The Washington times., 1894-03-18
WOES OF THE SVEAT-SHOP
Rev. Alex. kent's Powerful Sermon on
the Evils Of the System.
HOW THEY MUST BE REMEDIED
Instructive Description Of the Sweating
Process IN Various Lines Of Business
Disease and Degradation Its Inevitable
Results-National Legislation Alone Can
Meet the Necessities of the Case.

Meet the Necessities of the Case.
In pursuance of the suggestion made by
the Union for practical progress, that the
pulpit should lift up its voice in protestation
against the sweating" system, which has
developed into SO great an evil in our large
cities. Rev. Alexander Kent, of .he Peoples
church of this city, delivered last Sunday the
following powerful sermon on the subject:
ISAIAH SO: Iii.
The Union for Practical Progress. an Or
canization recently formed to unite and direct
the moral forces OF the country in efforts for
social improvement. has requested all the
ministers of our larger citiesto give one service
OF this Sunday to consideration OF the evil
known as the sweating system. This may
seem 10 many people a rather Improbable
subject for Washington people TO consider.
But il need not be. We are human, and moth
ing that concerns humanity so vitGlly rs this
can be matter of Indifference to us. Besides.
we shall see. as we look into the question.
that even we have something more than a
general or human interest in the subject.
While our city is not yet at all largely a man
uiaeturiHS city. it deals quite extensively in
manufactured goods. and our people have a
selfish as well as human interest in the char
acter OF these goods. as affected by the condi-
tions under which they are manufactured.
This VIII be very obvious as we learn what
class of goods this sweating" system most
seriously affects
In considering this subject there are three
important questions TO which we should seek
satisfactory answers.
l. What is the ssweatingn system?
. What are the evils peculiar TO this sys-
TEN? and.
3. How can these evils be remedied?
l. As to the system itself, what is it? l feel
obliged to answer the question very much as
the little bov did the question of his Sunday
school teacher as TO who was the meekest
woman. PLEASE, ma'am, there never was no
meekest woman"
The fact is, there is not any sweating"
system. So far as there is any system it runs
through nearlyRll branches of industry. and
in most branches is generally recognized rs
piled to il in .hese branches. l; is only when
We come IL Z the clothing industry. cigar
mGGinc ard ~ minor industries that the
term -'sweating is applied 10 method or
process common 10 all branches. This method
or process Is one that suffers middle men 10
cone in between the mGnu aciurer, or the
person for whom the goois are to be made.
ANA the workmen. or persons really making
the GooGs. II is precisely the same method
that is used commonly in building operations.
Here for instance, is u man who has million
OF dollars that he proposes to put into lot
of land and block OF houses. Instead OF hiring
men to do the work and practical builder TO
superintend them. he let's the work out in
bulk. to a single contractor. who makes n
business OF taking such jobs. This con-
tractor may either hire the workmen and
superintend the work himself, or he may
sublet the work to other cOntractCrs-the
foundations TO men who make = speciality OF
that. the stone WORK to stone mGsons. the
bricl. work to brickayers the wood work TO
carpenters. etc. This is, in fact, what is
usually done in the construction o! large
blocks o. buildings. Yet this method is
never spoken OF, 50 far rs / know. in this
connection as Il sweating process. But
the moment We come iato the clothing in
dustry. where precisely the same method is
fol!owed-the only difference being in the
conditions under which the men do their
work-the system of getting work done
through contractors and subcontractors is
characterized as the 'sweatinS' system.
Now have no purpose IN these remarks to
make tbs system appear either right or toi-
cradle only desire TO help you perceive
THAI. SO far rs any system is involved il per-
tans to Industry il general. and is not, by
any means. confined to n few branches. In
these few branches. however. the sweating
process-the process by which middle
men come between the manufacturer.
or pErSon for whom the goois are
beng rade ami the workmcn or persons
DaSing the L-oods-thus. it is said. reducing
the wages, this process goes on under condi-
tious very GifiereHt from those which charac-
riZe most contract work and I Is - these
CONDITIONS chiefly that we must ascriDe the
ev.s OF wat IS called the sweating" system
i'll the clothing industry ana other industries
10 which the term Is applied. This will lie
evident IL We nUte tho msibod pursued in the
manG aciGre of clothing as compared with
that pursued in building. Suppose man
WAC has Il million of dollars 10 invest decides
10 20 into the clothing business as 4 whole
sase manufacturer. Like the man investing
in tuildIh :. he concludes to have his work
cone bv contract Instead OF hiring men to
make Hs carmen under his own supervision
h merely employs a few experts to cut these
FOODS ready Tor making and to bunch them
il assorted kinds and sizes ready for delivery
- tie gakgr. ~iIe then invites bids from con-
{ a'tors who make the Manufacture OF such
goods u'sperfaitr.
fL"y ipGy:pe rom his own city. They are
JUS al keiy 10 be from some other. They
ny hare shops Oh their own il which they
proyCs3 70, irake these garments or they
may. Ike the contractor in building. sublet
the making 10 scores of smaller contractors,
Tho have then made in tenement shops.
where they employ anywhere from five to
twenty persons, or they may give them out
z. lvp.- -Ap nfanF T.f yKhn 10
them in taeir own living rooms. When the
work is done by the contractors in their own
Shops. what IS called the sweating" is
IL assured ny tine difference between what the
Iaauuac,urer pays the contractor and what
the contractor pays the workmen.
When tine work is done in the tenement
sweat shop the sweating is increased by the
pioiits Of the suD-con;ractor. But this is en-
tireiy IN line with what we have already seen
taxes place in all building operations The
MUrkmen are ''sweated" i'll precisely the
same Way BY the contractors and sub-con-
tractors IL this industry. What is it. then.
inat makes the difference? Why is the
method Of having work done by contract and
suD-eoatraet characterized as sweating In one
case and not in the othert
The reason is probably to be found in
the different conditions under which the
work is done. No matter who erects the
buildings. tie work is to be done on the
anu ullueE iuc ssiilc lne
contractor can't take house home to build
ii. He can t let out the various parts of it TO
be taken into miserable tenements. The
work must be done in the open air and under
conditions favorable to cleanliness, decency,
ana health
In the second place the contractors in
building doesn't have to figure on the item
OF rent. But the manufacturer of clothing
does. II he makes the clothing on his own
premises the rent will then be many thou
sands OF dollars annually. II he lets the
rk out to contractors who have the work