The New York herald., 1869-05-20
THE EIGHT HOUR LAW.
senator Wilson Before the CharIestoyyn Nav,
Yard W0rkmen.


dustriously engaged in agtatng the Eight Hour law
of Congress and the manner IN which it has been
applied to them by the Secretary of the Navy. They
have held no less than half dozen meetings to
slider their grievances and devise means OF relief
and at the last one committee was appointed to
wait upon Henry Wilson, one OF the Massachusetts
Senators, and invite him to address them upon the
all-aDsorbng topic. Mr.. Wilson accepted the invi
taton. and appeared before the Navy Yard employees
this evening. He was warmly received. and during
his address was frequently interrupted by applause.
Having been introduced, Senator Wilson remark
ed that it was barely possible that his views might
not accord fully with those OF the wOrkingmen; for
he could utter no word tending to peIpetuate and
deepen the apparent antagonism between capital
and labor the employers and employees, the rich
and the poor. Capital and labor, he believed were
not necessarily antagonstic to each other. Inspired
by justice, philanthropy and the religion OF Jesus
Christ they would be cooperative forces. The laws
of human nature, the spirit OF Christianity that
teaches the fatherh0od OF God and the brother
hood OF man perpetuay proclaimed that 'labor
has Its rights as well as Its duties; capital has Its
duties well Its rights" Nett her could he join
in the now fashionable prophecies, predictions and
lamentations touching the men Of their country.
To dilate upon the men OF the nation had become
morbid passion He had heard OF persons who had
dyspepsia but he thought 1t conscience. Some men
had schemes that in their selfshness became so alb
sorblng that they thought that all the world 60
ing the way OF their perishing bantngs. In spite,
however. of the fears OF timidty and the morbid
imaginings OF disappointed seishnesS, the country
was now moving right on with majestic strides in
expansion. settlement development, wealth. power,
grandeur. Rapid as had been the increase in popu-
lation, wealth had increased far more rapidly.
Forty years ago the wealth OF the nation about
one hundred ana fifty dollars for each person; now
4 M al lnh
person, beng more than f0urfOld Increase The
country had never increased In material prosperity,
in the means OF culture, more rapidly than during
the past years. Annually the nation was adding
more than thousand million dollars to It's accumu-
lated capital lie had faith in the continuance of indi
vidual and national prosperity for the elements and
Instrumenlalites OF individual and national pros
perity everywhere abounded. While other nations
had men OF higher culture than could be found in
the United States the nation had more cultivated in
telectual forces in her MASSES more aspirations for
individual improvement and higher hopes for ma
tlona advancement than any nation ever possessed.
More persons in the United states were striving In
that hope and that confidence which assured success
for national Improvement and social advancement
than could be found In any nation beneath the
Nor could he echo the cry that 'the rich growing
the semblance of truth in that Inippant utterance
OF ignorance, distrust or demagogism.
The rich were growing richer, and the number OF
men counted their possessions by tens OF thou
sands had largely increased. and was rapidly in
creasing But the poor were certainly rapidly grow
ing in knowledge, in property, in power and social
influence. The world had never seen such progress
In the means OF material, moral and intellectual
power. social comfort enjoyment and influence as the
workingmen had made In America during the past
forty years. Then the wealth OF the nation averaged
but small sum for each person Men OF large
generally encountered with debt and the houses OF
workers for wages possessed few Of the comforts
and none OF the uxuries. Now hundreds OF thou
sands OF farms freed from debt. and the homes
OF the workers for wages were In possession OF
forts not dreamed OF by manual labores forty years
ago. Then few were the carpeted floors In
the homes OF farmers, tradesmen. mechanics.
wOrkngmen and in few OF those homes
was heard the music OF the piano. Now carpets
covered the floors OF the homes OF the masses. at
least in the Oldest States OF the North and there
were more pianos than music In the newer Sec
ons OF the country tens OF thousands OF log cabins
had disappeared, and homes OF beauty ana renne-
ment had taken their places Churches, schools,
newspapers and Libraries had wonderfully multiplied
to instruct and bless The learned professions had
failed during the past third OF century TO retain
their once commanding power and influence. The
farmers the mechanics. the builders OF buildings
and teegraphs, the merchants, the workers In the
varied Industries had In power and political
influence. Even the great land owners OF the south
that arstocracy OF capital that gave law to the
nati0n-and their slaves (f0ur millions OF workers
and held as property, had ceased to be capital and
had joined the workers for wages. Surely
the republic OF the United States, with its millions
OF square miles and billions OF acres its long lines OF
sea coast, lakes and rivers Its mlable public do
main and exhaustless mines; Its free churches and
Its free schoOls s libraries and presses: its ballot
and its highest honors open to all-with oil these,
the indictments TO endeav0r for personal improve
ment and national advancement rendered this coun-
try the workingmans earthly paradise No wonder
that the hopes or humanity centred upon It, No
wonder that II annually drew to itself quarter of
million OF the workngmcn OF the foremost nations.
ne pitled that man VINO could not see amid the tri-
ais, the weaknesses or focs OF the age the glOries
OF the countryside man who did not hear amid the
noisy clamors OF the hour the majestic tramp of this
advancing nation Mr.. Wilson assured the working
men OF Charlestown that he was not unmndful of
the hard lot OF toiling men In this country and IN
eats bread earned hv 'ah ,ha VI .as ss. INA.
face was hard indeed, but in the United
states that lot was easier In the present generation
than In the pas and to illustrate this he referred
the experiences and recoections OF his boyhood.
Poverty sat by his cradle want was often an un-
hidden guest In the home or his youth. At ten years
OF age he went forth to earn his bread, served an
apprenticeship ON a farm for eleven years and re-
celvcd for three years Of hard toll eighty-our dol
lars-a sum less than many Massachusetts
mechanic had received for his last months work.
That was within eighty miles OF Charlestown. The
possessor, I'm the aggregate, OF the amount OF ten
dollars until he became OF age and he mad not spent
majority. when he became OF age he hired himself
for month drove team, cut wood, worked from
twelve to fifteen hours per day, and all for six dol
a farm for nine dollars q month and afterwards
walked for days TO several OF the manu-
low men leave to toll Being unsuccessru he mt
his pack upon his back aud tramped from his
% native % t,S town. ,.a, distance or one hundred
trade On MS way he passed through CharestOwn,
and although ootsore and weary he turned aside for
lew uouicuss W kahe upon tne nc1gnt8 OF Bunker
Hill. lie had worked In the field on long summer
days, hoeing and moving with some OF the best men
who ever handled hoe or swung scythe and they
received my cents. sometimes four shlings day
not money. but corn at dollar bushe and pork at
smiling pound lie had seen young women do
h0usework, mix cows spin and weave for fifty cents
and four shiIlings week. such, he added were the
rewards Of LABOR forty years ago In this section Of
the country. Then the diversified Industries that
have now opened 80 many avenues for the working
men, and workingwomen, too, were not established.
Constrained idlcness was far greater, ut
least IN New England then than now.
The divershcation OF industries, the establish.
ment Of manufactures and the various mechanic arts
and handicralts had gwen steadler employment 20
the tOiIers OF the present day. Discriminating duties
In favor Qf the products Of American capital, labor
and skill had contributed somewhat to diversity the
Industries by which workngmen had 40 largely
benefited. lie had recently bsecn earnest appeals
from very excellent persons to the workingmen to
repudiate the policy OF discriminating IN the
ment OF duties In favor OF American capital and
labor, but he trusted the workingmen would be In
no haste TO overthrow system that had opened 50
many new avenues to labor. Little was said forty
years ago about the hours OF labor, cooperative
societies or labor movements. The labor movements
Of the past twenty were not born OF
degradation or necessity. These movements In their
I'm ri tho "a vC m