Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-09-22
The Zig ht.houP Law and the Hon. Sam. 2.
Cary, Axain. - -sr-r

The Eighth Law and the Hon. Sam. 2.
Cary, Again. EtrF
An address" purporting to come from the
.WorkinGmens Assembly" Of this District bat
which address was never submitted TO or
adopted BY that body, and protesting 70 nefute
certain statements Of facts relative 70 the pas
sage OF he efght-hour law and its enforcement
and the connection OF the Hon. sam. +. Gary
2sth ult, seems 70 demand Of Us q hnal notice.
That Address" signed by A. T. Cavis, ID.
McCathran, and J. G Judd, is 50 full of DELHI
crate perversions Of well known facts, and as
PERSONS upon the motives Of eminent I'D vocatss
Of our common cause, that we may be psrdoned
II we point out some Of the more prominent Of
them.
We do not and have not proposed 70 de,ract
one jot or little from the credit Of the men VINO
inapgurated the workingmen's movement in
this District in behalf Of the eight hour law.
They worked hard and effectively, and are en-
titled TO the gratitude Of their fellows all over
the land. We have and can have no quarrel
with them; 1t Is with the windy, vain, ambitious
political hucksters who are trying their utmost
movement tor personal preferment in the Dem.
ocratic party-men like Sam. +. Cary, ]. q. q.
Whaley, and the signers of the "Address" in
9Ses.ion.tnst we desire to deal, and from
whom we intend to sIip the mask of "no.
schemes.
a review of the salient points OF this e1traor.
binary address brings us first TO the fol-
lowing:
1."As the third [sessioul was drawing to a
close, and Just prior to the Connecticut election,
Hon. N. +. Banks. of Massac h usetts, spruno On
c,ghf-hour resotatien tie House, and rushed IL
through without debate, elaboration, or div.
sion.r
And again in a closely succeeding oara.
graph, this Address repeats the insin uation.
"As the session was drawing to a close, the
Hon N. Banks again repeated his maneurer of
the former year, and another oil was passed."
This aspersion upon the motives and reputa-
ton OF one who rose from the ranks Of the
workmgmen first as ssbobbin bow then "a
machinist, to the third office in the gifl of the
nation. In which staten he was acknowledged
by men Of all parties to have displayed pre-
eminent ability, acquiring the title of :.the iron
man."-this going out of their way to stab one
0s cham Ihrng, warmlysym-
inexcusably wicked and grossly impolitic that
we believe that there are very few even Of the
6 ais est paaTlsans among iabonng men who
2. The succeeding paragraph in this precious
document Is such q maze of hopeless, glaring
bungling contradiction that it is difcult TO dis
sect II properly. Here are specimen bricks:
"a determined but fruitless opposition ito
the eight.hour law was led by Senators Sher.
man, Fessenden, Norton, Cameron, and Others"
&c.
This is e deliberate, inexcusable falsehood.
Senator Morton, as every workingman knows,
made one of his ablest and most vigorous
speeches in fdr0r Of the eght-hour law, and
followed it up with his vote: Not only that,
put TINS committee has personal knowledge thar
his deservedly large influence with Senators
was exerted to the utmost to secure the passage
OF the bill: The truth is, neither one Of the
signers and authors of that Address, took IN.
terest enough in the passage of the eight hour
law to acquaint themselves as to who were and
who were not its friends in the Senate as we
snail show before we are done with them
8. In our former letter we stated the facts
connected with the steps taken to secure the en-
aEsSeme f OF .ne eight-ho1r law over the de-
as TO who is entitled to credit in procuring a
reference by the President OF the eight hour
law to the Attorney General for his opinion as
10 lts regal erect, is no great importance TO the
general public, but the simple facts in the case
Will serve to show workingmen that the priu.
clpal supporters Of MIR. Cary here are as braz-
the credit OF other labors as he is himself
The address asserts:
'AS soon as the newspapers deyeloppd the
facts connected with the disregard of the law at
ROCK Island, Illinois, it was determined at the
ne meeting of the Assembly 10 move a com.
mittee TO request the President to revoke the in
structions OF the Secretary Of War, or procure
the Attorney Generals construction of the law
Such action was MADISON the 18th August. and
the committee discharged the duty on the oath
'Our necessarily delayed action gave oppor-
tunlty to the 'Printers's Grant and Colfax
Club, composed almost exclusively of employ
ees OF the q government printing Office, to inter-
vene in the interest of party Con sequently.
on the 18th they met, and sent committee to
the Secretary OF War, who refused to counter
maDd the order. They then, as indtriduals
waited On the President
The committee of the Printers Grant and
Colfax Cub has furnished us with the follow
ing brief exhibit of facts. which cover Mr.
Cayls with shame and confusion for having
thrice put himself in print, las he has done i'm
TINS city.) as having induced the President to
srefer the matter of the eight. hour law to the
Attorney General in accordance with his
committees request:
The facts are these: On the sth of August
Saturday. the Printers Club passed resolu,
tons on the subject, and appointed a commit.
tee OF three to wait upon General Schofeld IN
person, which duty they discharged on the fol-
lowing Monday, the stn. They could accom-
plish nothing with the Secretary, though he
received them courteously and heard them pa
tiently. They then appealed TO the PresI dent
on the 18th OF August, in a letter Of considera.
BILE length. In response to that letter they re-
ceiyed the following:
'.EXEcCTIvE MANSION, Washiaqto1. ID. c.
August Is, Is6s.-Gentlemen The President
directs me to acknowledge the receipt of your
communication Of the 18th instant, and TO in.
form you that agree IDLY to your request it has
been referred to the Attorney General for con.
alteration, and for his opinion as to the proper
construction OF the recent act Of Congress
known as the Eight-hour law.
VERY respectfully yours,
"Messrs. A. ID. BROCK, H. G. Otis, J. A.
SHANRLIN, Committee"
II is thus shown that the whole matter had
been referred TO the Attorney General by the
President four days before Mr.. Cavis's commit.
tee was in existence, and nine DAYS before they
had the impotence, knOning that tie tcork Lo3
already been thoroughly accom- plished to call upon
the President with the deliberate intent of get
ting credit for the effort
Mr.. Cavis 10 as unfortunate in his figures as
In his facts, though we don't see what difference
II could POSSIBLY make il the Printers Com.
mittee had addressed the President as individ-
uals.'
6. The address speaks Of the unnecessarily de.
layed action" OF the Workingmen's Assembly
relative TO the matter of taxing action upon
Secretary Schofieid's decision. Why ..neces-
sarily delayed J" The Assembly is supposed
to be- and ought 10 be, the especial, vigilant
sentinel upon the watchtower Of this citadel of
the labor struggle. Its constitution contem.
plates ard provides for special meetings for
special emergencies. A heavy and disastrous
strike had already occurred at Rock Island
and others would ard did follow, Whv did
not these guardians Of the interests of labor.
under the very nose Of the president OF the
National Labor Convention" himself, at once
call special meeting OF the Workingmen's
Assembly. and have the matter attended to,
.. The reference to Mr.. j. w. Mattingly OF
this committee, is peculiarly unfortunate for
the sIgners OF that Address" Mr. NJ pleads
guilty TO his former belief in the honesty and
sincerity Of Mr.. Cary, and of his intimacy with
him TO advance, on his part, the good cause:
and he trusts, by his future good conduct and
greater cautiousness in accepting men at their
0xw @.z.,