Year: 1877

What are the Mechanics of the Great Cities


TO DO this Winter.


A newspaper reporter had talk with
an intelligent carpenter, of New York
city, who is an old trades unionist, and
well known among mechanics. He said ::
"I could take you to the homes of hun
dreds of mechanics in this city and show
you sights that would convince you at
once of the great want that prevails
among the workingmen. You would see
scanty furniture, rooms almost bare,
children but poorly clad, wife anxious
! looking and sad, workman out of en-
ployment and not knowing how he is
to support his family. You would see
at glance that poverty was there. 1t is
not difficult to tell, on going into the few
rooms occupied by workingman' family,
whether there is comfort or want. I
know myself dozens of families who have
sold the best part Of their furniture and
who have parted with whatever clothing
or little valuables they possessed. How
else could they have lived? I have now
been out of work myself over five
months, and though IN unmarried man
I have found it pretty tough time. 1
can too well understand how so many
mechanics have gone to Blackwell's
island for shelter for the winter. When
there is SO great destitution SO early in
the season it can be easily imagined how
terrible will be the suffering during the
next three or four months. I cannot
conjecture how the worlingmen are to
find shelter for themselves and their
families while this dullness in trade con-
tinues. I know how it has been with
number Of them so far as the landlords
are concerned. Notwithstanding the
well known condition of affairs in bust
ness, and the fact especially that the men
are idle through no fault Of their own,
the landlords have been inexorable in de-
manding rents.


"To my knowledge workingmen have
already shifted two or three times from
tenement houses, havings been put out
by landlords on account of not being
able to pay. How long this method of
procuring rooms to live in will continue
know not, but this I do know, that the
number of the houseless will be increased
by thousands If the landlords choose to
demand the rent. 1t can do the land
lords very little good in the end to act so
mercilessly, for the tenants coming in
will be just as poor as those going out,
and cannot pay i'll advance. BY leniency
and generous dealings these property
owners would make more money i'll the
end. However, so far this season they
will not see the matter in this light. But
I tell you, and I tell what know to be
the llndercrrrent of feeling among thou-
sands of the idle mechanics, that the
workingmen of this city are not going to
starve this winter, nor are they going to
be shelterless and see their children dy-
ing of cold and hunger either in aims
houses or in the streets. Patience ceases
to be q virtue ut some point, and the
workingmen of this city have exhibited
for over three years an exercise Of that
virtue unparalleled in the history of
great commercial cities. 1t will be
terrible day for New York when the
workingmen grow desperate. But what
is it that drives men to desperation If it
is not hunger? Is it not plain that I'M
less some relief comes to the men and
their families there will be at the very
least during the next three months 1O0,-
900 human beings-workingmen, their
wives and children-daily without bread?
Suppose that relief comes, will it come
in such q way that the men will not be
humiliated to Tie lowest in accepting ii?
Will they lie thrown it to make them feel
that they mist at once consider them
selves to be paupers? This would be
bad.


"The class of men now idle are not the
same that needed SO much the great help
they got couple CT winters ago. The
necessity now strikes in among the fami-
lies of men who, but few years since,
were we'll to do and had comfortable
homes; who were sturdy and indepcnd-
ent, and were proud of their usefulness
in the community. I feel persuaded that
when the wealthy come to the conclu-
sion that it is good to help the unfortu-
nate mechanics, the appreciation OF that
help would be vastly increased If, as far
rs possible, the workinGmen were them
selves allowed to be the judges of where
IL WttS lllOoG ntCllcll, itlllt "ChS 'LS >.io
penscrs to each other Of such tickets or
orders for food as the money bestowed
would warrant. I know that this trust
would not be abused by the men, and
that they themselves would be the first
to expose any attempt at fraud. Itwould
be easy to arrange the details that would
secure this. If twenty wealthy men in
the community gave $4,000 each the
100000 SO obtained would go a long
way toward relief Mt this time. Ii the
worst continued other wealthy men might
supplement that amount with rs much rs
was needed I come down to figures,
because it is either money or starvation
now; all hope of work is gone. There
is no prospect of getting through the
winter without something of this sort
being done. The ordinary charity of the
approaching season could moi at all meet
the distress which now prevails, because
it would not reach the persons of whom
have been speaking"