The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-03-06
The Eight Hour Movement.

Inc ElRnt hour movement.
The workmen in the Navy Yards have pc
titioned Congress to fix the days work by law,
in those establishments, at eight hours instead
of ten, as it is at present. That undertaking
violates none Of the laws of trade. Congress
is the employer, and has the power and the
right, in common with any other employer, to
add twenty-five per cent. to the wages OF its
employees, over and above the price that labor
is worth in open market. 10 grant this petl-
ton will add very largely to the present enor-
nous cost of our navy. sa.sf
But the attempt to procure the enacpheh'
of a law by which the wages OF labor through
out the country shall be increased twenty-five
per cent, and at the same time the productive
industry of the country reduced twenty per
cent, is very difficult thing. There can be
no objection that any man should give to one
in his employment twenty-five per cent more
for his labor than the market price, or to dis
miss him FROM his work after eight hours in
stead of ten, if he choose to do So for it is his
right. 1t is simply giving dollar and a quar-
Ter for an article the fair price of which is one
dollar. Many men do this every day in vari-
Gus ways, and for various reasons. 1t is a
charity, benevolence, gratuity, for reasons
sufficient to the donor. 1t is very different
thing to require by law that every employer of
labor in every department of industry shall do
the same. ...-. ..5.1l.Il.s..
Shopkeepers sell, almost every day, more or
less goods at cost, as an act of charity. Some
industrious and deserving person, not rich, has
been oppressed and long disabled by sickness.
or by expensive sickness in his family; the
trader, who knows and esteems him, sells him
needful supplies at cost or less-it is his right.
And he sells another customer goods in large
quantities at small advance on the cost
But what would be thought of the sanity of
man who should seriously propose that all
traders should be compelled to do this by law?
And how would such proposition differ in
principle from that of the men who ask that
their employers shall be compelled by law to
pay them twenty-five per cent. more for the
goods they have to sell than the fair market
price? ..,.'.-.-,,,.,.. . h.. ......- .,...-
Why may not those whose sole business it |
is to sell cotton goods, or woolen, or iron, APP
ply to the legislature for law TO compel all
purchasers to pay one-fourth more than the
market prices for their goodsa Why may
not owners of real estate, who live principally
by rents, ask for a law to compel tenants to
pay onefourth more? If not, why moi? How
would such a law. in these cases differ in prin-
ciple from one to compel people who must
buy labor, to pay one-fourth more for it than
fair market price? l.f..ft,... .t..s.,
Labor, like flour, sugar, shoes, hats, cloth, is
a commodity, bought and sold like them in
open market, and, like them, is governed by |
laws of trade, that cannot be controlled by
statute law. Labor, like other commodities, |
constantly fiuctuates in price, which is deter
mined by the quantity of it required and the
quantity at hand to meet the demand. ID -A
A dozen houses or stores too few in any
city, to meet the demand, viii cause rise in |
all rents of the class of houses or stores re-
quired A dozen too many will in the same
way, cause a general decline in rents. The
priceof labor and of all other commodities, is
governed by the same law, and must be, and
statute law cannot prevent it. Legislation, in
the direction asked for by the eight hours
movement, could and would throw the bust
ness of the country into great confusion, but |
would not and could not make eighty cents
worth of wood or work sell for dollar, ex-
cept by cutting off any supply from outside.
Suppose all the shoe manufacturers in the |
State should resolve that they would sell none
Of their wares except at an advance of one
fourth on the market price. The result would
instantly be, that all goods of that sort requir-
ed in Maine would be brought in from abroad,
and our manufacturers could sell nothing
Suppose that all our manufacturers and mas
ter workmen in every branch of industry, |
should do the same. The same results would |
certainly follow, and all such enterprises in
Maine would come to a sudden pause, and ev- |
cry person employed in them would be with
out work. ...,.rt |
Now, the proposition of the eight hour
nothing short of it and nothing else. 1t is to
make all products of labor in Maine, cost one
fourth more than they do and will in open
market. The result is inevitable, that our
manufacturers cannot compete with others in |
open market, and must consequently stop |
work, and the promoters of the eight hours |
movement would be without employment at
home, and must go off to other places where
the goods would be made to supply our wants,
or must consent to accept eighty cents instead
of dollar for eighty cents worth of work
There is great struggle now going on in
this country between two parties, the one |
striving to build up home manufactures and
to support home workmen against the foreign.
The only difficulty in the way of the friends
of home industry, is the cheap labor OF Europe,
whereby goods can be produced there at cost |
greatly less than in the United States.
The wages of labor in til country are much |
greater than in any other country in the
world In England the wages of skilled me-
chanics are about four shiilings a day, and on
the continent even less than that. Precisely |
at thispoin the eight hour movement comes
in, and seeks to add twenty per cent. more to
the cost Of all products of labor in this coun-
try, whereby, if the movement is successful,
almost all American manufactures must cease,
and the working people connected with them,
be turned adIift.
This result would be certain, unless an adj
ditional duty of at least twenty-fiv per cent.
should be laid on foreign goods, and then home
manufacturers could go on, their goods costing
the purchaser one fourth more than before
Our country is now burdened by an enor-
nous debt, which must be paid. All our
means of payment come from labor in its va
rious forms. All our wealth consists in the
products Of our labor. We ought to exert
ourselves to the utmost to produce means Of
paying our liabilities. Precisely at this point
the eight hours movement steps in, and pro-
poses by stroke of the pen, to cut off at
once. one fifth of our nroductiua industry