The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-06-18

no labor more severe than TO read a newspaper
or shore a g00se-quiiR Il is true that the
amount is insignificant, but the principle is i'm
poriant. One other item, though the amount is
perfectly trihing | think worthy Of notice. IL is
the sum Of seventy seven dollars .sPoR TAKING
CARE or cLocK.n have heard Of persons be-
ing employed ito tend guide board;n but sa-
larry for "TENDINo cLooKn never entered my
mind until | read this report Of the honorable
Secretary. i suppose the kind Of clocks used
are the "eight-day clocks" as they are called !;
OF course il will require winding about forty five
Tunes IN year, for which clerk would receive
little less than two dollars for each winding-an
easy mode OF earning money surely.
! am inclined, Mr. Chairman to look a little
10 the labor which these clerks perform. They
are provided with fine rooms, well carpeted
they sit in easy chairs, well cushioned with ice
water in warm weather. TO cool their drink
with all the eel ceterasn contained in the report
OF the honorable Secretary Of the Treasury.
Then, sir, they have newspapers for their amuse-
ment and books of general literature for instruc
tion; all furnished by the hard working men OF
our country. For all this the Government pays.
II costs the clerks nothing They also receive
high salaries, which / shall not now comment
upon. And what does the nation receive in
turn2 Why, these men attend to their several
offices sir hours per day; at least understand
| that TO be the general regulation, though no du-
ties are required of them upon the general holy
days.
| My constituents are laboring men; such is
the general character Of our people, and believe
such TO be the general character Of the people in
my colleagues district They rise perhaps at
four or five O'Clock in the morning during the
summer season. They spend one hour in rest
after dinner; otherwise they will labor until
probably eight o'clock in the evening, and often
until nine or ten. With the exception Of the
necessary time TO take their meals their labor,
from March to November, probably more than
fourteen hours per day. They follow the plough,
they use the hoe, the axe, the scythe and cradle,
all which require much bodily effort Under the
scorching rays Of summers sun, they toll the
| live long day, and never dream of the luxuries
of "IcE-wATER," or of sitting in a beautiful cool
room, well carpeted, and reading newspapers,
and showing goose-quill instead of scythe;
and that, too, but sir hours per day instead Of
| fourteen. Such, sir, are the men who are call
ed on to furnish the soap and iodshing, the ice
arater, the 'clock tender the newspapers, and
the books, and the ct ceferds, 10 the luxurious,
pert, and gentee clerks who fill our public Off
ces and then pay them heavy salaries for per
forming the severe task of attending sir hours
per day in our public Offices Sir, regard il as
an outrage upon the whole laboring class of this
nation.
| (Mr. JONES said he believed there was re-
gulation by which the clerks were required to
labor ten hours per day.
i Mr. GIDDINGs said he had seen an order from
the President which directed the "fen hours
systemn TO be adopted by the laborers in the
public employ. But that applied TO those who
handle the spade and the hoe but had no rela-
ton TO the clerks.
/ Mr.. JONES requested the Clerk TO read the law
which requires the "public offices to be kept
open for business ten hours per day"
Mr. GEDDINGs resumed. was stating fact
which believe no one will deny, yet ! state il
upon information of others. II is, that clerks
are required to labor only sir hours per day. |
do not understand the gentleman from Virginia
as denying this fact but understand him tacit-
ly TO admit that they do in fact labor but six
hours per day
Mr. JONES said he did not admit il,
Mr.. RICE GARLAND, of Louisiana, was under
stood to say that he had such information direct
from some of the officers of Government
Mr.. GIDDINGs again resumed would not
surely be willing to give any wrong impressions
on this subject. | stated what | supposed was
well understood by every member of the House
Although could not swear to it, have ii from
some of the clerks themselves. did not think
any person would doubt it who had been long IN
the city. IT, however, any member has lnior-
nation on the subject different from that stated
by the gentleman from Louisiana, (Mr. Gar
land | would thank him to let it be known.
think. Mr.. Chairman, no member has any doubt
that the clerks IN fact labor bit sir hours per
day or rather sir, they attend in the offices that
time. think the law, properly understood, has
no relation to the duties of clerks. However
that may be- il does not affect the question at
issue. If the law requires them to labor Ten
hours and the heads of the several Departments
require but SIR, then the Secretary violates iaao
as well as duty
But have been led into IA DEPRESSION. II is
supposed that we have about eight hundred
clerks in this city, and that their salaries will
average $3.50 per year, for which they labor
six hours per day. | think all gentlemen Of both
political parties will agree that ten hours day
would be no more than reasonable labor. II
would be less than we require of persons in our
employ at home. Now, if our Executive Off
GERS would require ten hours labor per day in
stead Of six, il would enable them to discharge
three hundred and twenty clerks, thereby saving
TO the People Of this nation FOUR HUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLARS PER ANNuM., THIS immense
sum is taken from the People who labor fourteen
hours per day. in order to employ clerks who la
Dor not more than sir !; the laborer AT home re-
ceving perhaps at most, tiro hundred dollars
per year, while the clerk receives fweipe hun-
tired for the same time. Here is test OF our
democracy about which my colleague had so
much 10 say. Ii shows the estimate IN which
we hold the idboring man say, sir, II shows
the value of labor estimated by the party IN
power. The salary oil a clerk mere Wou'u chi
ploy at least six laborers in Ohio. But as the
clerk labors no more than six hours per day,
while the laborer works at least tmeire, II fol
lows that the service of a clerk is equivalent TO
that of freipe iab0rers Sir, | put no such es-
innate upon the labor OF my constituents, al
though make no great pretensions to dcmocra-
CIV. | regard il as derogatory TO the character
and dignity of the aboring men. To me u ap-
pears like an insult TO their intelligence.
was reared to labor--to hard and serere la
hnr NV life has been snent among laborlng