, 1873-03-15
THE ENTHUSIASTICALLY.

The Question OF Mechanical Trades
In rho NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF n
Committce--NOthing to no Dono at
Prcsont--nlscussion of tho Eight-
Xnouf Question:.
Tho Enthusiastically mot at No. ltb Fifth
avenue last evening, President Cain In tho
chair. Thore wero twenty-five delegates from
the Unions present. Tho committee appointed
ata previous tnoeting to draft a petition 10 DO
presented to tho Legislature. requesting tho
abolition Of mechanical trnlos In tho ponitentia-
~, reported ns follows,
We find that. though No do perform tho aboye work
A. would avail nothing uucsa VIC can suggest son,o
eolfsuataniug, said buainess suggestion 10 sccompsny
ns Rststpn and II W !. 5squtrs 9 .o%e time and faith
Cation II order to nd somo equally profitable. and
Ehnt will not conflict with tho mechanics Of this coun-
ly Maon H.. ths tn IA &sseemrshod. so arc sincere in
hat this session Of the Legislature will ad}o,1rn before
the leuton could bc brought in proper ahape
glausblo means Of maintaining T. It would avail noth-
s rsR sna S hs
'9usnt!y would cry cut against thc tax tint would DO
ore we youd as ha ~ N efs
sasstars L. r. md ,ts T. tas meantime Tie Commit
= Tic no1t term By That tins wo u can snssoat bus
hot sonaet wth ihe honest neehanio. f nenos @ H. H.
hw.nakcrs will DO compelled to give 10 hearing. :,
, !. The report yts laid over for week. 2
me special order, tho confederation Of tho
el$at-hour question, Was then tAken up.
"; McAvoy thought the ten-hour question
ought to be aettlod first. uo know Of man who
worked eleven and twolve hours day, and ro-
ceivod ton lourA' pay.
b1r. Nowland boliovod oyory ono vas as rood
nn oiEht.hour man as he was. :, Tho, time had
&ono BY for speech making on tho subject. Only
khe workingmen wore to Blanc Tor the non-suc-
cess Of The movement. The employers were not
kesponsible.,- In Boston tho members Of his
Wnion-the ship carpenters md calkors-had
worried only eight hourB day for twenty years.
Tho mon horo had not ;mado stout stand.
worked but eight hours;, but finding tley could
notnnp2oEt their families, thoy recommended
nEorking ten hours, and got tho higher
ttL,or,, Pay, The II -, ooyornment required its
voIo 100 greeSy and yorkoa ton hours M to t get 'a
couple OF sldllings more. On Thursday night,
thirty "ecabs' hold meeting at tito Globe !
Theatre, and resolved to strike for "a day next
Varpenterh' and calkers' Union !; but not moro !
Union men had not authorized the atri.b, and
Ters ers ss5lsa0d asa ,sia,, With es5o ind xoadl
lesson. Tho speaker found every Intelligent !
wo1kingman-every one who was trying to otlu-
cate his family and mako them respectable |
nSaAGu e!BHt Aoulb day also tn1t every man |
Tho lived from hand to mouth, and visited tho |
saioons, and graaped hands with tho bummor |
politician, wanted ton hours day. Solomon |
bad decreed that only eight hours O. day should |
e:doFoted to labor, and why should not al bis |
-1ol1oWorB become ndvocnteB Of the movemout7 |
The workingman deserved 1t, and Mr. Nowland |
bcAoyed tho day was coming whom they would |
have'it.
Mr. Cain opposed tho movement In 1865, and
Naa now, and always would DO until 1t became
universal In all the States Chicago was young, |
and tho adoption OF tho principle horo would bo
uetrlnental to hor iutorcsts. 1t should COM
menee 10 the old c'tioa of the East To COM
11ence It hero, and allow tho manufacturers OF
tho Enat to work ton hours, would rob Chicero |
OF her trade, and throw thousands Of mon out Of
employment. As soon rs the mechanics oil over
ehe country woro ready for 1t, eight hours day
would come, and not before. - =
,Mr. Pendleton had travelled extensively In tho
West, and ho mover aaw tho Government em-
ployes carry out tho eght-hour system. They
we're paid by tho month, and worked ton hours
day.
Iii. Lawlor read tho history Of tho eIght-hour
movement Tho law wns plain as related to
sio7ernment employees, for Secretary Boutwell,
haa decided that nll contractors should bo noti-
Aed Tint eight hours constituted days work for
tho dovornment, and that no mechanic or work
man, directly or indirectly, could bo employed
more than eight hours o dny. Ho blamed tho
mechanics for the failure Of tho movement in
Chicago.
I'm oof3 I