160 LAND AND LABOR. 



chusetts, as carefully made up from the reports of the 

 Labor Bureau of that State, from 1865 to 1875, which 

 showed that, in 1875, there were 92,042 persons, be- 

 longing to the industrial classes in that State, unac- 

 counted for and without employment. This statement 

 did not include any portion of the 62,294 enrolled men 

 returned to the State from the army in the latter half 

 of 1865 and in 1866, and who do not appear in the 

 industrial reports. A continuation of the examina- 

 tion from 1875 to 1878, on the same basis and au- 

 thority, shows the nonemployment at that time of 

 130,713 persons. By bringing into the account the 

 "large numbers or recruits to the ranks of labor," 

 from the 56,117 dependents, "living at home," "a 

 class not furnishing competitors four years ago," but 

 who are now forced into those ranks (see statement of 

 Col. Carroll D. Wright, Chief of Bureau of Statistics 

 of Labor, of August, 1878), with the abnormal increase 

 of those ranks from the 62,294 soldiers heretofore re- 

 ferred to, will swell the amount to more than 200,000 

 persons at that time unemployed in the old Common- 

 wealth of Massachusetts. 



An idleness of 200,000 in Massachusetts indicates 

 an amount equal to that of 5,500,000 persons in the 

 United States. Do not misunderstand this statement. 

 It is not that this great host get no employment what- 

 ever ; but that the amount of time lost by those who 

 are only partially employed, added to those who really 

 get no employment, equals the time for labor of more 

 than 5,500,000 people. 



By making an adjustment of the difference in work- 

 ing time for the two periods of 1865 and 1875, being 



