The History And Problems of Organized Labor

caused an unprecedented drain of workers from the productive industries into the army; thousands of workers left the plow and the bench to take up the musket. The demand for goods was deranged as a consequence of hostilities; an abnormal demand arose for army supplies and the munitions of war. The war tariffs and internal revenue acts were also disturbing factors. Soon after the opening of the contest large issues of paper money were made; and, as a consequence, prices rose rapidly and were subject to great fluctuations. The diminution in the supply of adult male labor caused an increased resort to child, woman, immigrant and convict labor, and led to the rapid introduction of labor-saving machinery. /While the tendency toward concentration of industry and wealth began to be apparent during the decade preceding the war, the abnormal conditions existing during the conflict greatly accelerated the movement. A few labor organizations trace their history back to the decade of the fifties; but the Civil War is responsible for the industrial changes which have made labor organizations permanent factors in our industrial life. The growth of the railway network rapidly enlarged the market area, and brought the middle West into direct communication and competition with the seaboard. In short, this abnormal epoch gave an extraordinary impetus toward invention, large-scaleindustry, and the formation of labor organizations. "The Civil War made iron the king of the American i...