The evening world., 1888-09-29
THE SWEATER
One Of a New Sort introduced to
the Reader.
He Has No Sitting Work. Room
for His Slaves.
But His System OF Abuse and Robbery
Is Not Less Complete.

The sketches that have appeared in THE
EVENING WORLD on the subject OF THE
Sweater !" have attracted much attention from
the general public, who did not seem to be
aware of the pernIcious system of wage slav-
cry flourishing in its midst. Nor did 1t CON-
prehend the alarming extent to which this
abuse Upon the industrial class has been car
ried, nor OF the rapid growth Of the system,
which is steadily driving out 30 many good
workers who have striven hard to earn a fair
living OF trades over which they have spent
years.
These laborers have been displaced by
workers from Europe who have swarmed
hither under the s~pecious inducements OF
the sweaters and are pliablo intruments in
the hands of the cunning masters who drive
sharp bargains with them and finally get
them into subsection and do with them as
they have q mind. knowing full well that
their ignorance and utter dependence will
prevent them from seeking something better,
or organizing 10 improve their wages and
condition generally.
Here is the story of tn sweater who does
not have a ~sardine-box of a shop, but who Is
closer-fsted than the sweater with q work
room. This particular sweater referred to puts
his work out by having his white slaves call
for it, and collects it when il Is completed by
having them return 1t to him. This man Is
Polander by birth and he is of comparatively
recent importation from Europe. be keepsa
store in Ninth avenue, uptown. and can
be seen almost any time during, the day be-
hind his counter, inspecting the garments
made by his victims and rowling and ma
ing fault with the work on them. SO that ne
may cut down the price 10 or Is cents, while
his poor dupes look on with sorrowful hearts
and say naught. because he will refuse to
place any more work in their hands II they
demand full pay. .
mortal, about four feet i'll height, with adark,
lowering countenance, bearing a sinister ex-
preston.
A pale young woman, whose worn face and
weary eyes betokened q life of toll and hard
ship, was lately seen to 60 i'll the place OF this
grinder of human flesh. and deliver to him
o bundle of newly made garments. he
closely examined the work, and found fault
with the buttons and the trimming on q boys
waist. Then the sleeves were not fitted In
right, according to his idea, and the poor
toiler must take them out and stand an exac-
ton of 10 cents for the alleged detective
work on the buttons. .,
>This waist had three plaits in the back and
front, a collar, bands on the sleeves, q waist.
band, extra straps on the shoulders, a lapel
for the button-holes and eighteen buttons.
All this work for So cents q dozen
The sweater cuts the goods and supplies
Ilt hib puttobbs "ANA b'S b"A
ments are inspected he generally manages to
pick q flaw here and there, and fine his VIC
tim ten cents for each defective piece of
work.
Poor, weary, overworked women and girls
tramp over from the extreme east side, from
| their miserable. pent. up abodes in the four,
five, six, eight and ten story tenements. to
get q chance to earn the little they are per-
mitted to get from this hard hearted sweater.
Many mothers, with several little ones to
feed and clothe and n shelter to provide for
them, come for the big bundles, travelling a
long distance on foot and trudging back
again, because they haven't got the car-fare
to spare from their scant earnings.
In not a few cases the women are the wives
and daughters of laboring men out of work,
or too ill to do any labor. Or there may be d
strike. in which case the sweater rubs his
hands III devilish glee, for he knows he vii!
have plenty of applicants for his work, and
he can grind them Town still lower.
This sweater supplies the small stores along
the avenues with all kinds of garments and
furnishing goods of the cheaper grades
Quantities of the goods are sold in job lott
over the counter.
As a sample of the prices he pays, it MAJ
be stated that he pays IS cents o dozen, fol
work on bows waists for which the down
town manufactured pays rs cents and 81
Proportionate rates are paid for the makins
Of all kinds of wearing apparel. Fol- in
stance: butchers aprons, IL cents a dozen
carpenters aprons, 3 cents q dozen; nurses
aprons. tucked and trimmed with lace, Il
cents a dozen; ladies' wrappers, from 30 t
80 cents a dozen.
At these figures, some of the most exper
sewers cannot earn more than so or 60 cent
in q work day of twelve or fourteen hours.