The birth of the ‘social issue’, as a problem that demanded the attention of the government and administration, brought about efforts to describe and explain its various angles. In Tucumán, where discussions centered on the conditions of existence of workers and their social and political rights meant no novelty (as can be accounted for by the debates and controversies surrounding the legitimacy of the ‘leyes de conchabo’ ‘hiring laws’, the last of which remained valid until 1896), this kind of study emerged in the 1890’s. As regards this, 1892 can be considered as a paradigmatic year, since it was then that two pieces of writing of similar content became prominent, one authored by Julio P. Ávila (Practical means to improve the situation of the working classes) and the other by Manuel Pérez (The working classes. Practical means to improve their situation). This paper explores the political and social context which gave rise to the contest, whilst looking into the intellectual trends and different sensitivities about social matters expressed by the members of the Sarmiento Society, a literary organization founded by graduates of Escuela Normal and Colegio Nacional in 1882.