Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-08-28
Andrew johnson and the Working
men.
INTERVIEW AND SPEECHES.

Special Dispatch to the Louisville Courier1
WASHINGTON, August 25.-The delegates
from the Workiagmen's Convention, selected
to wait upon the President, were received by
him at 8 o'clock this afternoon. After
thanking him for their reception, their Chair
man said at has been represented that
our Convention is for the formation Of new
political party. This is not the case but il
is a Convention formed for the purpose Of
discussing those reforms that we think ne
cessary and due TO the laboring community
We are especially interested in the rednc-
ton of the hours of labor. That is the
corner stone Of our movement
The desire 10 bring about a reduction Of
the present hours to eight hours, and to kave
it understood that eight hours is hereafter
the measure Of days work. legally and by
custom. We want to be understood as ig-
noring all political partizanslip or issues.
We appear before you as laborers for the
purpose of presenting our claims to your
favorable consideration to sanction our
movement by your immediate appropriate
application, as far as all the labor in the
naval and other Government works is con-
cerned, and initiate the example of President
VAN buren, when approached by the en-
ployees of the Government with a similar
request. The request then made was re-
duction to ten hours per day. This he did
order by proclamation, and It was immedi-
ately followed all over the country, and the
custom made il a law.
= We believe the time has come for a still
further reduction. We have advanced suf-
fciently in improvements, mechanical and
otherwise, to render this feasible, and we
believe that we should, by the benefits aris-
ing from these improvements become better
citizens, by having time for intellectual and
moral culture; and we think, too, it would
aid us in our physique, as well as our intel
lectual health, if not called upon to work so
hard and for such long prolonged hours.
We desire 10 call your attention, also. to
the disposition Of the public lands We
think there has been permitted too great an
accumulation of them in the hands Of the
spectators, and too. much given over to cor
porate companies for the purpose of encour-
aging the formation Of railroads. We think
this has acted badly for the agriculturist,
and that if they were given to settlers and
Others and not permitted to accumulate in
the hands of the few, they would be cult
waited, when now they lie unproductive. 1t
is now hard work for settler to make it
profitable to settle, by reason that all the
choicest portions of the lands are being held
By large capitalists, and the lands are I'M
profitable in the sense that they yield less
supplies and less taxes to the National or
State Government We would like to have
you take these things into consideration for
the provision Of means TO remedy this,
which we claim to be wrong.
We simply hold the principles chat lands
should be held by those who are willing to
cultivate them. The land to the tiller, the
tools to the mechanic. In connection with
that subject, MIR. President, desire to pre-
sent to you the petition sent from one Of our
frontier States, which may give, in better
words and more condensed form, the ideas
of our frontiersmen upon that subject l
have stated, Mr.. President that for our ap-
plication to you we have a precedent in re-
lation to the same matter, an example set
by President VAN buren,, | called to your
attention most respectfully. Do with the
matter as may seem best to you. but in the
special matter of the reduction of the hours
of labor, we do desire 10 have some recogni-
ton at your hands, if you deem it wise to
give it. We have no other object in view
than to seek out and apply remedies to the
wrongs which laborers now suffer. We re-
gard the present system of emigration as
being, in some sort, unfair, and as protection
is sought by some of our large manufacture
ers, at the hand of Government, through the
prohibition of the importation Of foreign
goods, so we desire to have some protection
to our interests. If they desire protection
against the competition 10 which they may
be subjected by importation, we also desire
protection against foreign pauper labor inn
ported against our interests to reduce the
price of labor.
Another subject to which l would call
your attention, is the system of convict la
Dor. We think that system exerts a very
dileterious influence upon orr interests, in
asmuch as it is obtained at very low rates OF
compensation by parties who have contracts
to fulfill, and the work is thrown upon the
market, and comes in competition with free
labor in such a manner as to tend to a gradu-
al but steady and certain depreciation Of
free labor, and we therefore think we are
entitled to ask protection against it. But,
Mr.. President, the great cornerstone of
our movement is the reduction of the
hours of labor to eight. We do not desire
to overturn the institutions of the country,
or to interfere with the individual rights of
any capitalists, but simply claim the privi-
lege of eight hours of labor eight for self
culture, and eight for repose.
This we ask, Mr.. President, and to this
we ask your cordial endorsement. Tie
whole of the working people of this coun-
try are beginning to be alive to this. They
can hope for no assistance from the capital
lists They have delermed to take their own
affairs into their own hands, and they now
but ask some recognition at the hands of the
head of this nation. They ask it, believing
he is in sympathy with them, and they will
meet with favorable response. They ask
it, at the same time determining that they
will prosecute the regulation of this thing
as far lawfully and justly as they can, and
till they have achieved the consummation Of
their Just desire.
THE PRESIDENTS REPLY.
,lI;ooI 20 $50, orJ 20 Al 49,,