New-York daily tribune., 1845-12-24
THE TRIBUNE.
The Hours of Labor.

,trative exemption from lhe excited butty vi puS'
s, and the pressure of daily duties and cares, we
Ms, that the great subject of Labc-, the conditions
.oder which il is performed the facilities for acqur
" knowledge and comfort enjoyed by those who
,sro,m it, and the proper regulation of the hours Of
| :. continuance viii be taken into consideration by
| ,ose who can act thereon with decisive effect. a
w men have the power, il they will, to bring about
| ssnges of the utmost Importance and bengnity, by
.bich many thousands will be benefited and none
sslly injured Not as the most important but as
he most obvious and feasible Of these changes, we
,ok anxiously for regulation and restriction OF
{ ,he Hours OF Labor, that man. woman or child
.uployed in any business may know beforehand
how many hours labor per day or week may be le
,allv exscied and that such exaction is not matter
Of caprice or governed by the will Of the employer
only but is settled and established by some tribunal
whose judgments have the force OF Law though sus-
aned By Opinion alone.
Whether legal enactnenis on this subject or
are no, desirable we viii not now thoroughly In
quire We should indeed, greatly prefer that a
satisfactory adjustment were arrived at without in
yokDg the aid of the law making power, except
possibly in behalf Of minors We believe if the
matter is only approached in the right way by those
Interested, discussed in the proper spirit and pur-
sued with easonable earnestness and perseverance,
tha, legislation will be found superuous True, it
is possible TO agitate it in very different manner,
and with opposite results. Let the workmen of
each manufacturing village lend themselves to the
service Of the shop politicians call iii the aid OF
srolling decIaimers things in general-cham
pions Of working mems rights who make their
Championship stand instead of any useful labor of
/ their own-let them countenance and applaud the
efforts of such windy declamcrs excite jealousy
and hatred between Employers and Employed
and the success Of the Reform desired may be dis
tan, indeed. Men have natural dislike TO being
driven oacts of seeming generosity and benefcencc
4 BY bard names and reproaches; they dislike the IN
,ermedding of deiamatory strangers with their per
sonal interests and intimate relations There are
hundreds of instances in which great meetings, vc-
hement speeches and vociierous cheerings have Sc
riously injured the cause which they professed 10
favor and 10 superficial observers seemed calculated
greatly to advance.
But no Truth may be rejected because it has
been blended with error and has thus been advo-
Gated in bad spirit with sinister motives. There
4
partmcnt where Human beings a:e employed by
o,hcrs-probably not the in all vocations, but
IN each uniform throughout the Union. How many
hoursshal constitute day or weeks work should
be settled in each department by general Council
or Congress of all interested therein whose decision
should be morally binding all and respected by
our Courts of Justice. Wherever work is required
in excess of the regular hours a separate bargain
should be made and extra price paid for IL All
tbs may be easily, should be, must be effected
lie, the right men I'VE speak now OF the aborcrs)
take hold of it in the right way, and ii is done.
We shall recur tc the subject frequently, but
iOr the present close with offering some evidence IN
rciaiation OF the common presumption 10 which we
have sometimes deferrcd) that no employers can
sithout ruin consent 10 a reduction Of The Hours
Of Labor until ALL shall agree to do This is dis
proved by abundant experience. Robert Owen
casually informed some time since that he ran tic
II great Cotton manufacturing establishment of New,
Lanark, Scotland, tof which he was part proprietor
and chief direc,or for some twenty years before he
eth but ten hours per day in immediate compcti
lion with similar establishments which worked
twelve and thirteen hours per day, and his was as
80
tune for It's propyietors while so running We have
not doubt that any mandatory running eleven
hours or rless-in Winter, especally-will pay better
dividends than one which burns lights for twelve
to thirteen hours. The simple. papablc reason for
this may be cleaned from The following article from
Chambers Edinburgh Journai-a most judiciously
conducted work, uninfected with the slightest taint
Of modern lacobinism
SHORT HOURS
| for some time past the subject of early shop
shating, and the general dimnulion of the hours OF
iaoor, has much engased the attention OF the we'll
meaning and Intelligent and the arguments in favor
OF such system alike urgent and obvious
4 without al all entering upon the general merits OF
| .ne question we think there is one argument which.
mol overlooked, has at least with that con-
s'uera'on which lis Importance deserves. 1t Is all
very Wen 10 talk OF humanity and leisure for moral
< ana inIeiieciual Improvement 10 men prepared TO
L Ice! ihe force OF such positions, but we need
Na'cey remark that views OF this kind are either
slnPiy unknown 10 many masters. or regarded by
men, 'rom whatever cause, visionary and
ua'assns Il Is for this reason iha, now pro-
po'e argue Tor short hours upon purely economl.
eai ground. w { design 10 show that any extension
@work beyond man 5 ordinary ply steal powers is
,enced with loss 10 his employer, and that any re-
aucion within proper limits is followed by CORES.
pohding gain. We mean, III other words, TO es,ab.
4 .'.+ uola actS before US, lndt men worked con.
Aderably within The linus OF their power perform
greater amount OF labor, and execute II more salts
scioHly that they are more intelligent, more apt TO
comprehend more active, and more inclined 10 be
SSoIgng. than those who are worn out and tagged
y iong and incessant toll.
SeSident if a man be overworked today, that
o%oErcw be will be less able for his average labor;
sIo mat ia system OF overworking be persisted IN,
NC period will be fastened when ne shall DC totally
uaed 'or that species OF labor, or be laid aside by
The same reasoning holds true in reference
e' Hien hours day be the average al which
io-H Ha can work chceriuly and well then twelve
VIII render him dull aud fatigued and though
10y continue al the work, be Will not do one whit
VI IL he should do day. i; Will be q, the
= VpHse Of The labor OF the next This is viewing
-. - a' mere animated machine. whose ,hews and
S,es are capable OF exciting limited amount Of
No., ana 70, 10 which we apply the mechanical
u ,ha that greater power cannot be gained but
bu, =. eA pense OF time, and time cannot be saved
Will no. ue expense OF power" But this reasoning
nd IN IN. s'ogether apply to Intelligent being !;
nan g. aaestnaiing the amount and duration of hu-
De we must take into account the insepara
Of hae shos OF Mind. There is scarcely any species
~-ooI-Cert3iuly NOR Nf