The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-07-04


Mr.. Stewart took the same view. he I'm
sisted that " spproximsts results are reach
cd, other sdvantasss win Do gained of the in
6uenes spen IL and heallh.
II Ne. Ccokliee ssksd whether the bill could
not ~ meeiied 90 - TO include senaiors, il
this fedntfion Of lsboz would prolong life.
II tee hous' laber.le irsaght Viih danger to
huennn w. BE- fslt disposed o bid IN effec-
tionate farewell 10 bis friends 10 this cham.
Der.
Mr.. Stewart remarked that there are plen-
~ Of volunteers ready for senatorial labor,
while pther branches Of industry were not
so easily supplied with labor.
MT. Cole opposed the amendment. He
vas 10 favor OF giving laboring men opportu.
mites for self Improvement
Mr.. Wilson While he had worked thir-
eesn hours . day on a fArm and fifteen hours
- mechanic vas In favor Of the bill. The
I~mo1nt Of work 10 be perfected was not the
most important consideration, but the pro-
ducaoR Of race Of men and women Guilt
waited and strong in mind and body.
Mr.. Morrill,, Of Vermont, pronounced this
bill an attempt to obtain votes somewhere
and 20 degrade workingmen BY depriving
them Of the privilege OF making contracts
- X their 'sbOr for Whatever amount of time
ana money they choose. In his opinion it
would greatly injure men in some branches
Of labor, and they woald understand il and
prevent it's adding any political advant sge
to any party. Another effect would be,
that men would &C ek Government employ
ment instead Of remaining ct home in their
ordinary avocations. Those left behind
also would look with no favor on the pro-
5ect. He pointed out different kinds OF
labor, in machine shops, on farms, &C.,
which could not be performed satisfactorily
IN eight hours; machinery also could not
be made to run faster, 90 as to do ten hours
work 10 eight hours. In his opinion it
would be . reduction Of the rate Of wages.
The morning hour here expiring, the or
der Of the day was postponed BY u vote Of
"A to l6, and the consideration Of the bill
resuhAe j.
MIR. Buckalew objected to the amendment,
a. loading down the bill with an unneses-
sary condition, which would prevent the
Governments obtaining skillful labor. He
reminded the Senate that the Government
frequently required work done in haste, and
should therefore pay higher for it.
Mr.. Fessenden said the plain question
presented was, whether one-fifth more
should be paid in &c ye-ument employ than
elsewhere. be pOiL Ted ct that there is a
Law requiring the Govern lent to pay the
highest current price for suitable labor. and
intlmated that considerations of political
advantage influenced the advocates Of the
ball on both sides Of the Chamber. In re-
gard &c the argument Of intellectual i'm
provement, he said that was best left to in
dlViduals; legislation could not produce
effects in that direction. In a physical
point OF view, he did not see that Senators,
even the Senator from Massachusetts (Wil-
SOM had suffered from their labors. Laugh
ter Neither had they been dwarfed intel
lectualiy. He took the same view in regard
to the political effect to be produced as ex-
pressed by Mr.. Morrill,, of Vermont. Let
| the laborers in the arsenals and navy-vards
try the experience of working by the
piece, as the Senator from California (Con-
ness) said he had done, and they would
gladly work ten hours. He deprecated
any interference with natural competition
and insisted that mechanical should not be
preferred over other labor, TO which, be
said, NO such rules could be applied. In
bis opinion nobody in this country 10 in
jured by labor, for which there is always
90 large demand. He would vote for the
amendment and against the bill.
Mr.. Ferry favored the amendment. Hi.
opinions On he subject CT an eight-hour law,
be laid, were similar 70 the last speaker.
The movement from the first had been 10
the interest OF demagogues, rather than la
boring men. Then, workingmsn would
clearly zee that the Government was impro-
Perly interfering II It attempted 70 make SIX
teeo hours, instead Of eight, days labor.
The Laws " supply and demand should be
eft to their natural operation. In his own
State, ConnectlcuL the eight hour law was
waste paper, and the employer and the en-
Ployed had returned 70 tie principle Of max
ing their own agreements.
The Amendments was rejected-l6 to 81, as
follows:
Yeas Msssrs. Cattsll, Corbett, Davis,
Edmunds, Ferry, Fsssenden, Howard, Nor
gan, Morrill, Of Maine, Morrill, Of Vermont,
Patterson Of New Hampshire, Ross, SHEER
man, Sumner, Van Mi1kIe, WiIllams-l6.
Naw-Messrs. BuckAIew, Cole, Conkllng,
CONFESS, CragIn. Dixon, Doolittle, Harlan,
Hendricks, johnson. Mcdonald, McUreery,
Morton, Me-, Patterson OF Tennessee, Pome-
roy. Ramsey, Stewart, Upton, Wade, VII
sOn-2l.
Mr.. Sherman suggested that the title
should De changed 20 bill to increase the
compensation OF Government employees ~
per cent.
Mr.. Conness-Oh, that's only an eccen-
tricity OF The Senator's. IL has a very good
title The following is the bull
BE enacted, etc, That eight hours shall
constitute q days work for all laboreIs,
workmen and mechanics now employed, or
who may be hereafter employed, BY or on
bshah of the Government OF the United
States, and that all acts aud parts Of acts in
consistent with tnis act be, and the same are
hereby repealed.