Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-08-04
HE Is A FLEECER
WHITE SLAVERY UNDER HEW-
TITS AUSPICES,
The "Great American" Exposed by n
Political Adyersary-The Beau.
ties of the Truck store.
How the Slaves Are
Exploited.

TN" OLD saving that when rOgucs
fall ont honest men get their due, !"
may not be true as yet with the wage
slaves of Messrs. Cooper x Hewitt,
the son Of Peter Cooper and the
democratic Mayor of New York,
respectively, but the story of distress
published in republican news
paper may nevertheless tend to make
the firm of capitalists a little more
careful in their treatment of their
employees. 1t seems that a reporter
of the republican paper went to
the village of Hewitt, N. j., where
wage slavery and truck pay tlourishes
for the benefit of couple of million
aires. The newspaper reporter was
disguised as a man looking for work,
and thus gained the confidence of
the slaves.
"Oh, yes" said one of the men in
reply to question put to him, 9" you
can get work here. The more men
the more profit; but if you've got
any home stay there. Once you get
here that settles it.
"But if work is good, why are
you idle this afternoon ?"
"Oh," he replied, " that is one of
the tricks of this firm. They get
men enough coaxed here to do all
the work that is to be done in about
half time. Then we are paid by
the month, or a week or two after
the month is over, just as they
please" O."
"What do they do that for ?"
"I'll tell you. They pay US from
s. to $l.4O a day. | heard that
Mayor Hewitt in New York told
people that he paid 81 and $50 per
day, and that he gave US work just
for the sake Of charity-to keep us
alive. I'll tell you what he does
He just keeps us alive for the work
we do for him. That's what we get
out of it. In three years | have
never had more than $3 in cash com
ing to me at the end Of any month,
and | never touch liquor. The plan
they work on here is this. We have
to get our grub from the store and
our clothes. Cooper Il Hewitt own
the store. We have to eat when we
are idle as well as when we are work
ing, so that we actual y eat up our
wages as soon as they are earned.
The prices charged at the store are
four times higher than they are in
any place in New York, and by this
means Mr.. Hewitt gets his ice put on
the cars for just about nothing. You
see, the profits which his store makes
on what 1t sells to us actually pays
our wages. 1t is seldom that we can
make 1922 a month, and our bill
down at the village is always just
within a few cents of that. Are
you married." he asked, looking at
the reporter. Because if you are,
don't come here. You will never
have enough to leave again. Look
at me. | haven't a dollar in the
world, and have no hope for my
children but just to follow as | am.
! tell you we are just working our
lives out for that man for the bare
bite we eat. We don't get any too
much, either. Once our bill comes
up to our wages, we feel the step
mothers breath about that store
when we 60 for something to eat. If
you want to find out how things
really are, Just come down to the
store.
And down to the store the re-
porter went, and everywhere found
confirmation of what had been told
him. He ascertained for fact that
the store belonged to Cooper u
Hewitt, and that the men were prac-
tically obliged to deal there. He
also saw everywhere evidences Of the
seryitude to which they were sub
jected. There they had gathered in
waiting for Mr.. Hewitt's paymaster
to come along to dole out to them
the few cents balance which was