The issue of earning a decent, living wage in Lowell had been the subject of many newspaper articles for the previous 50 years. This thorny issue did not see any immediate resolution in the post-war era.
The following excerpts from our hometown newspaper illustrates the level of community concern that was directed to this lofty cause:
Nobody that I knew living in substandard housing in the post-war days ever troubled themselves with the academic issues listed above, since they had mouths to feed day to day, plus buying clothing for their kids to wear. Also, I never heard any neighborhood rumblings about Communism out to destroy the free enterprise system.
In summary, Lowell’s immigrant population had mostly accepted the basic level of economic and philosophical benefits that the dominant society imposed upon them.