Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-03-17
The "Daily Heraldv
MONDAY, MACH II, 1880.
yhe ase of Labor.

The presence OF 80 large NUMBER ol
penniless toilers in the city of San Fran
cisco is q very serious matter. The
thing has been outrageously and dis
gracefully exaggerated by the senseless
bowling of the demsgogues who always
take advantage of such circumstances to
gain little personal notoriety. The
statement that 25 900 men we're in that
city in starving condition was not true
by probably 500 per cent. of the actual
facts. Indeed, if there were 5000 people
in the city in q state of want it is GER
tain proof of grcvious wrong somewhere
The cause of labor has gained much
in manifold ways during the century
now drawing to close. 1t has gained
more in the last generation than in G
century previous. 1t is gaining all
the time. We can all remember wher
twelve to fourteen hours we're not re.
garded as an excessive days work. The
time has been greatly shortened, and the
agitation now going on is to make eigh
hours days work. This is great gsir
for labor. 1t leaves room for the employ
ment OF greater number of people to dc
the work of the community, and it gives
the laborers more time for self-improve
ment
And now the question arises, what are
the laborers doing for themselves? Wha'
good use are they making of these oppor.
tunities? In very large number oi
cases they are making very good use
of them; but in many cases they are
making bad use of them. 1t needs
no proof that the average wages paid un.
skilled labor even in these days is
barely sufficient often times to meet the
most meagre expenses of supporting q
family. But still. after making all allow
ances, there rem aims the fact that tht
toilers of the world can very often dc
better for their own interests than they
do. Il is an age of extravaganza and
waste. and these characteristics of the
age extend through all planes OF life to
the very lowest in the scale of worldly
possessions. Not to go too minutely into
this inquiry, or attempt to lift the cover
off the poor mans pot and point out
by sumptuary methods what he
should eat or drink, wear or waste,
the broad statement will always be true,
that it is duty every man owes to him
self, to his family if he has one, and to
society at large to lay by some small
modicum OF his earnings as slender
store to fall back upon when work gives
ont, when health shall fail, or old age
come to relax the strength of the sinews
or take away from the cunning
of the hand or the truth of the
vision of the eye. If this policy were
pursued there would be less suffering in
the world, less clamor for labor, more
manhood and more domestic happiness.
In these days of savings banks, mutual
benevolent societies and life insurance
companies, there is no excuse for a
mans not being saving of his earnings
to some small degree. American man
hood has been of the sturdy, sslf-re
specting, independent types. 1t ha,
always been regarded in this new land {
disgrace for vigorous person to become
an object Of charity. That robust quality
of American manhood should not be
lost. A single being endowed with th,
soul of independent, self-reliant, self
respecting manhood outweighs in worth
an army of idle, lounging, begging laz