The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-30
General Grant Leaves Washington
for the NOrth-MOre Outrages
in Tennessee A Heavy
Seizure of Silks in
New YOrk-Balti-
more Murder
Trials.
Financial and Commercial
FROM WASHINGTON.
Heavy SeIzure Of SIX.

Despatch to The Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 30.-Iuformation has Oaen
received here that L. r. Toole, assistant special
agent of the Treasury Department, had seized in
New York, on Friday last, $4,000 yards of fine
Lyons silk, together with a large number OF
French clocks. This is said TO be the largest
seizure of silks, ETC., ever made in the United
States. The total value is estimated at $4,000,
General Grant
and Aide Comstock left here this morning on
their way to Boston. They will stop in Phila-
delpha tonight.
Frank Moore is in Washington on business
connected with
"The Rebellion Record,".
in the collection of acc )unts OF the ceremonies
attending the dedication of the graves of Union
soldiers.
An Important Document-The Opinion
of OfAtIOrney-General Eyarts Upon the
Eight. hour Law.
The Attorney General has just submitted his
opinion to the President upon the Eght-hour
law. Its text is as follows-
To the President-Sir:-The President recently
referred to the Attorney. General a commuuica-
ton addressed TO him by A. ID. Brock ami two
others, styling themselves Commlttee of
Printers employed in the Government Printing
Office. and requested an opinion as to the
prOper construction of the law mentioned
therein. The law find to be the act of June 20.
1865, entitled "An act constituting eight hours
days work for all laborers, workmen. and me-
chanics employed by or on behalf of the G ~
ernment OF the United States" which reads as
follows:-
all laborers, work men, ana mechanics. now empl yed
the emf of the United ,taes and thst All
and the same are hereby repealed"
The communication of the Committee Is to
the following e1fecl:-That the Committee were
surprised to learn that the Secretary of War
InI TO gttftn hn oh lau f,,n
recent order promulgated by him. so as to re-
duce the pay OF employes in The War Depart
ment to correspond with the reduction Of hours
he having declared in said order that In his
opinion IL was never the intention of Congress
TO give ten hours pay for eight hours work;
that they thereupon visited that officer in the
hope that by laying before him certain facts
bearing upon the intention of Congress in en-
acting the law, they might induce him to revoke
his oroer and accept the construction which has
hiihelto been put upon the law by its enemies
as well as by its friends, but failed to satisfy
the Secretary that he was in error; and firmly
convinced that the construction of the law
given by HIM as erroneous, they, although
gratefully enjoying the unquestioned benefit
of that wise aud liberal measure. ask the
President, in behalf of the workingmen OF the
country, to instruct the Attorney General to
give an opinion upon the true construction OF
the Eight'houra law for the guidance of all the
heads of departments in that behalf. It will be
seen that the printers engaged in the Govern
ment Printing Office are not directly affected
by the order OF the Secretary of War, and suffer-
IL would seem, no dlminution of their pay in
sequence OF the reduction eff their hours of
labor. The order affects only the employees of
the War Department.. among whom they are
not included. subsequently the Presid; MT
referred to this Office a communication ad-
dresse d 10 him by committee of the Working
mems Assembly of the District of Columbia,
asking recession of an alleged order of the
Secretary of War, directing That person en-
gagged on works Ia which the War Dep artment
is interested snail receive pay in proportion to
the hours they labor, or that the optn ionof the
Attorney General may he taken as to the true
meaning of the law of Congress aooye cited. as
deducible from tpe statute when coilated with
No. ntn1r Anf fna AnNn 70 tn
on the 2ith of June, 1868. The order of the
Secretary OF War referred To, 1 presume. is one
of July 2S, 1868, approving an endorsement of
General A. b. Dyer, of the Ordnance Bureau
upon a communication OF General TT Rod
man. or the Rock Island Arsenal, dated July
lG. 1865 to the following efect:-
"ORDNANCE OFFICE, July 25 1868 The practice of
this de epsrtmeut has been to allow mech anlcs am
private embellishments the vicinity for the sans
ShS 40 Oa s rs snd & you'd 70 os
aOorers In the vicinity of Rock Island receive fcom
now paid at Rock Island ARSENAL Ihs wages at tHat
Arsenal SHOULD be eoFaesPonoiogy reduced But 4
should be allowed. and they should be paid for one
a. a one-quarter day instead OF one day. as hars.
Brevet Major General, Chief OF Ordnance"
1t may be collected from the papers referred
| to this Office that the question on which the
J Jorney-Generals opiuIon is desired is whe-
ther the act of June 25 1868, reducing the nu NJ
| ber of hours constituting days work was in =
| tended 10 work corresponding reduction In
| the compensation Tor days work There is
nothing in the language of the act to indicate
| such an intention; nor does this construction
| seem at all consistent with the aim and pur
| pose OF the laws which were reformaJory in
| their character, having in view the promotion
OF the physical intellectual. a. d moral welfare
| OF those who are engaged in manual labor. and
of the geneIa al interests Of society. The theory
| appears To have been that the lAborlng man or
| mechanic. by means OF the increased physical
strength and vigor acquired through reiuc-
| lion in his hours of toll, would be enabled TO
accomplish daily as much upon an average in
| eight hours constant labor as he formerly did
in ten or even a longer period, while at the same
| time he would enjoy longer season for menGa
| and moral Improvement. Whether this is sound
| In principle is not here the question; that II
| constituted the main ground upon which the
| act proceeded, a reference to the debates in Con
| gress on It's passage Will clearly show. Acting
| upon this theory, then, which assumes that tue
| Government Will receive the same daily equl.
| vslent from the workingmen under the n eW
| regulation as under the old. the Legislature rt
| could not have contemplated necessary reduc
| lion in his compensation.