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POLITICAL ECONOMYSCIENCE.NOT AWe take the following from the “Es say on the relation of Christianity to Labor and Capital,” written by our friend Edward H. Rogers, of Chelsea, Mass. As Mr. Rogers is a ship-wright, working by the day for daily bread, he has a right to be heard on the labor question. And no more considerate, judicious and Christian essayswere ever presented to the puplic than his. We ask attention to thefollowing. We take the liberty of calling the attention of some of our friends to one very important branch of the labor question, or the womantvquestion, by changing the last sentence from Roman to Italic letters.“ ‘The science of wealth, of course, cannot reasonably object to the pursuit ot wealth in any degree; yet it may also recognize that as man has othei’ than economical relations, so he may have other obligations, and mayrightfully yield to them. These, while it does not discuss, it respects.’—Science of Wealth.The thought which presents itself to my mind, as I read the admission that “man has other relations than his productive ones, which he may rightfully yield to,” is, whether or no a philosopv planned solely with reference to production may not with equal reason be expected to yield in its principles, and in its practical workings, to the play of higher forces than those of production?Answering this question, as I am compelled to do, in the affirmative, I find myself led to conclusions which are quite surprising, as well as unexpected, to me. I reject the name of science as applied to the present development of Political Economy; thehighest estimate which I hold being that due to it as an ingenious and plausible theory of business details; a justification of the religiously unsound principles which result in the appropriation, in the first distribution of products, of a disproportionate share to the trading and moneyedmanized by the name qI heme. :If the miner, or his family, despite theirsurroundings, should.in any mannerd s 'make more attractive their place ofabode, should succeed in -giving the surrounding boards a coat of paint, should, by starving their bodies, addthe comfort of curtains and carpets to their indoor life, a week 01 a month thereafter may find them with an imperative Order to vacate the premises,their so-called home., r- /In our cities workingmen’s homes are even worse than those of the miners. Rents are outrageous to commence with. A week’s hard labor will not pay the rent of the poorest accomodations for a month. For workingmen, tenement houses are their so-called homes, for one roof covers the homes of from four to twenty families, of from twenty to one hundred persons, built on narrow streets and towering up to the height of four or five stories, with from ten to thirty rooms; a family in many cases jp every room, working, eating, and sleeping in the same atmosphere; the rooms dark, and illy ventilated, no privacy, the dirt, slops and garbage sending forth their foul odersfrom every passage way, sickness and death ever present; and to this thousands of mechanics returnday after day after ten hour’s weary labor. This is home so long as they have health and work, and promptly pay their rent; but the very day the rent is due and unpaid, it ceases to be home, but becomes a regular hell open earth, until the few forms of laware fulfilled, and whether sick or dying, they with bag and baggage are are turned into the streets to beg, steal, or die.[From the Labor Standard.]LABOR NOTES.I have been led unavoidably in mak-ng'£these extracts to the considera-ion of the theories of the economists is seen from the highest point of view; but it is equaliy unsatisfactory to attempt to apply them in detail to the facts of industry. The condition of woman occasions universal comment; Political Economy fails miserably in attempting to account for her situation; Mr. Walker says that “the cost of labor is identical with the cost of maintaining the laborer in such circumstances that he cannot only support himself, but rear a family of children, sufficiently numerous, at least, to keep the supply of laborers good. Henee, he must receive whathas been called necessary wages.”When he comes to speak of woman’s wages, after acknowledging that sheusually works for half price, he says that “no attempt to enhance her wages by appeals to human sympathies need be attempted; for thei’e is a law that overrides all these—the law of supply and demand; a law founded in nature, immutable and inexorable.”I ask the question here, if a tailor has a right, by the law of wages, to enough pay to support an average family, why should not the tailoress have the same pay for the same amount of work, even if single, and specially so if she be a widow withchildren? I am confident that the answer to this questio u cannot be honestly and fairly given without exposing the grossly defective characterof the wage system.Laborers, as a body, are not paid enough to support a family. Nobody hires a laborer with a family, if they can possibly get their work done by a single man, a woman or child. Builders and manufacturers will not pay a mau three dollars a day, if they can get a manly boy to do three-quarters as much work, for half the money. Here comes in the apprentice question, made conspicuous by Crispin rules. Tlieovizers may talk as long as they please about extending the openings for women; they may find employment for a larger number, but their industrial condition would notbe better if all vocations were open to them, for this reason: it costs women less to live than mefi, and this lt;le-cidcs their income.”WORKINGMEN’S HOMES.The Iron Molders' Journal for JunesnvsTo assert a belief that man undersuch coalitions can love his home,that to him it is the one place on theearth, is such a mockery as is thelove of countrv in the traiterous out-law. Workingmen's Homes, whereare they? The villein had a home,he belonged to the soil; the slave hada home, he belonged to his master; toboth a home is a foregone conclusionas it wa- to the master’s interest thattlicv !i ;i;ib have a home: but free «worlvinirrmTi. wage laborers, who is interested in their having homes? Go into the coal mining region of any suite, and see the so calledhomes. Clap-board sheds, built on t restles, painted with storms and dust of years, fences unknown, floors uncarpeted, windows without shutter or curtain, children unta :ght, the husband and father taking his life into his own hands, going hundreds of feet into the bowels of the earth, toils wearily for ten hours for the bare necessaries of iife, bread and meat, and the meanest of clothing, and yet the place where this existence continues is hummersFrom an exchange we learn that the eeonomi movement in Germany is daily advancing.A Russian paper named the Golos has been suspended for declaring the necessity of making as vigorous war against Russian despotism asagainst Turkey.Metz has been reinforced owing to orders received from Berlin. The German ruling class are evidently preparing for another wholesale slaughter. jA telegraphic dispatch from Paris to the capitalistic papers states that meetings of members of the International are being held on the Franco-Belgian frontier with the object of exciting workmen to strike. •Great destitution prevails among the sewing girls of New York and Boston. The prices are so low that many of them cannot realize more than $2 for a week’s constant work. ;iPoverty has increased at such a rate thatwatchmen have been employed in several ceme- * teries, day and night, to prevent the theft ofplants from the graves.The Turco-slavomc war is progressing. The carnage is daily becoming greater. The Russians are now preparing to attempt to cross the Danube. It is dreadful to contemplate thousands of poor men madly slaughtering I each other for the benefit of a common enemy.McMahon and his government continue the policy of repression. Newspapers have been suppressed, and prominent Republicans arrested or removed from office. The last arrest made was that of Mr. Duverdier, the President of the Municipal Council in Paris.More banks have burst. Those who have starved themselves—as some of the depositors admit to have done—in order that they might save some money, now find to their sorrow that they only saved for other and more cunning people. There have not, however, been many real working-people amongst the depositors. The pawn-shop is the bank where most of the workpeople now go with their deposits.Beecher says that by creating a ripe public sentimeut, the temperance question will be nearer solution. This is true, but it is not the whole truth. The temperance question will only be solved when overwork and poverty disappear. Let us create a ripe public sentiment on the social evils from which we suffer.The New Haven aldermen have taken up the dog killing question again. Is there any probability of these grave and reverend city fathers taking up the man killing question V We think not, as those canine philanthropists never consider any question that does not benefit themselves.The Western Penitentiary at Pittsburgh, Pa., turns out l,00§*pairs of shoes daily. All overthe country prison labor is being brought into competition with/ra7 labor. There is one difference between the prison laborer and the free! laborer—the former is always sure of getting something to eat, while the latter is never certain of it.The Braidwood (111.) men are still on strike. They have not yet been paid for March. They have all entered suits against the companies, and got judgment in Braidwood, but the companies took an appeal to a higher court. Up to this time they have received only a small pecuniary support from outside quarters.The female weavers employed in Faneke’s silk factory, College Point, L. L, struck last week against reduction of wages. Funcke held out for two or three days, when he was forced to yield to the girls.On Tuesday last about 300 weavers struck in Paterson against a further reduction of wages. This strike may possibly assume larger proportions.Over 800 Longshore men at the wharves of Montreal, Canada, are on strike for their old rates. The water police are out with rifles to protect the new hands.Patfeson. N, J., June 80.—Five or sixhundred operatives of the silk factory are now out. The Hamil mill has saet down, and several mills are without hands. The strikers held a meeting to-day, in Mileton Hall. One Gustave Henicks favored returning to work, whereat the women went for him, tore his coat and threw salt and pepper in his eyes. Then he drew an empty revolver, and the women run him out of the hall, and pursued him a half mile away. He was captured and taken be-the peace, and then released, enicks 'Had the women arrested, and they gave bail in the sum of five hundred dollars. The strikers have visited the mills -to get others to join the strike. The police, as usual, are oht on the side of lawful wrong, and are waiting for a chance to hurt somebody.*The old method is resorted to in France. Papers that speak of McMahon’s course reproachfully are prosecuted. Despots should ieard that right ean not be repressed by prosecutionor persecution,—Emandpato.It won’t do to convert the Workingmen’sMovement” into a secret “knownpthing clan, ”in which chickens can be hatched of the most foul kind. Our objects can bear the utmost of criticism. No hidden purposes or objects willbe obtained. That mode of action has been‘ tried in the United Stktes with signal evil results. Only the ambitious and greedy aspirants can have their turn served by secrecy. Vicious men can sell out a secret political organization to the highest bidder.The State of Georgia has sold the labor ofthe convicts in its State Prison for $2s,000 a year, which is at about $11 a year for each convict. The contracters are now successfully sub-letting” the convicts at $60 a year apiece.The contractors know their business.INDIAN OUTBREAK IN IDAHO.iiA serious uprising of non-treaty Inr dians, supposed to number 2,000 NezPerces and other hostile tribes, has oc-!curred n Idaho Territory, sixty milesfrom Lewiston, on what is known asCamas Prairie, distant from Portland about 400 miles. At last accounts from 20 to 80 whites had been killed, andthe settlers were fleeing in every direction for safety. Gen. Howard was atLewiston, and had telegraphed under date of June 16th, to Gen. Sheridan, at Chicago, calling for reinforcements to be forwarded as quickly as possible, as the available forces at present does not exceed about 400 men. Manv housesVhave been burned; the Indians seem to be collecting to make a strong fight of it, and the trouble is reported as being a very serious one. On the evening of the 15th, a force of over 100 men undersCol. Perry, left Lapena garrison in pursuit of the raiding bauds, hoping toovertake them at Salmon river, whither.they had fled on fresh horses. Livelytimes are anticipated in that vicinity atone®.Later.—Col. Perry with his com-rmaud and some volunteers engaged the Indians on the morning of the 17th, and were repulsed with a heavy loss of men and horses. The number of killed and wounded has been reported as 27. The Indians were armed with better guns than our forces and their aim was very deadly.A TERRIFIC STORM.THE TOWN OF LANGDON, THIRTEEN MILESiBELOW ST. PAUL, VISITED BY A DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO.ONE WOMAN KILLED, BUILDINGS DEMOLISHED; WIDE DESRRUCTION.The daily Pioneer Press of Saturdayterriblelast gave the accounts ofastorm which visited the town of Lang-don, the second station below St. Paul, on Thursday evening the 14 inst., lasting but a short time but doing terrible execution in its work of destruction and demolition. Our Citizens will remember the heavy rain and strong wind at this point during that evening, so strong as to break stout limbs from shade trees, blow down fences and commit variousminor freaks, none of which so far as,we heard, being worthy of special mention. AtLangdon, however, the storm became a sudden hurricane or whirlwind at about 8 o'clock, blowing down and unroofing houses and barns, carrying away fences, and doing damagegenerally in the limited line of its operations. The first house struck was that of Edward Welch, and Mrs. Welch seeing the approaching storm, went out to call the children, and while looking for them was instantly killed by a blow on the head from a falling limb. Mr. Welch had his arm and two or threeribs broken, and his house unroofed.and nearly destroyed. The house of C. D. Tuttle, a two story building, wasfragments, but, ivas hurt.speedily reduced tostrangely enough, no one Other buildings were also demolished, trees broken down or uprooted, immense gullies washed out, and a vast amount of destruction caused. Similar devastations marked the track of the storm in various points in Wisconsin, and the inhabitants are beginning to have an excusable dread of these notun-frequent visitations.The usual method of pickling eggs consists in placing them in a suitable vessel which is filled with salt brine and lime water. Thelime water is made by slacking quick-lime in water in the usual manner. More water is then added and the cream of lime is stirred through it. The mixture stands till the sediment settles, when the clear water is drawn*off. Salt is then added. The lime acts to fill the pores of the shell while the salt operates to preserve the contents. It is a good plan to sink the barrel, cask, or other vessel which holds the eggs, in the bottom of a cellar, as in this way the eggs and the mixture which surrounds them are kept at a low and nearly uniform temperature. Care, of course, must be taken in putting in and taking out the or the shells will be broken. It ia a good p to add more lime once a month, afrit has a tendency to collect on the shells, and it is desired to have the deposit as thick as possible. —Indian a Fanner.i
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Minneapolis Free Flag
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Thu, Jun 28, 1877
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