The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-09-04
rHE.woRkmAN,s GOLDEN AeEln

certain popular conviction Of the day ascribes to the
condition of the workman, urban rural constant de
terioraon His wages held be declining, and his
comforts lessening; the security Of employment is de-
clared stable his economic freedom be
disappearing Growing conviction arisen
the notion of Of golden age somewhere back in the
early days Of the republican when the workers Of
country enjoyed life of almost idyllic comfort
end independence. Occasionally indeed variation of
this is shown; the worker admittedly receives more
wages than his midcenury earlier predecessor but it
is held that his employment less regular his
crailed and that he failed enor-
growth Of the general wealth This latter view
ever not popular with radicals since it admits too
much
It s>hard to determine upon what historical stats
teal basis built this notion of Golden Age and of the
laborers deterioration. writes W J. Client in the Forum
Certain European travellers Of the early days who
mented upon the comfort Of the American masses may
quoted somewhat in its favor but the other hand
ederaton must be taken Of the contemporary state the
English Irish and French masses with which the condi
ton of the Americans compared The extreme Of
hardshps suffered various times in this country
reached low plane the extreme suffered by the
English peasantTy during the years following the Napo
comic An English traveller visiting this country at
that time, had he the New Hampshire farmers
living bean porridge, heard the thousands
pOyed in the cities clamOTing work yet
nave been forced admit the superior comfort
American masses. NJ Leyasseur, in his recent volume
"The American Workmen" quotes Michel Chevaier the
economist visited this country in 1885 as saying
Here the laborng class feels its power and combination
is open But at that time combination prohibited
France; and moreover it just at that time the
Equal Rights Of the city Of New York was wagng
political agitation and that number OF strong trade
unions came into existence throughout the country The
between France was for the moment
extreme Two years later this situation changed en-
trely. Judgments of this nature always relative
Arthur Young it VIII be remembered. at time 17SS90)
when the English peasantry IN deplorabe state
congratulated his country that it could show no such
of misery he Witnessed In Savoy Brittany
The Of testimony. from the time Yorktown TO
that Of Bun Run tells story Of anything but Golden
Age for the American workman. 1t tells on The other
hand the narrative of nation built I'D by hard work
resohIey performed under the keenest privations It
tells of the growth Of gigantic national wealth. and the
heapng up Of immense fortunes; but the time it
reveals the earlier condition of the workman the
mechanic the farm laborer often the farmer as
generally Of pathetic restitution the maximum Of
comforts being found toward the the century and
the minimum toward the beginning Not even in the worst
days since the civil warm 1878 for nsance-haye con
ditons been bitter they of the earlier
periods and could write Of ans Of the recent years
Of average prosperity such tale as Horace Greeley wrote
of the "good year" of 1882.