Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, January 11, 1874, Page 6

“IHE CHICAGO DAILY. TRIBUNE: SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 1874 THE LABOR QUESTION. Distributive Co-operation in England. Important and Beneficial Effects on the Laboring Classes. The Great Co-operative Socictics of Great Britain, - Their Small Beginnings ard Enormous Growth. 5 A Lesson to: American Work- ingmen. Yiews of Correspondents on Various Phases of the Labor Problem, ? Co-operation in Englnnd. One of the last things that ever occurs to the mind of & man working for wages is, thata Gellar eaved in his purchases is equal to a dollar sdded to his wages. Nor is ‘s obliquity of mental vision confined to laboring men. It per- vades all classes, and whole nations, ard finds iis statutory expression in protective tariffs, which regaid t1ade and industry exclusively from the seller’s point of view, and ignore the buyer aitogether. . Apout the time that Great Dritain was driven br tue exigencies of hunger to inguire into the Tigits and interests of consumers, and thereby to ndopt the Free-Trade palicy, the first small experiment was made in CO-OPERATIVE STORES, of which there are now no less than 1.200 to 1,500 in the United Kingdom, with 400,000 mem- ters. Thosa storea arc divided among five great federations,—the Soutbern, Mudland, Northwesiern, Northern, and Scottieh. In each federation a Congress of delegates appointed by the sccieties meete from one to fonr times a year to discass all matters of co-operative interest. les power is only advisory, for overy storo is entirely indepeadent. The five great sections aro leagued together somewhat ns the States were from 1726 to 1789, They bave an annual Congress and Governing Board of eloven mem- bere. The Congress is the fac-simile of the Sub-Congresses, save that it clects a Central Board of forfy-two members, a cerlain number of whom must come from each section. Each section (excopt the Northwestern, which chooses three) then elscts two of its roprescntatives on the Central Board as members of the United Board, which is the one already mentioned as the govorning power., Its dutics are propagan- Giem, sapervision of the officials of the Union, decision of territorial and legal questions between the sections, preparation_of papers to be read before the Congress, receiving and disbursing euch moneys as the Societies see fit to contribute to the general fund, etc., ete. - . This sketeh of the . ATRACLE which co-operation has wrought is dravn from studies made on the spot, under the guidance of some of the foremost leaders of the move- rent,—E. O. Greening, G. G. Holyoake, and Thomas Hughes; from notes taken during a mesting of the United Boaid ; and from a mass of priated matter in the shape of progcammes, belance-eheets, etc., of individual societies, prop- agandist psmplets, Parlinmentary statistics of tho movement, and the official reports of the five Cougresses-hithesto held. I speak of the miracle it has wrought, and do so advisedly. It is eaid that & dead man was onco msda alive again; co-operation Las raised men who Wero worse than dead in body, mind, and soul, to keen and vigorous life. . Example i« better than precept. I shallshow, by sketching three or four types, what English worlangmen have dono; what their American feliows can do, Rochdele, & manufacturing town near Man- thester, saw the first CO-OPERATIVE SUCCESS. In 1842, tnents-oight weavers formed the Rochdale Equilsble Pioneers’ Bociety. So grinding was their poverty that it took two years to accumulate $140. Each subscribed 4 2ots per week. On a December evemng in 1844, Toad Lane was crowded with & hooting rabble, gathered to seo tho opening of tho *wweavers' siop.” The shutters of tho .dingy little room tirey bad hired were taken down. The rrowd scraamed with laughter at the sight of tho almost empty sheives witlin, For s loog timo the twenty-cight weavers were the only cus- tomers. They could not afford to hire ‘s clerk. The shop was, therefore, open only in tho evenings. Bul the gcanty stock was soon sold. The proceeds brought larger onc. ‘This went, and the noxt, and the mest, aad so on. By raving the moncy they had before paid to mid- dlemen, they weres eoabied to get their goods at lower rates, poy all their expenses, and declars o dividotd. And yet they not only kopt their capital of €140 intact, but added to it. To 185 it was £910. The mem- berelip was then 74 Soon they rented a larger rcom, and bired a manager. ~ In 1646 they Legan to soll meat. In 1847 dry-goods were adzed to their stock ; in 1852, boots, shoes, and clothing. In the same vear they offered -goods at wholezale. - From the etart, growth bas beon sieady. Iho main building of the Sacioty, Lought and_yad for, is the most conepicuons eiructure in Rochdale. 1ts top-tloor 18 a plainly, comfurtably-furnisbed hall, whero the monthiy cctings aro held, lectures delivered, and par- ties given: Below are the committec-rooms, the reading room, and the librars. The last hau 10,000 volumes, some of them ~very costly and rare. About one-fifth of them are works of fic- tion. Sciewce and pbilosophy are well repre- geuted. Scch names as Mill, Fawcett, Spencer, Trusley, Darwin, end Tyndall are common on the ehelves. -The reading-room is large, well- lighted: and comfortable. it contains newspa- Fere, raviews, and magaziney, of every sbade of poiitical and _ religious belief. Members 2od members’ sons are admitted to it. members cau draw books. There are 0 brauch reading-rooms in the town. The Sociepy partially mamtains echools for youag d 0id, and has a small collection of sciontific instroments, any of which can bo hired for a yanny -or _two a night, by members who wish tiem foc their own wstruction, or for the entef- toinment of friends. Tho two lower floors are used for the diffzrent stores the Scciety owns, sud the hasoment is dovoted to packing and stor- age. Tlicre are branch-establishments in other parts of the town, cleven butcher-shops and thirteen groceries among them. . The Society menulscturss tobacco on its own account, and - has heavy interests in corn, colton, and woolen mille. These ecterprises beloug more properly to productive co-opetation, which will be treated of 10 auother article. 1n December, 1871, a .. DUILDING DEPARTMENT was opéned: - The-Society is now building homes Zor its mem Iris 2lso seliing them coal. 'most from its bezinning it bas been their sav- -bank, receiving depodits at any time, and Javing inferest on them. - Mir. George Jacob fslyoake, in his ** History of Co-operation in Roctudnle,” photographs the state of things thus: 5 ‘These crowds of humble workingmen, vho never ow before whes tkey put good food i their mocths, every dinzer wak adullerated, whose shoes iet water o month t0o goen, whose new costs shons dust, and whose' wives wore: ‘cocs that wazb, now buy in the markets lixe million- and, 58 for =s_pureaess of food gees, live like “They cre wesring thelr own siuffs, maling r 0w eboes, sewing their own germents, grinding toeir own corn. They buy the purest sugar and the Ecst tea, ead grind their own cofiee. They slsughter tieir own catle, and the finest bessts of ths land vddle down the streets of Roclidals for the consump- tion of Aanncl-weavers and cobllers, The teetotalers of Kochdale acknovwledge that tho store hua made more eober meu since it commenced than all their efforis Bave been abie to make in the ssme time. Husbands who never knew what 1¢ wag {0 boout of debt,and or wives, vio, during forty years, never had six- pence uucoudermued in their pockets, now possess itiie etores of money, suficient to build then: cottages, zd go every week Juto their own market, with mouey Jiughog n esir ponkets ; and in that mirket there is 10 Gistrust azd po scoption; there isno sdulteration, iy ond po second prices. The whole stmosphere 18 bonest. Those who serve neuthier hurry, finesse, nor fiatter, They hate no ntereat in clazanery. They have but one dutyto perform: thst-of giving fair measure, full welgit, and & pure article. " In other parts of ‘the town, where competition is the principle of trade, all the preaching in Rochdale canaot produce moral effects iike these. The official report for the threo months end- ing June 10, 1973, states the businees for that time av £360,985, nd announces & dividend of 1214 per cent. This EXORMGTS BUSINESS heabeen buflt up,=nd is now controlled, by men who work for daly or weekly wages. They have saved themsclves from starvation; have educated themselves; hava redeemed thom- selves fiom shiftlesaaess and drunkenness. To reap tho eame harvest, we Americans have - but to tread in the same path. The Rochdale Equitable Pioneers’ Society is constituted as follows : The capital i3 in non-transferable shares of €5, and can be increased to any amount. A new member must be approved by 8 majority of the Commiittee and the members; and must agree to tako five shisres, Ho must pay an admission fee of 25 cents, buy & copy of Il alea: nd ay not lers than 9 cents pers weel, until he has paid up bis five sbares. Until Lo bhas done eo, dividends wupon are credited to him in part payment. No person can Lold more than 100 shares. Alembers are liable ouly to the amount of their sharcs. The Society reserves the right o buy back shares at par at aoy time. Alemocrs who Lave move thao five shales can withdraw the surplus by giving due notica. There 13 loan capital, form- ¢d by deposits by mombors, Interest is pud on it. It is withdrawable ot any time. ‘All goods are bought and sold FOR CASIL. This ruleis not ptoved by its exception, for it has none. Goods are sold at tho market rates, sometimes 8 triflo lower. The profits are divid- ed as follows: The expeoees of mauagement, and the guaranteed interest of 5 percent on loan- capital, are paid; then a dividend (never above 5 per cent) on tho sbare capital is declar- ed; then 234 per cent ig allotted to the educa- tion fund (1his amounts to over $5000 per year); and the remamder is divided among themaelvos and non-membors in proportion (o therr purchases. 1f one member hus bought $20 wortly, and another $10 wortk, during the quar- ter, the firsc gets twico as mucn dividend as the second. A non-member receives sbout balf as much as a member would. Thaus, in the quarcer ending Juuo 10, 1873, when a dividend of 193 per cent was declated, n mombor who had bought £100 worth of goods would get $12.50, and a non-member who had bonght as Targely would get $6.25. This system makes it tho icterest of every buyerto become a share- holder; aod yet, if ho does rot wish to do this, it majses it his interest to buy .bare, nevertheless, The dividend on purchases is really s rebate, and offers an spproximate wmeasure of thoe financial advantages gained by membership. In the quar- ter here reterred to, the sharcholder, siuco the rebato was 123 per cent, paid the society seven- cighths of tac market prco. This is only an approximute estimate, becauso the co-operative stores are probably about the only ones in En- gland (or the world) where adulieration ia un- Enown. 1t can ba prevented only Ly making the INTERESTS OF BUYED AND SELLER INDENTICAL, and thus can be done only by co-operation. The amount of each person’s purchascs is thus determined: When snything is sold, the eales- man gves the buyer a round motallic check, stamped with the amount paid, At the end of the quarter the buyer brings all the checks he bLas received to the ofiice. Their amouut is the sum of his purchases. 1 bave given this lengthy sketch of the Roch- dale store Lecause, in its rules aud its carcer, it is a fair type of its class. Detweenit and others there are but minor differences. Somo pay bigher, some lower, dividends on capital and puichases. Some bave fower, some more, de- partments. Some devote more money to edaca- tion, some less; a very few, noue. From the beginning it Las been manoged by workingmen. Ita success shows Americau workingmen what they can do if they will but try. Tise CIVIL SERVICE SUPPLY ASSOCIATION of London is & type of anotber class. It is man- aged by clerks iu the Civil Service of Great Brit- ain. One of its threo founders says of i, in the Cornhiil for July, 1873 : Although barely eight vears old, and in 1ts commencemont most hum- ble, 1t is now selling goods at tbo enormons rate of .£750,000 [$3,900,000] a year. and is fast revolutiorizing tbe Tatail trade, not only of London, but of the wholo'counsry.” The claim is not tnfounded. The Association's first store was an unused cup- board in the Post-Oftice. 3ts first purchase was a halr-chest of tes. 'The euving was from 12 to 18 cents a pound. The veuture, though success- ful, was twice repeated before a whole chest could be bought. Then coffee was added to the stock. The cupboard was now teo small. After mach deliberation, 8 room was hired for 3 o week. Not for somo time ufter thisdid the Committee dare to buy anything, until the mem- bers hid promised to fake all of it at ouce. For & year or two the Association was elbowed out of one little room into another a tritle larger by the evec-increasing business. It bas jusk BOUGHT A FINE LUILDING, about 100 feet square and four or five Atories kigh, for £75,000. It pays s ground-rent of £7,000 besides. Its 400 ewployes cost $240,000 a yeur. The eharebolders areall ** Civil Ssrvants.” They number 4,200, This 13 the numerical Lmit fixed by the rules. Each holds ono non-trans- feruble $5 share, on which he has paid £2.50, A penson approved by the Committee can, lowever, by subscribing $1.25 per year, buy goods at the same rate as siarcholders. 1o Las no voico in the mabagemeot, and Lis purchases are ot delivered carriage-free, The -number of subscribers is now Lmited to 15,000. An as- rangement has boen made witi some 250 London firma, which sell their goods for cash to mem- bers (not simply sbareliolders) of the Associa— tion, at o 1eduction of from 5 to 25 per cent. The business doue in this way is said to amount to four or five millions anrually. The cove- nancing firms are ablo to fulfill their agreement, beeause they tecura by it a large number of new customers, who are also cash customere. One grent reason why co-operative stores succeed is because they are cash stores as well. 7 00-OPERATION AND CASI together carry the day. There is one radical difforence between the two classes of co-opera- tive socicties already meutioned. In the second there is no dividend either on capital or pur- clinses. The priviiege of buying ard voting is the return for the $2.50 that constitutes each soarcholder’s contribution to capital. As goods are sold below the market-price, the rebate is given at the time of sale, instend of at the end of the quarter. ‘Lhe disadvantag in thia is, that it is impossible to calculate the exact cost of man- sgement. Fixing tbe rebato must there- fore be largely guess-work. ‘Lhe society either loses or else gains B sur- plus, which it can do wuotbing with, since the ruleg forbid adividend. 'The Ciril Service Supply Association now has & surplus of £100,000. Some of the stockhiolders aio trying to break up the Society in order to get their share of this sum. The founding of the Association was met by the keenest opposition. Tius Las becn the caso with neaily ll co-operative stores. They DRAIN THE POCKETS of middlemen. 'Fhe middalemen paturally fight them. Wholcealo dealers declined to seil to the Association, because their customers, the retail- ers, threateued to leave them en masse should they do so. The Aseociation’s emuloyes wero bribed to spoil tho goods in their care. Finally Parliament was petitioued to forbid members of the Civil_Service from conducting co-operative storo3. The plea was, that the Government paid for their whole time. Parliament eensibiy de- cided that it was none of its business what Civil Servants did out of office-hours. T'hen the re- tailers determiued to fialit the dovil with fire. So_they formed a “Liconsed Victualers' Asso- ciation,” which has agencies all over England. A few poor clergymen tricd to form a. CLERICAL SUPPLY A6SOCIATION, and their tradesmaa-parishiovers threatened to turn Mothodist. Mr. fhomas Hughes lost his clectioun to Parhament from Lawneth on ac- count of bis advocacy of co-operation. Llis dereat was made sure, perhaps, by 3 round public scoldiug he gave some tuousands of his con- stituents whe had been fined for selling adul- terated gocds on false scales. A type of still ANOTHLE CLASS of co-operative societies is the Agricultural and Borticnltural Association of Wesimunster, Lon- don, which ix somethu:g like our State Granges. It owes ity arlifm toa cbance conversation be- tween Mr. Hughes and 3r. E. O Greeuing. The two were traveling by rail from the where they had been _promoting some ** trial partuerships.” Said Mr. Greening pose we try to do something in co-operation for the farmers 7 No use ;they are ignorant and stubborn.” The question was debated long aud earnestly, A few das afterward, oue of them leid the echeme before the present Earl of Derby, then Lord Stanley, » leader of tho *ag- ricultural interest.” He echoed Mr. Hughes’ reply. = Nevertheless, the society was born and baptized. With great diflicalty a ‘dozen men were found who were willing to be Directors. The scanty capilal subscribed was devoted to advertising in agricultural pa- pers, until it becamo evident tuat thero was _notinog to be dono in that way., Personal so- licitations sccured a fow customers, and pure goods soon did tho rest. The .Associstion's growth has been steady, and wnot slow, conaider- g the very ignorant class with which it has bad to deal. 1Its membership, in June, 1873, was 783 ; its share-capital was £63,955; its busi- ness for the year then ended had been $250,000 ; and its net giin to members for the same time bad been £13,623. The Agricultural and Hor- ticultural Association is peculiar in its mem- Dership, its , - CHECES ON ADULTERATIOY, and its consistency. Its membership ia largely drawn from the higher classes. The factis made duly prominent in the catalogue, which be- gins with a dozen of Right Honorables, who are followed by all the other titled people in the or- der of their rauk. After them come the com- moners alphabeticall. There are three members of Parliament in the Board of Directors. There is & deal done for the farmer members, but little by them. They bave 2 voice in choosing the Directors, but put few of themselves in power. The Association takes vory great precautions sgaiust adultoration. Some of the Lest chemisis in London are, or have boen, iu its employ. Lverything it buys is analyzed or tested. The results of ita teats and analyees are printed in colored charts, which aro sold to members at a low price. The farmers canuot be convinced that adalteration is bad by black and white ; but red aud blue scom to prove 1even tothem. At the office I got a trade-cir- cular jssued by s firm which belangs to the ¢ Hull Pure Linseed-Cake Association.” This company oOf tradesmen was formed to check the adulteration of lnsced-cakes. The circular offers the reaily pure article at $53.25; the “ Puro” and * Genuiune™ brands af €50 and §48.25 respectively, and an “A. C." brand, which 1s 80 ingeniously aduiterated that the foreign particles neutralize each other dnring au ordinary analysis, for $47.60. This last is the . ACME OF ADULTERATION. If this is done by 8 ** Pure Linsecd-Cake As- sociation,” what can be expected from less pre- tendiug dealers? In its six years of life the Agricultural and Horticultural Association hus establiched such a repute that it can now sell without sswple in Englaad and sbroad. The ouly satisfuctory manurcs imported by Sweden from Eugland, iv 1871, came from the Associn- tion, In consequonce, Swadish farmers are now putting themselves into communication witk it. It bids fair to establizh a large foreign trado. In the third place, the Association is consisteutly co-operative. It gives its employos, in addition to their salaries, & fixed proportion of the not profits. The foundation-principlo of truo co- operation is, that all ‘who contribute to the fioal profit should share in it. The three factors of Lusiness aro _capital, labor, snd custom. In mearly all nomibally co-operalive stores, the first aud third take all the prolit, while the cmployes are paid a fised sum. This 18 short-sighteduess. Au ordi- pary employe bargnius oalv with a man's need and greed. If be offers him s share in Lis protits, ho HIRES WIS BRAINS . and good-will. T'aey are woith buyicg. Tho bargain can be muds in two ways, Half tho net proiits above the average rate gained by the caputalist during tho last few years can be al- lotted to empluyes, or they may geta certain proportion of whatover saving i3 made during the voar in the cost of carrving on business. Iu neither case csn the capitalist loso avything. In the first, tho proits allocted to employes are only a part of the extra profit tho arrangement gives Lum; iu the eccond, thay aro oulya Em of the money which the arrangement saves lum. Most consistontly, co-operative stores uae the first plan; tho Agicultural & Horticultural Association uses the secoud. TIHESE THREE AcSOCIATIONS aro fair types of their classes. The first, tho Liochdule Equitable Piuncers' Society, bus been managed from the beginving by day-labor- ers end mechanics. The sccond, the Civil-Ser- v.co Supply Asxociation, orwes its origin and man- sgement to persons of somewhat higher servico rank, Iiving on tixed small incomes. The third, the Agricuitural and Horticultural Association, has alwsys been i the bauds of men of recog- nized public standitg, who manage it for the benefit of others, ana gain litzle or nothing from it for themselves. Asthe clasy to whichiit ap- peals is emaller and less uoited than those reached by the other organizalions, its growth has been somewbat less rapid. A strong point in tho history of the three so- cieties is, that their beginmngs wero Lumblo and bard. Another is, that their growth has been swift and sure. These two facts hold good, a4 a rule, of all the co-operative enterprises be- gan since 1844 in tho United Kingdom. Before that vear tho teachings of Robert Owen bore fruitin & number of associative undertakings. “Fhera was, however, too much SOCIAL OB FINANCIAL FOLLY mixed up with them. Thewr projectors either meant to make the world moral” and richina year or 80, ur clac they wanted to pay their own debts 1n paper mouey * bused on the National faith” sud tactin muoral atters, as the spirit }or the deyil) impeiled them. They failed be- ore long. Then came the present practical, self- 1sh sclieimes.- A very inrge percentago of them Lias succeeded. ‘They bave doue more good than luthummy of beautifully-unseliish JLieorics, Lhe ' CHIEF ADVANTAGES of the eystem of aistributive co-operation here sketched nre these : 1t maves at least one protit, —that of the retailer. With the poorest classes, especially when they arein debt to the dealer, this profit is often balf the cost of whatever they buy. It gives tho workingman a chauce to profit- abiy invest every cent ho cau save in a concern which he himseif partly owns, and in the man- agement of whuch be hasa voica. It there- fore encourages savings, and all the good hubits that follow in its _train. 1t educates him directly and indirectly. Direct- 1y, uy its schools, and reeding-rooms, aad libra- nee. Indirectly, by giving bim av insight into the methiods of business, and by teaching him how to guide feliows. It discourages law-breaking. This is tho universal tes- timony of English writers. Co-operation cheeks crime. A system that so powerfuily pro- motes a man’s phyeical aud mental well-being canuot but do go. It, and it sloue, puts an end to adulteration. It destroys the temptstion to do it. Nobody wishes to poizon the food he him- self means Lo buy and eat. IT PAVES THE WAY for other joint efforts, This is no mean advant- ago. In every State, the strongest force will rule while it is the strongest. Might still makes right, and alwass will do so. In every Sate, the workingmen, the instant they com- bive, will be- tho strougest force, the rul- ing power. That combination is only a question of time. When it comes, shall we have & mob, maddened by tbe fear of want, bimnd, reckless, demagogue-ridden, rioting in our cities t1ll wuaketry drives it back to its cheerlcss homo to bide its time for future deviltry? Or shail we have 8u_army of educated men, taught by the irresistible logic of bank-books that proper- ty is not rabbery, redressing their wrougs at tho ballot-box, and there rebuking the men who bave built up the huge fabric of State interfer— enco under which American industry now moans? If our workingmen starve, they will riot. There's no reasouing with an empty stomach, It will have fo If our working- ‘men are mentally statved, they will tiot. Notas s00n, perhapy, but as certuinly. If aman be- lieves that Congress has but to set & priuting- press at work **making money ” to make himseif saud everybody else rich, he %iil never ceaso try- ing to persusde it to do 80 till ho begins trying to force it to do so. F.mptiness of stomach, emptiness of mind,— these are the workivgman's woes. Co-operation will give bim physical aud mental food. Wil he salte what it offeis, and leara to help himself 2 | The Commune--Encland and the United States, ‘Two years and » half since, I had the pleasure of & personal interview with Mr. Trevellick, the President of the National Lavor Union, and dur- ing our conversation I azked this question ; * Are you not bioiping, by your efforts in be- balf of the workingmen, to bring on tho most terrible civil war that the world has ever wit- -nessed 2 “ My doar madam,” he replied, “ that war is inevitable. IT MUST CONE. My work is vot to hasten it. but to stay it. The arrogance of Capital is now becoming insupport- able ; it will grow more 50 every year, until Labor is gonded to such desperation that it will not stop to thivk of consequences, but will use all its brate forco to lay wasto our besutiful cities, destroy our free institutions, and blot out this groat nation." Do you think a compromise can be effected ? Iinquired. *‘Iam afraid not,” ho replied. I did think, some time since, the danger might bo averted; bul the introduction of cheap labor is every day making a compromise more difficult. Our emi- grant-agents are very active in other countries, pereuading the disaffected poor to ,come here, and we shall find, when too lato, I am afraid, t!mt. we have not only our own laboring popula- tion, bat the poor of other lands as well, with all their disaffection, to contend with, The moneyed men will never see the danger TNTIL IT 1S THRUST UPON THEM."” How near the tuth Mr. Trevellick came 12 seen to-dey in ell our large citica, It is with & deep sinking of beart that I have approached this labor-question. It is with many groanings of spirit that I have beheld the apathy of the American people £o perfectly lulled to eleep in the fancied eocurity of their Republican form of goveroment,—never dream- ing that they were elumbering over o volcano which might at any moment break out out ia an eruption and overwhelm them with its buming lava. The first raya of boFe that appeared amidst the darkness were articles on the labor-question pablished in our most prominent papers. To see the subject vencilated, and botb sides of the question granted & hearing, looked hopeful, as it must certainly set the peopls to thinking ; and those who had never given the subject athought would be obliged to give it a Little consideration, if they read the newspapers, On last onday morning, an editorial appeared in Tue TRIBUNE, warning its readers that TEE COMMUNE WAS AT OUR DOORS, and that the present state of things gave it addi- tional torce. . Will tho people heed the warning, or will they disregard it ? The English workingmen wors the first in the Iabor-roform, and yet Communism has no foot- bold in England. ~ It has bad nothing to feed npou there, for the reason that Euglish working- men_have for years been cducating themselves, aud have been quietly, stoadily, and persisteutly advaaciug their own interests. Their trades- unions aud co-operative socictics bave been won- derfully successiul,—successful because their mectings were not convened for tha purpose of listening to the imflammalory language of some demagogue, who pretended to bo a friend to the workingmen merely for the sake of political cap- 1tal ; but their moetiugs wore FOIt MUTUAL DIPROVEMENT, and for the discussion of questious pertaining to the Isbor-interest. Thoy had their librailes, their literary and scientific lectures, their even- ing common-schools, sud their more advanced classes. Ope Enghslman, a Mr. Cassell by uame, seeing the waut of text-booka for this class of persous, ventured to start, with but little means, a weckly periodical which contained short, easy lessons ou all the brauches of a com- 1on-fichool sducation, a8 wall as lessons in_the arts, and sciencey, aud foreign Janguages. This pericdical Lo sold at the low prico of one penny each. It soon became known amoug tuose for swhom it was intended ; and such was the circu- lation it commanded that. although its price was only one peuny, Mr. Cassell bas become immenso- ly wealdhy ; s0 true it is that it 1s impossible to enefic others without benefiting ourselves, The difterence, then, between tho English workinguwen and the workingmen of otier lunds, ig, that, while men of other countries have been led, in their ignorance, by the destroyers of social order, the workingmen of Eugland bave been EDUCATING THEMBELVES GP to a bigher standard of humanity, instead of dragrivg those who had already atiained a high- er standard down to their level. , By English workivgmen I moan mechanics and all operatives who scrve an apprenticeebin, and are, thorefore, more or less skiiled in their various brauches of workmanship. The farm- Iaborers, who mever served an apprenticeship, and whose labots are the pootest paid of any in the British Isles, never made the attempt toim- prova themsclves uatil Joseph Arch took up the matter, and, as it takes years to evon insiitute a reform, they. of course, have as yet mado no headway in elevating Lhemselves. TUE PIRST SIGN OF COMMUNISM IN ENGLAND Lias come from tbe other party. It is calicd the National Federation of Associated Emgloyers of Labor, the avowed object of wbich is tho de- fense of Capital arrayed agatnst Labor, and Labor against Capital. - Whou will the two learn that that they are dependent upon each other; thst their interests aro so closely connected that they caunot afford to be at war, but had better uso their forces agaiust tho middle- men who are makiny largo prolits out of both, and building up immense forcunes of moaey, on whica they will domand high rates of interest fiom the msnufacturers. whico will in turn raise the price of the products the labor is compelicd to purchase, I'hese middlemen will control both parties with despotic power, inasmuch as their mouey never loses its value, never nceds repairs, never wears out, while the bu:ld:ngs and machinery of the manufactuter need constaut revair, suffers damage by fire and water, and, in process of time, nceed an entiro renewal, There comes a time, too. when the capital of tho lsborer needs re- pair, and 10 process of time is eutirely destrosed, his brain or muscle frequently bas to Le idle for repairing the damage wlich sickness or over- work, or some other unfortunate circamatance, bas caused it ; and, in the commou course of nature, it ceases to bo of any vauue whatever to the owper. This money has a bigher valuein its perpetuity than men or manufacturas, aad will consequently CONTROL BOTH. It is not 5o much the manufacturing power as the money-power which i tho great euemy of Labor. One advantage which the Erglish working- men have over tie Amencan is tae greater sym- pathy there i3 Letween them aud the rich, and the many real acanowledgmeuts of a bond of friend<hip und brotherhiood tetween them. Wuo ever Leard of & great American lecturer giving & free lecture on any subject, except temperance, to which the poor weze especiaily wvited f—which exception is, to eny the least. rather 1usulting, 841t insinuates that there are no drunkards ex- cept among the poor. Yet, in England, 1t is A COMXON OCCUBRENCE for the poor to be invited to hear a lecture on some literary, Listorical, or scicntitic subject ; g0 much o, that they would foel aggrieved if they were not invited to listen to & few lectures during the winter. The leclure has becomo a settled institution, an acknowledged necessity, and it is well it has, for it is a gieat oducator ; but unfortunately, in this country, it educates ouly these possessod of means; the poor are de- prived of its benotit Tho winter i3 the timo of festivity for the rich, while to the pooritis a time of suffering, and these peor, who can only just keep alive through the winter, have no money to spend on lectures, 1f wo pass through this winter without an out- break, ag [ trust we shall, the rich and the poor will both have received lessons which they will do well to ponder, p Thoe labering classes must learn to protect themselves by other and better means than atrikes, lockouts, and riotous demonstrations. The public at large have yet to learn that CHEAP LAGOR TENDS [0 COMMUNISM. Capitalists have dono their best to introduco clicap labor among us ; they have succeeded in their efforts to somo extent, and it is here. Now the question is, What will you do with 1t.7 Cheap labor must be fed, clothed, and sheltered, Will you now shrink from the responsibility and endeavor to place it upon those who had nothing to do with its iutroduction ? The most imporzant step to bo taken just now is to recall our emigrant-agents from foreign couutries,— agents who Lave no interest in the matter of emigration, except to fill their pockets with moicy, and to flood our land with chesp labor, unbeeding the fact that cheap labor destroyed the Soutk afier many generations ; but in the North, where all bave un opportunity cf obtain-~ ing an education, they wouid not be likely to submit for auy gieat length of time to the op- pressions of the monoy-power. The result of chcap Jabor in a prosperous_comntry like this, where every man is a sovercign, can only bo the overthrow of Republicanism, and the establish- ment of tho Commune,—from which may the Lord deliver us. Azs. M. D. Wr~xgoOP. 3 Workingman in Reply to Other Correspondents. To the Editor of The Chicago Tribune = 8m : Please allow me to correct some miscon- ceptions and errors regarding that highly-favored class, the * Workingmen.” In the *labor-question ™ I am personally in- terested, having the inestimable good fortuno 1o be a workingman myself. Itis true I did not fully appreciato tho supe- rior advantages of my position till this winter, and then not before they were pointed out to me by the gifted beings who contribute to your paper. 1 wish to express my appreciation and thanks to Mrs. Wynkoop for her kind words and wishee, and algo to Mrs. Swissholm for the motherly pnins she takes to show us the wickedness of our ways. At the eame time, I wonld respeotfully sug- gest to both Jadies that they really have NOT THE SLIGHTEST PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE of what they are talking about. Bat, pray, do not for one moment suppose I would have them cease for this trifiing objection; if women were only permitied to talkabout what they understood, the deathlike eilenco of this world would be simply unendurable. ¢ The latter lady appears to me to be straining at & gnat, Even supposing she shouldsucceed in proving that energy, and perseverance, snd iniel- ligence cenerally succeed in making their way in the world against all obstacles, she wiil simply have proved an old truth, gencrally admitted by all intelligent people, and even bythe majority of workingmen. BGT WHAT CONNECTION (atleast in men’s minds) has this with the %+ labor-question ”? Caidinal Wolsey succeeded in raising himself from the lowest grade of socicty to the highost, snd hundreds before and sinco his time have done the same; but this dozs not prove that the Iaboring classes of those days were uot suffering oppression and ivjustice from the wealths. Many slaves have purchased their liberty and gaiued an independence: but still the opinion appears to be widely spread now that the sys- tem of lavery 18 wrong. I merely make these remarks in order (o pre- vent & person of Jra. Swisshelm’s genius squan- dering her strength in telung us something we all koow, WHEX IT CAN DO X0 G0OD. Her account of the Pittsburgh puddlers’ strike I have no meaus of disproviug, aud must conse- quenlly accept,—making allowance, of courso, for peculiarity of style,—a fair sample of which 18 ber acking, in_perfect gravity, if anybody “ knows a capitalist who is not & laborer, or one I\vgu began life with auy other capital thau hus abor.” Ihope I shall not be accused of unnecessary cruelty if [ ask Mrs. Swisshelm to explain this aud other of her startling sssertions ; such as * Workingmen are o lsrgely respoasibls for the present crisis that they should try pa- tience.” If1t were not for the bratality of such a question, I might also ask why she had to wait for & capitalist or anybody whon she wanted * a little wood chopped ?” Cau it be poza:bis 'NOLODY WOULD LEND UER AN aX ? Please allow me, right Licre, to quiet the fears of your correspondent W. A. Shaiw, by assuring bits that the Internutionals had nothing what- ever Lo do with the contlagration of Oct. 9, and 870 not at presenc laying iv any extraordinary stock of *‘kindling," or *‘matches,” or ** kero- sene ;” and, as far as I know, Lavo no incen- diary desigas Lhis winier on Chicago, or any other holy place. And now allow me to make a few remarks on my own responsitality. IT I3 WRONG, and o contradictiou of fucts, to assert that the wajority of workingmen spen1 thoir profits 1 driuk, or that the szloons of Clicago are chietly *supported by workingmen. 1t is absurd to speak of the working classes as ignorant, incapable of thinking for ourselves, unable to act for our own intercsts, slow to recoguize what 18 really beneficial to us, etc., etc., eic., etc., otc. 1f we caunot all spell, we can all think. ifen do not think in words. Ir we do nut xil shrivel up and volatize when the * laws of supply aud demand * aro shaken at us, it is because we have eyos and ears, aud see, and hear, una often fecl. We kuow tiat theors is ono thing and practice another,—sometimes baving a resomblauco, and sometimes not. We know that men's ide2s of education are rapidly changing ; and we begin to think that an adept in carpeatering is AS MUCH A SCHOLAR of us are past the days when wo fonndered by such sliallow clap- The majont, could be uumfi trap as * ten hours' pay for eight hours’ work. Many of us caa remember ko time when you would have said *twelva Lours’ pay for ten bouns’ work.” = We koow that trades with strong Unions have & bigher rate of wages than trades with no Unious. 1 We have been told, and wo believe, that buwman nature 1s hamau nagure ; and all history proves that 1t is human vature to tyrannize when it can ; and we see no reason for believing that this characterstic has diminished of late yems, Human nuture hay had the chance to tyraunize in Chicago, and IT 1IAS DONE 50. Three-story buildings Lave Leen erccted and roufed, asd no wages paid to the workwmen. “I'he lax issocomplicated, nud gives money such an euomons adya: tical assistance iu coitecting debta of this nature. Besond ali doubt, many of the men in the your correspondents such inteuse amusement had sums ranging from for work. You that urderstand the laws of Illinois, tell them how to get it. GILLERT GURNEY. 2 Monopolics. To the Editor of The Cliicago Tribune: Sin: The geeat bugbéar of the *sworxing- man” i8 the Monopolist. Of tbis monster he soems to dream all night and cogitato all day. Set him to state a gricvance, with tongue or pen, and he DEGINS AND ENDS WITH MONOPOLY, n whilo Monopoly fills up all the space between | ¢ ®end and beginning. Monopoly buys votes, con- trols legislation, oppresses the poor, devours widows’ houses, and, Laviog “no eoul to damn,” does uot even make a pretense of long prayers. He just staks, rong-shod, in smong his vic- tims, elays to the right of him, cuts to the left iron and clay feet of Daniel's vision, *‘stamps the residue” under his feet. He is worse than the “Oid Mun of the Sea," who mounted on the 1 more unmercifully than some men ride borrowed horses. Our next great political party is to at- tack the ecaly creaturo, ss St. George did the Monopaly, are to marshal their forces and do terrible battle; but, if Anti's light infantry of words ever zouts his Leavy battalions of hard cash, sl will hevo to organizo s flaok move- ment and attack him in the rear. » larger, proportionate, reserve force. Dehind him 1acges line upon line, a serried host of Monopolies, stretching away into the twilight of tho unknotvn. A war with Monopoly is but an attack on our eocial system, which is a mob of Monopolies, each in deadly conflict with all the others. As a familiar illustration, let me retarn to the striko of the PITTSDURGI PUDDLERS AND DOTLERS. Each had a scparate trade connected with the manufacturo of iron,—something about melting | or boiling of metal, and haudling it in liquid form. Each monopolized the skill necesgary to do that particular work, and decided not to do that work, and not to permit other men to do it. Their work being a material part of a great net- work of labor, they were able totlrow thousanda of other workmen out of empioyment, to de- precinte the valuc of the moneycd capital in- and bankruyps merchants. ‘This power they re- morselesely exerciged ; and the withdrawal of that capital of skiiled labor which they monopo- lized, and locked up in the moldy old vaults of idlences, was an irreparablo loss to themselves, tothe men who had given them ample oppor- tunisy to win hozorable independence, and to avery Wesiern conntry is the poorer to-day for the loss of that labor; snd ‘THE WORLD IS THE POORER for the demoralizazion of tens of thousands of laborers. Lefore that time, 4 cents a bushel was tho prico of coal,—1 cent for the coal. 1 for dig- ging. oud 2 for delivery, No poor man's family suftered for fuel; no widow shivered over- an empty grato: and coal-diggers wers & much more respectable set of men than they have ever been siuce. When a fow men had monopolized the right to melt and puddlo 1ron, s larger num- ber cuncluded to monopolize the right to dig the coal necessary to melting iron, So coal-miners found a class-corposation Mouopoly, and struck. i t They have been striking over since,—striking at he prospenty of tho country; striking at the patriotio Learts acho for the wron workingmen. He *soes” them, an their friendly oflices, keops bus foundries at work to their atmost capucity, until bis coutracts are uil filled and bis warehouses all grosn, when a strike is regularly arranged, and comes off ac- cording to costract. i his more plodding business neighbor hus a pigeon-holo_full of unfulilied sgreements_to furnisi goods in Lis line, it is bad for the plod- ding neigabor, but water on his mill. The op- e, 28 ta b of little. prace Yresscd workmen have anice time drinking, and needy. whilo others scem to forget that workingmen are not to be held accountable for the present unhappy etate of affairs. All expressions should be given in a Christianlike manver; for it shonld be borne in mind that all suffor alike® Personal thoughts and feelings shonld be for~ 5 28 gotten, The relations oxisting years ago, or of vested In that maoufacturo, to ruin millowners | F %0y Lol lcce G employe showld not, winter, firo of ill-will. written unless it be in & Christian feeling. Sym- pathy for the poor, who suffer alike in onr Gar- branch of American industry. This whole | den City, should be in the hearts of all. This would show a gemerous and forgiving nature. But when persons give vent to such " foelings as some havo exprossed, they should receive, as business never secmed better. ~T call it the puddlers’ striko.—decrood that cozl-mining ‘WAS TO IE A MONOTOLY. No man now dare dig a bushel of coal without permiseion of the Mouopolists; and this is the 8ubsoil Monopoly. with which your Granzes have to contend. Thev will need to *piow deep while slaggards steep " if they break iz up; bat the railrond Monopolies are built on it, aad hun- dreds of others, It attaost secms as if Monopolies, in our- rail- road system, a1 a3 cloze as the wooden ties. Welsh and Enclish miners bave a_onopoly of miniug the coal used to manufacture the rails. Every class of workmen engaged in that tana- facture has o Monopoly of that work., Lvery separato trade un]]uixccl to conatcuct a road is a separate Monopoly. Every one engaged in mak- ing the rolling stock is o Monopolr. Tho d.ffer- eut clusses of men occupied in operatiag ths road are 5o manv d ff.7ent classes of Monopo- Iists; and the men wuo serve s conzecting links in tuis long chain of Monopolies—the stockliold- ers—ara Monopalists, of course, judging by the company in which they ars found. Another great Monopoly with which the Grangors propose to contend is that of THE IRON-MASTERS,— 8 set of sporting gentlemen who play for large stakes. 1 have often thought that this business ought to be suppressed in Pennsylvania uuder the law agaiust lotieries. It certainly is not a legitimate business; and. if it bad not been for the spirit of gambling kept alive in that Stato by charch-festivals and charity-fairs, it miglht hava ;nug wince been put down by the strocg baud of ar. human foresight cau guess tho result, and, whea & map engages irrit, bia can only be reasonably certain of une of two thinga: a fortune or firan- cial ruin. Fog liim thers i no safe, steady. long pult up the lull to success. the top of the crag by a flying leap, or the bot- tom of the chasm by a hopeless crash. After he a3 successfully thre throngh the rmaze of Monopolies which erect his workd. L is face Lo face wiih the darker and deaser maze that istoruathem. He makes coutracts with these, that are never reduced to writing, because they would not bo worth paper. It is illegitimato from the fact that no o cither goes to ed hin winding war Rolying on these, bo makes other contracts, which ho sud bis backers bind themselves to falill, 1t knowing that the contraczs on whic for filling the othera are as He does this with his eyes open,—does e relies TORTILESS AS ROPES OF SAND; knowing that the two or three million dollars, worth of rails he i to furnish in s given time ase likely to be lef: in any possible stage of in- completeness by a strike of any one of tho Mo nopolies on which he standsasona bed of quick- sand. Men do not risk money ead time, thought und Iabor, ou such ventures’ wizhous assurauce of arge gains 1f they win. So, your irco-mneter demauds a heavy tanff 1o insure large profits in a winning gamo ; and the probability of & change as an adept in Latin or politica! economy. 1u that tanif every year adds largely to the Ureadth aud depthi of tho quicksaud foundation on which he and lus business stand. the tariff all nght ho must lobby extensively; snd this costs like light trom a burning city. Le is sherp and unscrupulous, ho gets acquainted with the mon To_keop 1 WO ‘*RUN" TIE LADOR-MONOPOLIES,— The Presidents, Secretaries, aud ather worthy eaders of Trades-Unioos,—men whose honest, of the through omes at & time when oafing, and standing guard to prevent other mon finishing up JIr. Plodder's contracts mad procession that scome to have given some of | injuring the market of his sharp neighbor. About the time lus warehonses nre empty, the £25 to 2100 duo them T Presideuts and Secietaries of the Societies con- clude that the men had better go to work at the ald prices, 1donot hintthat all iron-masters sea Con- gressmen about the tarill, and Seeretaries about the strikers ; or that all ‘Congrossmen and Sec- retaries are to be_scen. Thero are honorabls deals, finds hersclf to- ing " deals, fods b day facing a large number : ARE OUT OF EXPLOYMENT,— their families suffcring for the npcossaries of Iife. Thisstate of afirs bas existed for th past two mouths; and bow much longer it wifl coctioue, none can tell. Musy of our oldest citizens, whose word was worh its weight 1 gold, fiad it impassible to meet. their notes o ing due; clamm that, in tkeir experience, the; Dever romember wacu money was so xsca:'t:e‘m! n{ presont ; and wonder how Ling this conditton of :llximi-,;s cbm last \mi:l.;n; their sceiz distress in 3 bearings, —thar sutls g8 being aliky with thoso of tns pose. 11088 beioz alike Yet, whils tuia ctalo of affairs exists, and whue many of the other lars cities Lave re- sorted to the opeaing of sou-houses, Chicazo cau prido borself tuat such resarts Lave ot oo come necessary ; aad thoss who arge their adop- tion in this city do not clewrlv 2aderstand that, tirst, they aze Dot necessass ¥iix the Kelief and Aid Society stands ready & © set those requir- gm mfietancu ml;um Lh,:! h;.nd in ity posscssion. ecoudly, notl “could bs doue; go:cl thut would 3 isecta ENCOURAGE IDLENESS SO MUOH as the adoptiou of these soup-huuses. Do those who favor such houses understand that this city cau boas: of at least hundreds who acver kuow what it i3 to do wmunual or any other kind of lator, exsept that of living upon f1a0 lauches [rom oue eud of the year Lo the vther; and chat these lecches would o monanolize such places that respectable people could get no reliof ? When worz preseuts itself, and tis cluss refuse to aceept it, they should cease to be objects for chsnt{, and be allowsd to suffer. ‘L'nieis the only class who want soup or lunch-liouses. Tho respectable workingmen of our city only gek ag- sistunce until they can get lubor to parform. The writer bel:oves that if . THE FOLLOWING METIIOD were adopted those wio are needy and descrving would get relief, and dead-beats wouid Lave no opportunity thon to ply their vocatica. Let tus Mavagers of the Norsh aud South Side Rollivg Mils recommend one from awoug the ranks of their workiugmen (but not ther boeokkeeper), whose duty 1t sbould b to go around sud visit the emplozes of those Companies. Also, repro- seutatives should ba selected from amoug tug iron-molders, blacksmiths, aad machinists, ship- carpouters and csuikers, coopers, carpeuters und joiners, painters, shoemakers, and, in fact, Congressmen, straightforward iron-masters, and dopest Secrataries; but thero are vapeties in these as 1u_ other ciaases, and the dishonorable, crooked-backward, dishonest varioties are NOT 50 BCARCE 23 we could wish. Well, secing Congressmen and Sccretaries costa money, and the Lusiness must farvish this, The general loss of capizal in skilled_labor raises the price directly <! tho pecaliar article produced by it, and indirectly that of any aticle given in ex- change. masters’ . MBuopoly, an Thev have no combination to prevent any man from becoming one of them, Every man may b:fid & foundry in his yard, and welcome. chance of competition is a3 open as that of get- of Lim, destroyd all before him, and, like the | riyg g gold dollar 1n a box of triss eindy; it for all tho actual cost, all the risk, the consumer must_pay. Thors is one peculiaity of tho iron- this is open doors. The Railroaa corporations; being the arzcst consumers, pay most. Farmers, boing shoulders of shipwrecked sailors, sud rodo them | fii°, IaTAest sbippers, must refund most, and Lill” at last. To singlo ont tho railroad Monop- oly, of stockholders or officers, and attack it alono, seems to me like fighting. the aails of o dragon. There is to bo & domestic war. in which | Madmill. To stop them you must get at tha Anu-onopoly and thio Railroad King, O1d Unclo | Borer,which sets them in motion.” Labor-o- ALE AT TIE FOUNDATION of all other Monopolies, in this country, at this time; sud, to kill the Upas-tree, you must get at the roots. ' When the United States has secured to every man Lis natural right to learn and pur- e No General | guo any honest tralo or svocation he may cbooso, ever was more thoroughly intrenched, and had | it will be an eas} Railroad Ring, an who play shadow to those despotiems which lock up the capital of the couniry in beer-8aloons, in every esigency when it is most necded for tho dovelopmens of our national wealtl. matter to aitend to the old all .other sclfish potentates i JANE GREY SWIssmELIL A Method of Giving Relief, To the Eduor of The Chicago Tribune:s Sm: The writers who have contributed to your columns respocting the saffering poor of Chicago DO NOT SEEM TO SUGGEST ANYTHING PRACTICABLE Lt will give relief to thoso who are deserving Some writers extead sympathy, of suffering like the present be raked ap to \ kindle = Nothing should be said or n times hey riculy deserve, the just condemnation of a freo and Chris tian people. Those who rewember TRE WINTEDS OF 1857 AxD '58, remember the bad position of the poor in our city ot that time. But a kind Providence carried us sifely through those periods. At that date our population was only one-foarth what it is at the preseni time. Our business men, whils they guffered, recovered in = veryshort time, and Our maoufac- respect with which they were formerly regarded, | tories and warchouses employed mora or lesa by trying to become unworthy of it; striking at their own moral nature, by acquiring babits of idleness, and ita steady compauton, vice; strik- ing at all other classes of workmen; and strik- ing, bardest always, st the poorest, most unfor- tunute, or most improvident. I think there nover hias been an unusunlly hard winter, from | business and iabor in most of the Jarge cities, | Chicago scemed to be blessed. Our business 10" creaged ; labor was plenty ; our population ad- vanced by thousands. These things scemed so miraculous that the peoplo looked on with won- gex;] and prido at our advancement ; when sud- lealy then until now, in which the conl-miners have Dot strack. As provident, well-to-do people al- ways lay ia their yearly eupply of coal in som- mer, these strikes have beon AIMED DIBECTLY AT THE POOR; and theso stalwart sons of toil have not hesi- ted to pus out the widow's little fire when men. formed. Wages at that tims were small, but were sufficient to keep bunger from the door; and those who remember know that very little ab- solute sufferiug took In fact, & great amount of lnbor was per- place. “Then the War came on, aud, while it depressed THE GUEAT CALAMITY suows lay heasily on her cottuge-1oof or blocked | camo upon na and Izid in ashes onr beaatifal ber wayin the narrow allays throngh which she passed to her poorly-paid day's work. Strong men have contended for their $8 & day, wrung, in large part, from women who worked more hours, and harder, for 50 cents. But no matter who staggered under their blows, they have never stopped striking ; and many a poor man and woman reels to-day under the weight of their strokes, past, present, and prospective. 1t used to be that, in winter, farmers and their eons, or hired belp, when farm-work was scarce went into coal-pits and got ont a year's supply for themselves or neighvors, and often dug for the general market ; whilo men whoso busincss was more especially mining came out in sum- ‘mer, made familixr acquaintance with the sur- face-glories of their grand oid Mother Earth, mingled with the upper world, and had experi- ences and aspirations like other men. They were ot buman males, blind to everything bat the gleam of minerals by lamplight; but * the march of fmprovomeat," I suppoas folks call it, city. anight. What a panic that eventful night pro- e savings of years of many were lost in duced, not only among our business-men, avd the thousands of workingmen thrown ont of employment, who then,had no homes or shelter, but throughout the whole world. But those who bad built up Chicago did not remain long weeping over their loss. Hardly had the smoke died away when energy and go- aheadativeness took possession of our moneyed men; and to-day, after but two shor: years, Chicago precents an appearance second to no other place on this continent. The whole world gave charity to the peoplo of the desolated city, from every mechauical brauch in the city, whose duty it shall be to inquire_into ail cuses; and, where assistance 18 noeded, let it be icimediately grauted. None know tacse peoplo’s wants so woll as thoso who are daily among them. If this method be adopted, it caunot fail to meet the approval of all deserving workingmon, And Cesizning men who are ready at umés to incite 1€0)le to do even violence, will FIND TOEIR RANKS DEPLETLD. Mecbanics ore s law-abiding people, but, when appealed to by those who prove their worst euo- micy, allow their feclings to over come their better judgment: consequently, they are led to indorse st times the sayiugs and doings of those who only mako appeals for tho notoriety which may accrue, and who. if danges is apprebended, are alvays among taosc wao makeita poiut to avail themseives of soms means to escapo the responsibility. The wogd's charity is in abuadanca still, in the hands of worthy citizens. whom the people Lave confidence in, and 1nto whose chargo this money ‘hzs beon confided by our_citizens. Therefore, it is the daty of tho Relif and Aid Society to bring this matter of relief down to a working system. ‘The patience and good behavior of the worke ingmen of Chicago are A SAFE GUARANTEE, a8 witnoss the fac: that, upon che closing of our bauka when tho pauic fixst came on, thoro were no demonstrations made by workingmen on those banks, a8 can be attested by the oilicors of the Merchants', Farmers' and Mochanics', the' illinois State Savings Institution, or any other saviogs institation or bauk where workingmen bad their savings depostted. Aud k hope' that workingmen have the samo confidence in the Reliof and Aid Society and the Board of County Commissiouers in the prosent hour of theirnced. The Presidents of the various trado associations ehoald st once - . CALL A MEETING to inquire into the coudition of tho different mechauics working at their trades. At this meeting plans could bo suggested that wonld assist the Relie? and Ard Society ; aad also tha amount of employment dono by workiogmen could bs ascertained, which would prove of in~ interest to tho pablic. This axsembly, which would cum&)rise tuo reprosentative of worlung- men, would certaiuly condemn any movement against faw and order. I remain, respectfully, Ciszcaco, Jan. 9, 1874, Frase LawLen, An Immigrant’s Reply to Mrs. Wyne Koop--Wantof Knowledge the Main Cause of the Workingmen’s Trous bles. Ta the Editor of The Clicago Tridune : Bm: These bard times I am an interestod reader of everv article which sppers in your paper relating to the rights aad duties of tho workingman, and to the great problem of labor and capital. Among these I bave found many thoughts indicating that their author is master of the situatiou and knows whereof he speaks ; bat I cannot conceal that I huve fonnd some nt- terances ,which, to my mind, are rather one- sided, and misrepresont tho trus state of af- fairs. With a viow to point out to your many inter- ested readers theso to my mind seeming errors, ¥ request you fo givo tho following lines a placa in your widely-circulated paper. ¥ 1t is to be deplored that, of the many things which are printed, spoken, or written pro bono publico, o too large number are PRINTED WITH FALSE COLORS, and contain but too often misrepresentations«f the grossest kind. In times of general depres- sion and bardship Jike the preseut, no advice is 0 available, o efficient, as that which is foand- ed oo the pure and unadulterated truth; and it is thercfore that I feel coustrained to utter a few words by way of protest against that part of an article in & recent Sunday's TripUNE entitled, 4 The Labor Question,” by Mrs. M. D. Wynkoop, where Iread about the diecovery of the immi- grant ‘‘that he made asad mistako shen bo came over to this country to work as a laborer 80 03 to better his condition; and that ere long he found that his condition here wxs much worss than was the case in bis native Jand.” I would be sorry for this poor immigrant could my sym- pathies becoliated 1n bis belialf ; but, having emi- grated myself,—i. o., from Hollani,—I must state here that my esperience, and_that of 8 lnéia number of my countrymen residing in this cty, ARE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT N from the woful picture exhibitod to the publio guze by the immmigrant above referred to. Holland is but a small country; but, smatl as it is, it has been for many years, and 18 to this' day, & kind of refuge for the latoring classes of the aeighborinz countries. Labor is better paid there, which is better proven by the fact that, during the summer-months, maoy thousands of 1aborers arsive there to do barvesting and other laborious work, which is remuacrated better there than in their own country. 5 Notwithstanding tho fact that labor, unskillod 23 well a8 skilled, 18 better paid in Holland than in the adjoining countrics, and that tho Notber- lands is not by far the worst conntry for the la- boring classes, the fact remains that 1T 18 AN DMPOSSIBILITY for the Isborer in Holland, as elsewhers in Eo- Tope, to save anything out of his earnivgs for bard times or for old age, Jet alond to obtain his own house and lot ; and why not? Decause average wages aro too low the year rouad, the absolute necessarics of life aro too highin price. The majority of _the Ilsboring men and mechanics must deuy themselves an their families, with & very rero exceptio:, the use of meat, butter, eggs, white br eic,— srticles which, in this conniry, are consi 8y common necoasaries of life, but,-ia_most of the States of Europe, are regarded as luxuries, to be inculzed in on extraordipary occasions only. This state of affairs is not the exception, but the genoral rule. L 1t is true of n large number of the immigints who arrive here at an advanced age, that THEY ARE PECULIARLY CIRCUMSTANCED, ingsmuch as they have to accastom themeelves to the babits, laws, aud ueages pecoliar to country; while it is also necessary that "“5 should break themselves, from the habits a2 customs incident to their nativa countries. by howerver, tuc immigrant is able, soon sfler v arrival, to find employment,—which has nearl alwaya been the case during the last sityeats,— and he commences to gather the frolfé of labor, ho soon finds ont that he can obtzin for his daily use, here, the ¥ery articles waich, in the old country, ?"UP‘ wont to bo 5 rare luxusy to himj and i bas become a proverb, ac least among DY countrymen, that the man must be _thrfiless indeed who, if he has good health, during a reai thereby giving relief which proved a godsend. But, siace then, in rebuilding our city, more than 100,000 mou, at times, have been employed. Things began to aseume ouce more s bright ap- Dpearance, when seddenly s black cloud over- epread tle air ; ana_not oly does Chicago fool its effects; but the wholo world is ehaken; aud Chicago, which had pussed through maoy or- deuce of five or six years, isnot the owner oks house and lot, or of a houso at least. May! this proverb is rather far fetched. Bat let us hope_ that the bitter expericuce which many ‘u';’rkingmon are gathering this winwr may make cm WISXS AND MODE FROVIDINT saers for tho future. A1say e who, a2