, 1874-02-19
THE EIGHT-HoUR LAW OF CONGRESS

day consist OF only oight hours for oil men hired
by Government officials, WAS passed. BONO yoars
ago during the phenomenal reaction from tho
old why of regarding tho laboring olasBos. eo-
cioty aBod to ignore as far Us WAS convenient
mud possible, tho existence Of auch classes.
When their growing power and growing discou-
tcnt mado their wishes Of importance, society
suddenly rushed to tho othor extreme. The
"brawny sons OF toll" thencoforth divided pop
ular favor with tho American eagle. The sturdy,
upright, Badly-opprcsaod laborer was god
aond to politicians In search Of pot
grievance. It was discovered that tho
Inv Of supply aud demand which ruled
, tho wages aud tho work OF all other mon
took pleasure in tormenting tho workingman.
He was torn from tho books ho hnd boon con-
ming by tho glimmoring dawn and could snatch
but few briof hours in tho evening for tho pur-
suit Of the learning ho craycd, and which tue
tyranny Of something or somebody (hero bis ad-
yocatca grow vaguo> prevented lis getting.
And nll this, simply because Nature had Or
dainod that wages should vary with tho relation
of tho demand for workingmen to tho number
OF men wanting work, and not with tho aonti-
mentalistH' idoa Of tho amount Of money 1t
would DO pleasant, or nice, for such mon to get
Nature must bo rebuked. Tho lahoror must
bo rescued from her tyranny. Hcnce tho
Eighs-Hour Inv. Now that society be-
gins to tako fair viow OF the whole
matter, begins to recognize tho fact
that the workingman Is neither moro nor
less, by virtue Of his occupation, than other mon,
and TINT tho solo way Of doing him permanent
good Ia to toach him to help himself, 1t ia not
strange that this most unjust Law should DO &c.
veroly criticised. It harms tho men themselves,
and tho community. It harms tho mon By teach
ing them to rely on legislation instead Of labor
for their living, by uuflttlng them for doing
fnll day'a work when hired by other employers,
.hom. When you teach man that Congress
has but to vote him ten hours pay for eight
houra' work to insure his gottiug such pay, you
show him tho easiest and most domoEalizing way
ofgotting something for nothing. Pets are not apt
to be maryels Of strength or courage or any other
manly excellence. Making mon tho pots Of log
islation cannot but weaken them. II las beon
the testimony Of worry many employers that men
who had been hired by Government afterwards
proved inefficient whom required to do fair
days work. Nor is this strange. No man can
caBily add a fourth to his regular daily task. Wo
have writton adviaodly Of "fair days work."
Eight hours labor Is not such q thing, Busi-
noas mon work longer. So do professional mon,
If ne reckon as wo should, the hours they de-
voto at homo to tho study Of thoir spocialties.
Why should muscle be moro carefully guarded
from oyor-oxertion than mind ? Tho Inv breeds
disaension among worlsingmen because 1t often
happens that lalt OF the mon engaged on some
Government building got na much pay for
eight hours' work as tho other half, who
are hired by contractors, got for ten. This is
glaring absurdity. Tho law harms tho COM
munity, because it makes all work done by the
Government cost much more than 1t should, bc-
cause it fayors particular class, and TINT cor
tainly not tho most deserving, at the expense Of
tho others, aud because 1t teaches workingmen,
as VIC have already said, to rely on Government
instead Of Oh themselves, and 30 tonds to keep
them from raising themselves by their own
manly efforts out OF the helped, and into the
holping, section OF society.