has been limited.
 It has failed when 1t was based upon wrong prin- ciples.
 before the people were ready for them. It has failed when it did not harmenfze with nat ural conditions and laws. Some laws have failed because they were unwise-
 The most influential industrial laws are those
 %afs tVas in the interest Of individual liberty and Those have been most influential that were regu- lative and descriptive rather than restrictive and mandatory. @
 The commissioners report includes the fol- lowing wholesome reflections: After all has been said that can be said of the helplessness of the law, it remains that the true reform must begin in the personal character of our
 citizens. Money-getting must not be the all absorbing object of life. Our attention must be turned away from profits and wages little. Nobler ambitions, ambitions that rise above material prosperity and get ting on in the world, must be sought The
 history of our commonwealth teaches us that people can be free, virtuous, contented and
 powerful without great riches. We have
 yet to prove whether people can possess the
 same qualities with great riches. The world
 has seen more nations destroyed by wealth and luxury than by poverty and plain living. If we have great, free manhood, we can car ry wealth nobly, if we have not it will crush us. There are higher ambitions than to be rich. The study of economies, however important, is not mans noblest study. The mightiest nation is the one that ! rests upon the strongest moral basis. The existing laws of the statute book, as regards capital and labor, are given from the last revision and make useful presentatio of the subject.
 The most noticeable feature of the report ! however, is found in five contributions or "Discontent Among Workingmen." The Hon. F. J. Kingsbury writes from the stand point of employer and of intelligent and sym pathetic observation. Other contributors | are Messrs. Thomas H. Kehoe of New Britain
 of the Knights of Labor, Herbert c. Baker of Hartford, who is described as Gan intelli. | gent leader in agitation" H. c. Baldwin o1 \ Naugatuck, and W. E. Simonds of Hartford ! who writes for the professional men. How fal ! those individuals represent classes is left tG
 the inference of the reader. Messrs. Baker and Baldwin in their papers advocate tht abolition of land ownership, the government 1 control of nearly all business, etc. One ot them favors unlimited greenback money anG the abolition of armories and mill, ary. They make curious collection of unsound anc half baked notions for the State to be dis II what their advocates present, and section of the declaration says: "Every citizen may freely speak, write and publish his sentimentl on all subjects, being responsible for ths abuse of that liberty"
 Considerable space has been devoted to tho matter of strikes.
 During the six years ending December 31 1886, there were 26S strikes, an average oi A 9 3 each year. There were 9,236 strikers and g, ,625 others involved. The employees in all the establishments in the State, census of 1880, number 112, ,949 The establishments in which strikes occurred employed annually an average of 12, AS, over 10 per cent. of tho whole number. The average number o1 strikers each year was 1 ,539, one striker fol every 73 employees in the State. Fifty-one or 19 per cent. of the strikes I continued only one day, 125 or 46.6 pei cent. continued not more than five days anG | 206 or TT per cent. continued less than twenty \ days.
 The tables given show that the daily wage | of Ahe 9,236 strikers were advanced an aver ! age of about four cents per day. That is | they received $372.01 more each day aftel | the strikes than they did before. To accom- \ plish this increase the strikers lost $460 7S in.wages and $53, ,219 contributed to aasis
 strikers, 3 total of $514, ,O01 To make thi | 9,236 strikers would be compelled to worl 1, ,382 days. In this connection it is statet | that in consequence of strikes wages wer advanced in many factories where no strike ' occurred.
 On an average nineteen per cent. of tn
 strikers were replaced by new employees \ eleven per cent. of whom came from othe places.
 Of 268 strikes, ninety nine were ordered b, labor organizations and 189 were not or dered. Of the ninety-nine ordered, fifty three succeeded. Of the 167 not ordered
 eighty succeeded.
 Employers losses in consequence of tht strikes mentioned amounted to $357, ,290 The total loss to employees and employer was $871 ,291; an average of $145, PAS annu ally for the six years mentioned. The report meets with very favorabl comment throughout the State.
 THE AMBITIONS Busy Preparing for: an Active Cam pa1gn.
 The "Amphions," under the leadership O Prof. Fowler, held very successful rehear
 sal last evening. The society expect to givt several concerts shortly in Ansonia and sev eral other places. The interest among thu members is very marked and is very gratify | ing to the professor. The public has beer \ Oreaf1v nIeasAd in the mast with the manJ