The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-06-17
The Boston EightHour League.
ADDRESS CT THE REV. JOHN 7. SARGENT.

Mr.. President AND FRIENDS OF TIL
LABOR REFoRM:-The specially Of your
enterprise, as | understand i, is the demand
for eight hours as the limitation or maximum
Of day work for the labJring maa-a
most reasonable demand, surely, when we
consider how he is now ostracised and
overtasked. The basis of argument sand
reasons therefor are clearly enough sedn in
the pressing nesd to the workingman Of
more leisure and breathing time than be
now has for mental improvement, recreation
and culture; greater opportunities not only
for rest and relief, and thereby the rein
forcement Of his bodily powers, but also
such intellectual and spiritual development
as may reveal to him more and more Q, the
whole science of work, and make hirh, in
every sense of the word, a MANA well De
veloped man. And where is the brute who
would deny to him these manifest rights
and opportunities? appeal to the selfish
capitalist and employer, who is 50 bent on
getting all he can out Of the poor, sweating,
toiling handi- craftsman, to answer me when
| say 10 him" Sir, have you never con
sidered or will you never reflect on the fact
that for your own interest, not to look be-
yond that, the wiser and more skillful you
make your workman by these opportunities
claimed, the better and more complete will
be the result of work be renders, and the
greater, too, your Own profits ? Taking
you on your own ground, strand a mean
enough one 1t is-that capital owns and has
a right to appropriate labor, do you not see
that the more you improve your instru-
ments, and the sharper you make your tool
the better it will cut ?-(well were it, by
The way, if it ,cOuld cut into your own con
science). Bethink you now Is not en-
largement Of opportunity just so far en-
largement Of special power" OF course it
IS. | am quite sure that know numbers
Of poor men whose indications of native in
telllgence and talent are such that, bad
they but enjoyed one-half the educational
privileges | had from the very best schools
in this city, and college culture besides,
they would be very far superior to me now,
and far outsblnng me as regards anything
| ever did Intellectually. But, before en-
tering more at length upon this line Of ar
gument, | have word to say on the general
principles which underle the whole Labor
Reform movement.
In the printed circular which YOU issued
as the call for this Convention, it was well
claimed that, among others who should obey
this call, the Abolltionist of former days
On oh N rfr he hoort L
Ike 49, r-Hhich i but Tire na,urul rvrUliary
of the abolition Of slavery" OF course he
should, and so, with my friends Powell and
Phillips here, | am heart and soul with you
in this great reform movement, to give you
my helping hand and voice, with whatsoever
Of friendly benediction may; for in this
enterprise | recognize an element for the
public good second to none other. lcu
have well termed it cOrrelative and supple
mentary to the abolition Of slavery. Iwn
brother, indeed, it is to tat sum Of all
yilIainies. +" and ie the Devil ever had two
children so much uglier and worse than
himself, they surely must be these two
the old chattel system Of black slavery,
south of Mason Il DixOn's, and the social
serfdom Of white labor, whether at tie
North, South, East or West But really,
Of the two, | am inclined to think the north
ern subjugation Of the white laborer, BIZ
subordination to the avaricious whims, ca
prices and sel6shness Of his employer, may
be the worst, because, you see, that is til,
inf1ictlon Of wrong, as it were, on our near
est Of kin, members Of our own family, 50 t
speak, of the same blood with ourselves
and the Scripture says, you remember, liz
who provideth not for his own-those of hi
own household-hath denied the faith, an
is worse than an lntidel.
| look around me in my daily walks her,
in Boston, and, noted as our city is for hu
name purposes and benevolent enterprises
| see but too many evidences of painful
social disparity and class distinctions be
tween the rich and poor, the mendcant am
the millionaire, the OVertasked labOrer anC
the plethoric capitalist. The marble palace
of the opulent Spectator lifts its glittering
artistic columns within a stones throw ofth
humber dwelling Of the good mason VIII,
built it, and if, towards the evening Of ;
tiresome day these walks Of mine are taken
/ see, perchance, outstretched upon th,
common as if it were his only bed, or els,
going languidly homeward on It's pathways
the exhausted, over-worked, disheartened
i'll paid laborer after BIS ten or twelve hour.
Of wearing work, while some, lazy and bal
besotted simpleton of an aristocratic almo.
runs him down "a the street crossing as TX
dashes by in his pleasure-seeking baruuchc
see, on the other extreme, scores Of wpr
thy men and women, every day and al
through the year, constrained by want o
employment or insufficient pay for what lit
tie work they do get, constrained to call Of
me and others FOR charity from the vanou
aims giving associations with which we ar
connected, and which, | verify believe
would be needless were society and its IN
dustrial methods properly organized. ! Sc
able-bodied street beggars who tell me, II
answer to my query as to their crcumstan
ces and needs, that, with all their dali,
earnings and expedients, 50 insufficient ar
their wages, they cannot support Their FAM
lies, nor can they brace up to any turtle
work 50 exhausted are their powers. l Se
purse-proud men of wealth who, to NJ,
knowledge, never in all their lives hav,
done days work either intellectually 0
physically, riding ostentatlously by thes
suffering groups whose shoe latchets The,
are not worthy to unloose, and | ask my
self how is it,-why is it that these sor,
discrepancies in our social state are sufftreC
to exist 7 Is there not something radically
wrong in these discrepancies? What ar,
the roots and sources Of these wrong,
Whence comes these inv;dious and hosIjl,
contrasts ~? Well, You may not all agrc,
with me now, in the explanation shal
give, nor in my analysis Of causes, nor il
my reference Of them primarily to certain
subtle and social institutions which | know
most Of you reverence and whose integrit.
is seldom questioned, but, as It Is way
have to speak out very plainly when | spea