The Washington times., 1894-03-18

grounded. The evidence seems to show that
where the middle men, the contractors and
subcontractors, are entirely dropped out.
wages are no higher. while poverty and
wretchedness are In no degree lessened.
When the manufacturer deals directly with
the workmen and the supply Of workmen is
greater than the demand he is just as
ready to take advantage of their eagerness
for Job as tho contractor. And they are Just
as ready to underbid each other in their
eagerness for work when dealing with the
manufacturer as when dealing with a con-
tractor or subcontractor. The tendency OF
the general competitive system Is to force
wages down to the point of subsistence, and
this tendency will become effective wherever
the workmen are too ignorant to combine
against it. II does not matter
greatly, If at all, as to wages, whether the
work is done through contractors and sub
contractors or given out directly to workmen.
In either event, so long as they compete with
each other for work and do not stand together
in regard TO wages it will not be possible for
the less skillful workmen to rise much above
subsistence rates. So far. then, as the low
wages and the poverty and misery are con-
cerned, they are not to be charged to the ac-
count OF the creating or subcontract system.
They are the natural and necessary results OF
the system of industrial competition, which in
the very nature OF things enables the strong
the simple. As long as this system prevails.
as long as the brains of the country are al
lowed to exploit its industries for their own
advantage regardless of the general veal,
poverty and misery will be the portion of the
weaker classes no matter under what mod1ii-
cations of method their exploitation is carried
on. But there are evils in the present man
agement of the clothing industry that do not
obtain TO anything like the same extent in
other lines of business.
They are due TO the bad sanitary and hy-
gienic conditions under which the greater
part OF the work done is carried on. About
one-half of the clothing is made in factories
owned and run by contractors, who get work
wherever they can These factories are under
inspection. and sanitary conditions, while far
from good. are better than in tenement sweat
shoIs.
Here men. women, and children herd to-
gether like cattle. cooking, eating, sewing,
sleeping are all carried on in the same
rooms, and very frequently the clothing on
which they sew. sixteen hours out OF the
twenty-four. constitutes their only bed and
covering daring the brief period they get for
sleep. The report OF the Congressional COM
mittee appointed to investigate the ''sweat-
ing" system-a report made only last year
has the following language:
"A typical and most general example Of
these subcontractors' establishments is the
so-cailed tenement sweat shop, where the
main workroom is one of the two larger
rooms of the tenement fiat, and overhowing
into the ad accent rooms. is made TO accom-
modate from six TO fifteen. or even more,
sweating enployes-men, women, and chill
dren-whiie IN the ether large room OF the
fiat is the domestic headquarters of the
sweater" his living, sleeping. cooking ar
rangement overiowing into the workroom-
employees whom he boards and who eat at
completing the Intimate connection OF living
and manufacturing conditions. Such are
the circumstances under which probably more
than onc-fourth of our ready-inate and
somev nat. though only 4 small per cent. of
our custom-inade clothing is made. The
people engaged in the business are an 'nG
those whose families ara most prolific. whose
sense of or!er and cIeanlin. s. is least de-
ycioIed, and whom the distinctions be-
tween living AMI work-oons IS least com
pretended. not to say made The premises
are generally dirty TO the point OF hl.h. ami
are generally IN the most sIgalid and deEssly
populated parts o! the city.
But the report adds. this is not the bottom
step. Another fourth o. tha clothing is male
by what are known as tie tenemtrt home
workers. These a=e hea is OF families in
hati;inG one or more ryoTs. and generally
accommodating either another family as sui
tenants or a LuL-heF o. lOtgcrs or boarders.
ln,s- households inelgde many OF the most
wrct -hed in wiich nul2an beings exist ano,.g
u. The cona!tiCcs u sguaOr and filth are
such. II = large proportion Of cases. rs 10
maze evaa INSPECTION Impossible except by
one hardened to the ;roress. while the
quarters toward which ;-.s work seems to
tend ar Ihe ed,iiss .uto winch seen 10 have
dsiited the mos: wrstched anu ignorant OF
population. and from wacn are scattered
much OF the crime an4 more oi the disease
that infest our large cites" II these
wretchci places men. women. and children
work rom f fijven 10 eighteen hours
uay. an the combined eatnings OF each
family has been found 10 average about
5lC.3O a week. Contagious diseases are
very pTeralCn;-=spec. ally .ariet fever, mea-
s.es. diphtheria and the YORK on clothing
goes on Just the same. This is the testimony
o, Or. Dan els before the Congressional CON-
mittee-t, stimouy LasrG oa notes carefully
made after an experience as physician among
thes9 people for more than eleven years and
size says tnat this state OF tGincs Is not excep-
Iionll, U.t p-G .tIcatIy universal. She gives
de.ailed statistics of l53 families visited by
her in 1S9l-3z, in each OF which wo nan
earned the Whole or part OF the family in
come in rooms occupied as family living
rooms. Seventy-seTen women, representing
503 persons. manufactured some article OF
clothing, while seventy-six, representing 377
Dtl5OlS. tAli WDEh. also IN ttltIF
ROOMS. Among the seventv-seven in not one
instance was the work interrupted by the ILL
ness in the family. Seventeen deaths sus-
pended the worK temporarily. but in ono ease
where a lit,ie child fell into Il tub of scalding
water. the pHnIa!oon finishers were not de-
lavei moment from the time CT the accident
until the little body was taken to the ceme-
terry. The greatest total income from all
sources OF tine seveatv-seven women, who sup
M pF ~ w 4 for N
person per week. The total rent was S736.25
per month.
Children assist in this worl; either directly
or indirectly. doing the housework carrying
the clothing to the contractors, or taking care
o! younger children.
Thus a child OF years did all the house,
work. including washing AMI ironing. ior a
family OF five. Another girl OF 6 years carried
three or four dozen rests al Il time up five
Nights OF steps. and ths mother couldn't
understand why the child was not well.
Among the seventy-seven families four
children, Ii-16 years OF age; 81, l0-i4 and
%, $40 years Of age. aided their mothers at
home. Uwenty-iaur, between Il and Is worked
in factories during the day, many of them
aiding in the manufacturing at nome in the
evening. These tweEty-four earned total
Of $50. 30 per week. but all this remember went
to make up the S74G before mentioned.
The difficulty OF estimating the work of the
children is illustrated in the case of widow
having three aged, respectively, 6. s. and e.
The mother makes babies lawn dresses. doing
the buttonholes and finer work herself The
12-year-old girl runs the sewing machine,
stitching the seams AMI tucking. The s-year-
old cuts the embroidery does some basting, and
sews on the bottoms. The mother estimates
that the children earn half the income. II is
common for children of tender years to sit at
this work all day, and when work is crowding
up to 10 ami IL O'Clock at night. And yet we
boast OF our Christian civilization and say that
such benevolent and philanthrophic institu-
tions as we have in this country are unknown
in pagan lands. 1t would be well TO remember
at the same time that such sacrifice of the
little ones on the altar of Mammon is unknown
there toe.
Il,ttt tho cln,-or,r 70 r1rhicl, nI,i