New-York daily tribune., 1851-07-29
The NeW-yerxey Ten Hour Law.
To the Editors Of The Tribune


PnILApELPHIA, Friday, July IS.
| have been a constant reader OF your
paper for nearly three years, and purchaser TO
boot have now and then written TO you, and
will say that generally you have been courteous
to me- and IN every instance but twice, published
my letters OF this do not complain, because
consider the Editor OF a New York paper to be
the best nudge as to what shall appear IN his
paper The only thing to be desplsed m an Ed
Tor is when he mutlla,es the writer's manuscript
or msrepresents his language, but does not pub
lIsh IT,
expected that some one would have replied
10 A" Liberty" IN to-day or yesterdays 1ri5aas,
IN order to examine the pltIable case OF the Pat
erson Cotton Lords, who cannot AFFORD to WORK
their factories only ten hours, because iorsooth,
the Eastern manufacturers run their mills thlr.
teen or fourteen hours per day Liberty I"
Z" how many crimes have been perpetrated IN my
name" How different is II when even Lib.
erty" attacks Liberty. Now, why did your cor
respondent not refer 10 Pennsylvania ana her
ten.hour factory system Why dld he not teli
your readers that among us, IN Philadelphia Cty
and County, IN Norrlstown and elsewhere, we
have ten-h hour law, but no, he must hold
up the eastern long hours instead OF the Penn
sylyania short hours Surely, any man whose
mind was not warped by interest, would have
looked to our State instead Of Massachusetts.
Cannot the Cotton Lords see that although
they may oppose the ten hour system, that III
despite OF them II is certain to become genefai
through the whole OF the free States and mere
let me saw that The Southern nsgross upon the
nee, cotton, sugar, and tobacco plantations, are
not worked as long hours as the factory opera
tives Of New England
Let me select out an instance. The mills IN
Gloucester New Jersey, are mostly owned Dy
Pbiiad,Iphians-If such be not the TACT am VIII
ling 10 be corrected-whO went 10 New-Jefsey,
mst three miles down the nver, from our cry,
huilt the Gloucester Mills as A corporate body,
with capital amounting TO two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars which has been since d0ubIed'
40 that the stock OF the corporation Is no" haI
million of dollars Now marx children und@J zen
D,ays Of are usrs work,d MUt,sn and a hay hons !"
T.nier, rith only iaterpat u DDfy minutes J"
dinnfr
Ave. and in the teeth of this body and soul
destrouny system a man dares 10 say that 10
hours ~ not long enough 10 work IN a factory
wonder # " Liberty" has worked, as have for
wears In a cotton MIL and II so, does ne not
think 10 hours long enough 49,
But then certain parties have made political
capital out Of thls-to use LIberys' own IAN
guage:
factnrers TO shut up their mills, must be considered
As alike INJURIOUS to employer and iemployed-ofoushI
forward and passed BY reckless politicians "iIhout
consideration and regardless OF consequence, ~
and being considered exclusively and par exceiiehce
the poor mans friend" 49,
Here is humane law denounced, and tne
| men who passed il, called reckless poiitlcians
| What terrible fellows these RECKLESS poht-
| ciansr nust have been, 10 keep little cnidfen'
under ten years OF age, from being wosksp ~
ny,rB IN cotton bastIle. pity us we hasJ
not more of these terrible fellows 70 pass NM"
| and humane laws In behalf Of me poor c.,,L
How Liberty" must feel HOW ,,, doie'ui s,,s
| ,d,ngs are 10 him that, at last, reckless Po'i.
c,anss have perpetrated the henious CRIME OF
.;no 70 one OF Gods image, no despot shalf
,orE work. work you, summer and winter,
| thirteen or fourteen hours a DAY
Here in Gloucester all things are al stand
.,,II the hands will not work longer hours than
,be isw directs They have asked OF Inc to reply
10 I" Liberty" and to respectfully request OF the
Bo,ton Ohrs Branch and the other New England
papers to copy this letter, for the purpose OF m
forming the Factory operatives there that, with
the blessing Of God Just law, and their own
exertons. the ,en-hour system shall be carried
INTO operation IA Gloucester.
Suppose that Liberty" writes an eloquent
appeal 10 the Cotton Lords Of New-Jersey ana
Pennsy lyanla requesting Of them TO raise iuno
e. send missionaries into New England TO estao,
lish a Ten.Hour Iaw-the old adage, wo'.
10 the wise query, is " Liberty the Soioiho"
lcurs, respectfully, JOHN