The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-04-30
THE EIGHT HOUR LAW.

The law passed at the last session of our
legislature making eight hours labor legal
days work, goes into effect tomorrow, May
lst.. The following is the law o:r.asil tah
SAN ACT MAKING EIGHT HOURS A LEGAL
s-,..s-s .4.s' DAYS Work. is1agi'A
3 hssrcrros l. BE IL enacted By the People Of the
State of Illinois iH the General Assenbly, That on
ana after the FIRST day Of May, A. D., 1857, eight
hours of labor, between the rising and the setting
of the sun, in all mechanical trades, arts enPiISy
ments and other cases of labor ssnd sets.ce ~
the day except in farm empioyments, snan oo
stitute and be q legal days work, "neao m.r.r,
no special contract or agreement - or in anv
vov froot 1ahor ar service by the year, month"; OF
-. nor shaII any person be prevented by any
49,, hare;n contained from working rs many
hours overtime, or extra hours, as ne 0. sue i.sy
-. and shall not in any sensebe held 70 Apply
10 farm labor. - 5%s~- - -
aSrc 8. All acts or parts of acts inconsistent
with tine provisions. Of this act are hereby repeal
ed. This act shall be deemed public act, ana
be in force from and after its passage.
All that the above law contains might
have been expressed in the following words;
BE 1T enacted, de-. That eight hours shall be
a davis work; provided, that nothing IN
this act shall prevent any man from working
as MANY or as few hours as he pleases.1
$ The law has no effect upon contracts; the
only effect is that where q person is hired by
the dav and nothing is said about the time
he is to work, eight hours is a days work.
but it does not apply to farm labor In any
manner. --..-....
In some of the larger cities of this state,
those who work BY me day are preparing to
enforce the same pay for eight hours thai
they now get for ten hours. This is wrong
and is, in effect, demand for an increase o
one-ffth on their wages. Employers canno
stand an increase of twenty per cent. on thu
present high wages, and if this is insisted on
great arrangement and suffering will TAX
place. Considerable excitement alread,
prevails among the workmen in the emplo
of the Toledo, Western l. Wabash Railway
at Springfield, H., in respect to an order Is
sued by Superintendent Chaplin, on Apr
22d, as follows
son and after May l, 1867, the compensate
of the employees of this railway, except thes
who are paid by the year or month, or by cor
tract, viii be reckoned by the hour, and at raj
equal to one tenth of the rate heretofore paid pe
day. Former hours and rules to be observed.
To this $50 out of the 160 employees e.
cept, and decline work, and the company hs
decided to remove their machine and repa
shops to Indiana. .z
The true. fair and just mode of employin
men is by the hour, and if this system WI
adopted everywhere, there would be no tro
ble But to demand ten hours pay for eig
hours work is more than employers can p;
an! live.
We give few short extracts from our e
changes, on this subject
From the Chicago Journal, April %.
On the first of May next Wednesday, the nj
law passed at the recent session of legis
ture, making eight hours legal days work, "
GO into effect. Mechanics generally, who VIC
by the day, are preparing to take advantage
it, some by working eight hours at less wa
than they have been receiving for a days We
OF ten hours others demanding for eight no
the same wages they have been receiving for
and still others making special contracts "
employers, looking to an arrangement that
be mutually advantageous and satisfactory
There is general apprehension among C
tractors and other employers that there will
serious trouble in the practical operations of
new law, especially if, as now seems proba
many mechanics and Iaborers will insist on rece
ing the same wages they have been receiving, II
withstanding the diminished quantity OF servI
rendered. Employers, we are assured, will
sist this virtual "strike for higher wages" I'll
say they willing to pay the same wages tt
have been paying, but that if the quantity OF $
vice is reduced, the wages must be reduced IN
same ratio. This would to be just
From fhe Galesburg IlI) Register
So far as we have heard an expression from
leading eight-hour men in this vicinity, they
not propose to 'strike" for eight hours day
the wages of ten hours--but to work eight no
and accept such wages as they can obtain by 4
tual agreement with employers, trusting that
latter will do them justice on that point.
From the Ann Arbor Courier
The labor question is of great importa
to the country, and we sincerely hope it may
amicabIy adjusted with due regard to the RI:
and necessities of both the employee and emplo
But the idea of demanding ten hours pay for e
hours labor is simply absurd, and we trust th'
boring man will, for his own interest, not ass
position go manifestly unjust. In many bral
es of industry, the question soon Will be,
what the price shall be, but who can obtain stt
employment at any price.