The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1888-08-22
EuRopE,s pAupER LABOR.
The Pitiful Scenes Witnessed by Kew. L
Hanlon While In Europe Recently.

xne EltiIul scenes Witnessed BY Kew Of.
Hanlon While In Europe Recently.
10 he Editor Of he Trenton STATE Gazeas:
Sir--I have just returned from Eu-
rope, having visited England, Belgium
and Germany. Ten years ago visited
quite Ieisurely England, Scotland and
France. l was then deeply and sadly
impressed with the hardships aud pow
/ erty Of the laboring classes in the Old
World. In my recent visit I gave
! special attention to the conditions Of the
laboring class. I made inquiries per-
sonally from many sources as to wages
in all departments of manual labor. I
took pains to know for myself the cons
! dition OF the laboring classes as to their
habitations, their clothing, their food
and their education, aud the results of
these careful observations is feeling
OF sadness for the laboring classes of
Europe which I never had before, and
which no one can have unless from per-
sonai observations for himself.
AT the docks in Glasgow, Scotland, I
saw women with wheelbarrows heavily
laden in line with coarse and hard look
ing men, wheeling freight to and from
the steamboats,. In the fields doing all
kinds Of field work, including the heavy
work of getting hay and grain, I saw aa
many women as men hard at work, and
working as late as eight O'Clock in the
evening. saw this in England all the
way from Liverpool to London. / saw
it in Belgium and Germany even to O
greater extent than in England. In the
cities of Antwerp and Brussels, in Bel
GUM, and In Cologne, Germany, I saw
| Ia, -
were hitched to carts which we're heavily
laden. / noticed especially in the city
OF Cologne, Germany, much of the hard
ships of the laboring classes. stood
on the bridge Of boats crossing the Rhine
aud saw many pitiable spectacles. To
one cart with nearly two horse load OF
truck for the Cologne markets were
hitched by ropes across the breast and
around the waist, a young man and
young woman-brother and sister, evil
IDENTIFY, for there was strong family re-
semblance-and the load was so heavy
that the two were compelled to stop
every twenty yards, and then 1t was
hard to start the load. / noticed the
young girl, especially. She would pull
till every joint and muscle in her body
fairly trembled before the load would
start. In the market place Of the city
OF Cologne there was no shelter at oil.
Women did all the work there. There
were hundreds Of them in these market
places. The morning I was there it
was raining hard and those poor crea-
lures were literally drenched with rain.
For all this hard toll and these long
hours each day the wages paid were
scarcely half Of what Is paid to our labor-
| ing classes. This is true OF all kinds of
labor in Europe. It is sometimes said
that while wages in Europe are low, the
living is very cheap They do live
cheaper than we do The poor creatures
can't do otherwise. They live in the
plainest manner. You rarely find a bit
Of carpet on the floor OF even what they
call their spare. room. Their tables con-
tain very few dishes of food. Meat aud
butter are Injuries rarely enjoyed by the
laboring man in Europe.
] turned my back upon Europe with
| feelings OF sadness for the toiling mil
lions OF those lands, and my face to-
wards this my dear old country, feeling
that our land is the earthly paradise Of
the laboring man. do not wonder that
every ship from these lands ia heavily
freighted with strange passengers for
these hospitable shores. Ialso felt more
than ever before that it is sacred duty
of every American citizen by voice and
vote to perpetuate to the laboring man
in this land the pre.eminent position
which he in this country of oil other
countries in the world enjoys 1t will
indeed be SAD day for the laboring
man when by the vote OF the American
people the blessings Of American pre-
lection to labor shall give place to tue
pauperizing competition Of free.trade.
Respectfully,
THos. HANLoN.
Pennington. N. J.. August 18th.