The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-06-30
COL, FLAGLER AND THE EIGHT HOUR
LAW
His Illogical Reasoning and His Misrepresen'
tation of the Employees.

His Illogical Reasoning and His Misrepresen.
tation Of the Employees.
In April, 1872, the U. S. Senate passed
resolution requiring the Secretary of War
to furnish certain information in relation to
the workings of the eight hour law. The
Secretary of War addressed letters to the
Commandments of Rock Island and Spring
field Arsenals for the information. Col.
Flagler's reply is somewhat lengthy and
embodies good deal of matter not called
for, but volunteered by him. On page 3
of the pamphlet, Col. Flagler asserts that
"the Government gives IS per cent more
than is paid by private parties in the neigh
borhood' "a statement which is denied.
He then proceeds to say that
This enables us to select our skilled workmen
and gives us better control over laborers. Inc Ia
4 borer is afraid OF being discharged, because nc
son we get little more labor performed per hour
than we would under the ten hour system"
On the very next page of the pamphlet
and under the same date he says
II have already stated that it was expected that
men who worked eight hours per day.wonld De aOle
ana wiling TO perform more Wo56 Per ta mour yor r
ten hours per day. and that this expectation mas not
/ been realized to any considerable extent.
Which way will Col. Flagler have 1t?
On page he says I'VE get more labor per-
formed per hour than we would under the
ten hour system, and on page 4, he says
they do not. Which way will he have it :?
We are informed that, under the odious
task-master system introduced here by
Flagler, the books of the Arsenal will show
that nearly double the work per day has
been done by the stone cutters, under the
eight hour law, than was previously done
under the ten hour law.
Col. Flagler says it was expected that
the men would do more work per hour I'M
der the eight hour law Who expected
this? The leading advocate of the eight
hour law was Vice President Wilson, and
we doubt if he ever made any such claim.
On the contrary, he argued that labor was
over taxed, and that the United States
were able to set an example Of humanity
and iberality in regard to their employees.
AS to Flagler's statement that the Gov
eminent pays higher price, and that he
could command the services Of all the
workmen he wanted, etc., etc, we presume
it will be remembered that, in order to
demonstrate this fact he and Lieut. Shaler,
liz 1872, went up to Chicago and brought
down $50 men to work at the Arsenal, and
that out of the whole number only re-
manned here.
In paragraph 3.on p~so 4,of the pamph-
Iet no Gays that the stone cutters and ma
sons have not been benefited by having a
little leisure for study, rest or recreation,
or for fixing up their own premises, and
he says the laborers have been injured by
having any leisure to themselves. He
says the laborers generally own no houses
and the leisure time has produced in them
bad habits We submit that this is a
wholesome SANDER of these men. Col.
Flagler had hardly got warm in Gen. Rod
mans seat before he made the above state
ments to the Secretary of War in an Off
cial letter He had not been long enough
| i resident here to know whether the state
ments he made were correct or not. 1t is
the belief Of our people that very large
portion Of the laborers own houses and
are permanent and good citizens, spending
| less time, on the average. in saloons, than
Col. Flagler himself has done. Their
humble position gives him no right to
treat them in this manner Nor is there
anything in their habits to warrant it.
Further along, on page 4, Col. Flagler
says the effect Of the eight hour law has
been to disturb the wages Of labor in
this vicinity inducing workmen to leave
private employment, and lie idle for en-
ployment at the Arsenal 1t seems r. -
that Col Flagler, instead of dealing III gen
eralties of this sort, ought 20 give from re-
liable employers in the towns adjoining the
A----.af some evidence of the correctness
of his statement. We think the men who
employ mechanics and laborers in these
towns will say that the wages or hours Of
work have not been disturbed here by any
thing that has occurred at the Arsenal,
and that there never has been time when
improvements or manufacturing could not
be carried forward here and plenty Of helr
procured, at fair wages.
Col Flagler closes his letter by saying
1T has been frequently reported 10 me that la
bOrers and teamsters, with their teams, who have
| worked eight hours at the Arsenal, have regularly
after O'Clock, worked from to hours for Other
parties, thereby deprivlng the United States OF al
benefit that could result from the s hour system.
That a teamster may occasionally have
hauled load Of kindling wood for his
neighbor, or have worked in his own gar
den, or done some labor on his house o.
lot, or busted himself in improving anC
identifying his OWN home, is very likely tt
be true. 1t would seem that Col. Flagler'
opposition to the eight hour law is 5,
strong that he would deny laborers anC
teamsters this right If he could
There is not a word, OF fact, or argumen
which he brings up against the,eight hOu
law that we do not personally remembe
to have seen urged against the ten hou
law when that was first made legal day
work on Government work, under VA
Buren's administration. Before that tim
a days work was II hours, or iron
sunrise to sunset. And nearly ever,
benefit which others claimed would arts
) from the establishment Of the eight hou