The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1866-09-08

eMc nOWFB On k1wD0Fe
s's,To a fourth cause ..ss exception / mus
irequest particula- attention, it being ore :,
(which, as it appears to me, the attention Of
political economists has pot been sufhcie ,tlv
drown. There are matters in which tie in
terfevuce Of Law y required, ssotfo orerrui,
the judgment d fsdicidssuks >respecfing fhei,
loan interest, Dat to sice effect 10 thai judg-
meaf they being unable o give effect 10 il
except by concert, which concert cannot bs
leEectual unless IL receives validity and
sanction from the Law. Tor illustration,
and prejG -ging the particular point, may
advert to the question Of diminishing the
hours Of labor. Let us suppose, what IS al
least supp sable, whether II be the fact CT
not--that general reduction of the hours
Of facse.y labor, ray from ten to nine.
would be for the advantage of the work
people; That they would receive rs high
or nearly as high, for nine hours labor ~
thev receive for ten. If this would be the
result, anu If the operatives generally are
convinced that it would, the limitation,
some NAV say, will be adopted spontaneous
| ". | answer, that il will not be adopted
unless the body Of operatives bind them
selves to one another to abide , it. A
workman who refused to work more than
nine hours while they were others who
worked ten, would either not be employed
at all, or If employed, must submit to lose
one-tenth Of his wages. However c0nvinc-
ed, therefore, he may be that it is the in
terest of the class to work short time, it il
contrary TO his own interest to set the ex-
ample, unless he is well assured that all or
most others will follow it. But suppose a
general agreement of the whole class !;
might not this be effectnal with out the sane
ton Of law? Not unless enIcraed by opiu
ION with a vigor practically c1oal 90 that 81
law For however beneficial the observance
Of the regulation might be to the class col
lectively, the immediate interest Of every
individual would lie in violating it; and
the mere numerous those who adhered to
the rule, the more would individuals gain
by departing from it. If nearly all restrict
ed themselves TO nine honrs, those who
chose TO work for ten would gain al the
advantage Of the restriction, together with
the profit Of infringing Il; they would get
ten hours wages for nine hours work, and
an hours wages besides. | grant that if a
large majority adhered to the niue hours,
they would be no harm done; the benefit
would be, in the nam, secured to the class,
while those individuals VINO prefer
red to work harder and earn more
would have an opportunity of doing 50
This certainly would be he state Of things
to be wished for and ASSUMING that re-
ductiOn of hours without an ilminution Of
wages could take place without expelling
the commodity FROM some of its ma, hets--l
which is III every particular instance a
question of fact, Lot OF principle--the man
ner in which it would be most desirable
that this effect should be brought about,
would be BY quiet change in the general
custom of the trade short hours becoming
by spontaneous choice, the general practice
out those who chose to deviate from il hay
log the fullest liberty TO DO so. Probably,
as mSny would prefer the ten hours
work on the improved terms, that the hmi-
tatlOn could not be maintained as a general
practice, what some did from choice, others
would soon be :ged to do from necessitv,
aud those who had chosen long hours Tor
the sake OF Increased wages would be forced
in the end to work lsng hours for no great,r
wages than before. Assuming then that u
really would be the interest OF each to work
only nine hours if he could be assured shat
all Others would do The same, there might
be no means OF their attaining this object
but by converting their Supposed mutual
agreement into an engagement under pen
atty, BY conserving 10 nave 1t enforced by
law. am not expressing any opiEi0n ial
favor Of such an enactment, which has never
Deen demanded, and which | certainly
should not, IN The present eireuSns sances,
recommend but il serves 10 exempiify the
manner 10 which classes Of persons may
need the assistance VI law, to give effect to
their deliberate collective opinion Of their
own interest, b All riding y every individ-
daI a guarantee that hss competitors wi Il
pursue the same cnnsSs without which
cam 4 a.. f,l-. = 5ss " hiHEfalf, -
la.ieay ,es-rr ~ So