Morning journal and courier., 1892-12-22
THE SWEATING SYSTEM.

THE SWEATING SYSTEM.
The Evil Not acknowledgement
Prevalent In Cincinnati and Phila-
delphia-Russfan Hebrews Brought
Over I'm Droves and Given Places in
the Sweat shops.
WARRINGTON, Dec. 21.-The sub-com-
mittee of the house manufacturers COM
mittee which is investigating the sweating
system, this morning gave a hearing to
several witnesses from Brooklyn and New
York, who were requested by the commit
tee to tell what they knew of the evils of
the sweating system and what should be
done to modify or correct them. The
committee at the last session and during
the recess investigated the matter ex-
haustively and gave innumerable hearings
to interested persons. Consequently it
already has on hand large amount of tes-
timony, and to-day another chapter was
added to the volume. 1t was shown con-
olusively by the witnesses to-day that the
evil was not diminishing in any of the
large clothing centers, with the exception
of Boston, where the state laws have been
so effectively enforced as to lessen it to a
great extent.
Philadelphia and Cincinnati were stated
| to be the great osnters of the country
where the system was most prevalent and
from sanitary standpoint. It was also
shown by witnesses that the state laws of
Massachusetts, were very effective in their
operations and had resulted in abating the
system throughout the state, and in Boston
particularly, to a minimum. The contrary
was the case In New York, owing in o
measure to the fact that the officials
charged with the enforcement of the law
were paid employees and consequently were
not as attentive to their duties as those in
Massachusetts,.
Charles T. Reicherss secretary of the Gar
ment Workers association, said one-half
of the clothing made in New York was
made under the sweating system, and the
highest wages averaged SIS week for
men and So for women. The children sell
dom made over fifty cents or a dollar
ment house workers he described as ap-
palling. He recommended q system of
registry, license and inspection, and also
legalization of trade labels attached to
goods. Some interesting statements were
made by him bearing on the large influx
of Russian Hebrews to the country. It
was stated that nearly all the small cloth
ing dealers who thrive by the sweating
system subscribe annually to the Hebrew
immigration fund, and each emigrant re-
ceived in Europe an amount of money
from this fund sufficient to meet the re-
quirements of law and keep them from
being returned. These Hebrews were
brought over In droves and given places in
the sweat shops. The committee will be-
gin the preparation of its report iume-
diately.
CONTROL OF THE NEXT SENATE.
Republican Senators in Consulta-
tion-The Situation in the North
western States.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21-The republican
senate caucus committee met this morning
In the room of the committee on claims
and discussed the situation in the north
western states, where the election of
United States senators will coon be held.
The full committee, composed of Senators
Hoar, Mcmillan, Chandler, Teller and
Mitchell, were present. A free and full
discussion of the situation was had, and 1t
was decided to give the republicans of the
states in question all the moral support
possible and to urge the republicans to
watch every move made by the democrats,
with view to securing democratic sena-
tors. At the conclusion of the consulta-
ton the committee gave out the following
statement:
1.-THE committee appointed by the caucus
of republican senators to consider what
should be done in view of the reported at
tempt on the part of certain democratic
leaders to obtain a majority in the senate
by improperly influencing the election in
the Legislatures of certain states have
agreed upon a report, in which they sdvise
the republicans in all the states where
such elections are about to be held 30 spare
no effort to carry into effect the expressed
will of the people In their seats, and fur
Their advise the appointment of q commit
tee of republican senators, who shall take
such action as may be needful to secure the
admission to their seats of all senator's who
may be so lawfully elected"
81 do not consider the chances of the
democrats in seating forty four senators to
be one In hundred" said Mr.. Chandler,
talking about the situation. "The republi-
cans now have majority of eight, and 1t will
| take four democratic senators to overturn
| it. The only sure additional votes they
will have will be the senators from New
York and Wisconsin. If Mr.. Kyle is not
| to be counted with the democrats they will
| have but forty one members; if he is with
them forty-two. In some of these states
which the democrats are claiming, the re-
| publicans have an absolute majority, and
in others 1t appears that the populists have
| the balance. 1t is the intention of the re-
| publioans to assert the right of the people
of the respective states to elect their sena-
tors according to the expressed will of the
people. If the populists control certain
legislatures they will elect the senator's,
and how it becomes an attempted fraud
upon democrats I cannot see. Nowhere Ia
there visible a sufficient number of votes
| to give them, as democrats, control of the
next United States senate"