Apologies for the confusion. I am not literally quoting a specific year in which Benjamin Franklins newspaper said this exact line. Just, as someone who has read several biographies on the man, a recurring theme of his writings (both personal and professional, including quips in the almanac) essentially boil down to pithy remarks of “everyone is working harder now and getting less for it”.

It’s just kind of a universal experience that essentially every generation has felt.