The children who worked in the mills were not, for the most part, homeless. They worked alongside their families. Their parents did not think that child labor was wrong, because they were from the agrarian tradition. What made it terrible was the working conditions.
Textile workers tried to unionize for decades, generations, centuries, but the government you think is so benevolent worked hand-in-glove with the mill owners to outlaw trade unions and sanctioned violence against people who tried to organize strikes. I suggest you study the history of labor in the United States, paying attention to such incidents as the Tompkins Square Riot, the Haymarket Massacre, the Bayview Massacre, the Pullman strike, and so on and so forth. We are talking about strikers, seeking better working conditions for themselves and their families, who were killed by soldiers and policemen with the express approval of your benevolent government.
I don't think it's a coincidence that after laws which prohibited trade unions were taken off the books, and laws which permitted unions were put on the books, working conditions improved.
But this has nothing to do with making money, and even less to do with @home. |
