The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-08-26
FROM WHALING EXPEDITIONS TO
LABOR TROUBLES.

Until recent years the city of New
Bedford Massachusetts was q pic
turesque port, fro mwhich whaling ex-
petitions set sail for different parts
of the world. But conditions within
its borders have radically changed
within the past three decades 1t has
become one OF the principal textile
manufacturing centres in New Eng
land. At the present time It IS IN
tn ethroes OF strike OF mill workers,
which has already cost the manufac-
turers $3.50 600 in profits and the oper-
atives loss OF $4,000 in wages
The transformation has been
wrought by the cotton schedules Of
successive high tarin acts When tho
whaling industry declined and finally
became unproftable the wealthy
ship owners OF New Bedford turned
their capital from tho fitting out of
whaling expeditions to the erosion
and equipment OF cotton mills. Labor
was needed. and as the protective tar
If laws stated that the American
wage-earncr should be protected
against the products Of the pauper
labor Of Europe but not against the
"pauper laborers" themselves. the
New Bedford mill owners found it
profitable to employ, at low wages.
nliterate unframed workmen OF low
standards OF living from great
many OF the races of recent immi-
grafton from the South and East Of
Europe y foreign nucleus had all
ready been formed in the city Of
Black Portuguese or Bravas. who had
been picked up by the whaling ships
when they put into the Azores or
Western Islands for water and pro-
visions. When the cotton industry
was started more Of these people
came to work in the mills. TO These
carly imm!grants, English, irish.
Scotch and French Canadians were
added. Then came South Italians,
Poles, Armenians. syrians and turks
The early Immigrants and the Ameri-
cans however, could not compete
with the low standards Of living Of
cans British and Northern European ms
who were already in the city departed
and others ceased to come. The mills
were finally left 10 labor force com
/ posed OF Southern and Eastern Euro
peans and Oriontals. In other words.
the Republican high tariff policy in
the name OF protecting the American
workman has created industrial con
the native American could not work
and live or maintain an American
ditions in Sew Bedford under which
standard OF living.
Under our so-called beneficial pro-
tective tarlM system the same con
ditions which exist in New BEDFORD
have been developed in Lowell Man
chester and other New England tex
tile centres. The revolving living and
working conditions which prevail in
Lawrence the home OF the highly
protected woole7 goods industry were
recently disclosed by governmental
inquiry and are stll fresh in mem
DRY. Official Investigation has also
shown the same dep!orable and start
ling conditions among tho workmen
in iron ana steel furnaces and mills,
in glass, glove. hosiery and knit goods
factories and in other protected in
dustrics IN the face Of these facts
the audacity and hypocrisy Of the
Republican platform and the Repuhn-
can leaders IN asserting that the tar-
If system protects the American wage
Garner against the competition OF the
pa1peg labor OF Edgope is past under
standing. II is an Insult to the ina
tenigence and dlscernment OF the
reading public