The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-08-10
A STARTLING CASE

peverend DR.. Harcourt. of Grace Meth-
odlst church. Of Baltimore, is as wen
known in Baltimore as any one OF our
clerevmen is in Richmond. lie Is ho"
travelling in Europe, and under GATE oi
July 22d ne writes 10 the "alti'no'e
Sun from Carlsbad a letter from when
we make the following extracts:
4 five hours ride in the cars brought
us from Dresden TO this place. our
road ran along the western bank OF the
river Elbe. a river which reminds me
Of our own beautiful Hudson but iaCh-
ing in its grandeur and sweep.
The scenery all the way is charming
and unique. Small villages give life To
the picture. while here ard there are
miles of palisades covered with tai
pines. like waving pumes. Cosy inches
are seen on their rugged sides. Astounding
in beautiful shrubs velvety mOsses and
running vines This region has been wei
named the Switzerland of Austria.
Some Of the sights upon the journey
may be Of interest to the readers OF
the sun by way of contrast with our
own favored land few miles from
Dresden we came 10 company OF Wo-
men at work grading the railroad track,
and a little further on we came u an
other group. just after they mad eaten
their MONDAY meal. They were side
tracked. and there they were lying upon
the bare ground fast asleep, stretched
out side by side. | inquired OF gentle
man who occupied the compartment
with as in the car. if this was a common
sight throughout his country. He smiled
and replied VERY common. Our women
do our hardest work. We employ them
on our railroads for making and grad
ing. and in our coal mines for digging
and tunnelng."
What wages do You pay women for
working on your railroads." ] asked.
tlC han nj tf -fitfl. ant
per day, and they can afford to live
well on that amount he replied / said
| thought that was impossible. mo.
indeed was the reply. They have cot
fee and bread in the morning for break
fast. potatoes. bread and sausage for
dinner. and bread, coffee, and lard for
supper" And this he called good living,
II know" he continued. seeing my
constituent that you Americans do not
treat your women in this way but here
they are TO be had for much lower wages
than men, and they do a. good work.
Cheap labor is what we want" A little
further on We came 10 q place called
BOdenbach In Bohemia, where a num-
Der OF brick buildings were being con-
structed. and here we saw women en-
gagged In mixing mortar and carrying
the nod up and down the ladders.
We confess to reading these statements
with the most unalloyed surprise, We
confess that we did not know that any
such state Of affairs as this existed in
any part of civilized Europe, for we do
not count Turkey and Russia, as parts
Of that. and If it depended upon the
testimony of witness less entitled to
credit than Or. Harcourt is we should
be very incredulous
Some very serious questions connected
with our own internal affairs are suggest
ed by these statements Of Dr. Harcourt
The Republican party started out upon
it's campaien for protective tariff laws
with the dogma that by protecting our
industries il would raise the rates OF
wages in this country. and make such
state of affairs as DR.. Harcourt has
described impossible here. Ii had its
way. passed its protective laws, and, We
believe did raise the rates Of wages
which have been pretty well kept up TO
the scale to which il raised them. But
nations Will not buy from nations who
do not buy from them. Our protective
tariff laws shut out the products Of all
other nations, and consequently they
bought nothing from us. The result OF
this has been that we manufacture for
for our wares outside of America. and
our protective system has utterly brok-
en- down. Consequently, only a part of
our population that must live by wages
can get employment and the rest must
shift as they may or starve. Now even
II It were possible to continue such
state of things as exist under protec-
ton which condition Of things would be
better. for the protective tariff laws to
remain in force. giving employment TO a
part Of our laborins population and aban-
doning the other part to idleness AID
starvation. or the repeal Of the protec-
tive tariff laws and employment TO all.
even II some had to live in the wretched
state of the Bohemian women? If half
a loaf is better than no bread. we insist
that the latter would be the preferable
state. But inevitably the man or woman
with no bread would very soon secure a
part OF this whole loaf OF the lucky
workman-competit.on would secure II
Tor them. But II the protective tariff
laws were repealed no such condition