The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-20
The Progress and Power of the
Eight-H0ur Labor Movement.

adopu0n OF the elgn-DOur Sybtems WITHOUT
any decrease in the existing rate of pay for q
days work The employers resisted the de-
mand and the men struck. Their example
was speedily followed by the carpenters. brick
layers, plasterers, masons and others in the
building business and the strike gradually
spread until it embraced nearly every trade
and calling in the city. The German cabinet
makers formed an eight-hour league. and, as
they had command of a large amount OF
money, they managed to draw vast number
of men into the movement, although their
organization lacked energy and ability to head
a general rising. The strikers met with vary
ing fortune. The carpenters. masons paint
ers, bricklayers and plasterers succeeded and
returned to work under the eight-hour system.
The pianoforte makers and coachmakers gave
way before the frmness of their employers
and abandoned the strike A large num-
Der of trades remained in the
movement, but the prospect for a
general concession Of their demand did not
look very promising until about two weeks
ago. when the iron and metal workers took the
field. Mainly through the efforts of one man,
who commenced by getting small groups of
workmen together and talking over the matter,
this new element in the movement grew with
wonderful rapidity. Agents were sent out
among the iron men all over the State Of New
York and along the line Of the Erie Railway
into other States, organizing strikes; and the
effect Of the energy Of the leaders soon made
la tba al
Workers Eight-Hour League numbers over
ten thousand enrolled members. It has been
joined by branch Of the English Society Of
Steam Engineers, branch Of the Interna-
tional Machinists and Blacksmiths' Society
and other foreign organizations. The Anal
gamated Society Of Engineers Of Eng
land have paid half million dol
lars to the credit of the League for the
use and benefit Of the strikers; the Inter-
national Machinists and Blacksmiths have
subscribed one hundred thousand dollars
for the same purpose and other Eu-
ropean societies have followed with
smaller donations To-day this Iron Workers
League has capital of three-quarters of
million dollars and weekly income from SUBJ
scriptions Of their own men who ore working
on the eight-hour principle and from other
societies reaching seven thousand dollars. The
leaders declare that the strike is now self-sup-
porting-that is to say, that they have funds
enough to take care of all the men who may
quit work. The consequence is that the move
ment is spreading in all directions, new i'm
pulse has been given to the strike in every
trade, and the trouble already experienced Sc
riously in some quarters is likely to extend to
the railroads and into every manufacturing
district.
We give this brief outline of the seven
weeks strike and its present condition in order
to impress upon our readers the critical char
acter Of the situation and the danger that
threatens the country if the turmoil and disaf-
lection now prevailing among the laboring
classes be not speedily allayed. It is useless
to close our eyes to the fact that labor every
where is learning its own power, and that the
the whole world closely together have served to
swell these labor strikes into magnitude and
Importance they never before assumed. With
railroads and telegraphs at their command the
workingmen, not of one country alone but Of
the civilized world, form mighty and united
army; their movements can be made simulta-
neously in Europe and America as effectually
as though they were gathered in one compact
body, obeying the word Of command of
single leader. The sympathy always felt by
those of trade in everything that interests
their fellow workers. in whatever land they
reality, that makes itself known and practi-
cally felt on the Instant and hence we have
the engineers and machinists of England,
France and Germany to-day pouring their
hard-earned wages to the amount of nearly a
million Of dollars into the lap of the iron men
of New York, to support those who are striking
for principle that interests labor all over
the world. The struggle is no longer one
between capital and labor alone, but be-
tween capital and labor enforced by cap
ital drawn from the industry of every
country Let the machinists, engineers
and the whole body of iron and metal workers
of America be kept out of employment for a
year through THIS quarrel with capital, and
they will be supported by men in the same
trade in every nation on the European Cont
nent 1t is immaterial to inquire whether the
present demand of labor is just or unjust; it
seems at least not to be unreasonable, and as
it enlists the active and self-sacrifcing SYM
pathy of workingmen all over the world it
must be deserving of serious and fair consid-
Grafton on the part of employers. Capital
can afford to be liberal, and even generous, in
its contests with labor, and when a movement
among the working classes is SO universal aud
widespread as is that for the eight-hour sys-
tenn the chances are that it has some justifca-
tion There are good workmen as well as bad
workmen in every trade and calling, and we
believe the former to be very largely in the ma
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