The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1874-05-16
THE EIGHT HOUR sYsrEM-No- T.

Z, L.. h.,.,, AZ least one step gained III
- .,.,r, path of PROGRESSIVE MORAL
nv. See what glorious progress has been
made in the Religious and Social world.
The heather has been converted from his
idolatrous worship to the sublime truths
of Christianity the savage redeemed from
a life Of canibalism, and the wild barbarian
brought within the humanizing influence
of civilization and even civilization has
been relieved Of some Of its incongruities.
The fierce and bloody scenes of the Ro-
man aIsphitheater are things Of the past
the feudal laws Of the middle ages, with
then system Of vassalage have passed into
history the Spanish bull-hghts, Russian
serfdom and negro slavery, shall be known
to future generations only through the
pages Of the historian.
Neither has the labor world been dor
mant i'll the work of revolution. The time
was when the laborer was supposed to
work from sun rise till sunset, and the me-
chanic was obliged to toll his fourteen and
sixteen hours per day, but as civilization
advanced, new discoveries wers made, and
the inventive genius Of man produced labor
saving machines, the hours of labor were
reduced from fourteen to twelve, from
twelve to ten-and the result of it is that
the workingman of the Nineteenth century
is AS far superior to the toiler Of the Eight
eenth century as is the crystal to the cobble
stone.
Ia the face of these facts, who would ask
10 take retrogressive step The verlest
block head in the remotest hamlet Of this
great continent of the West, would feel his
intelligence nsulted if he found his name
mentioned in connection with such prop
ositIun.
But revolutions must 90 forward. We
are progressive people, and We live in a
progressive age. Another revolution IN
the Labor world is progressing are
passing from Ten To the Eight hour system,
and, strange as it may appear, We are OPP
posed by men who claim to be the advo-
Gates of social, moral, and intellectual pro
erosion, coming from such a source, we
fail to comprehend the Justice or wisdom of
opposition. But on what grounds do they
base their opposition First. They look at
from a money stand point, and claim that
:" the toiler cannot produce as much i'll
eight hours as he can in ten, and that there
fore the toiler is not entitled to as much
compensation for eight hours labor as he is
for ten. We will hereafter show that this
theory is incorrect. Here, it will be seen,
that the opposition is confined to the
amount of production and the price to be
paid for it. There are other minor objec-
tons too trihing and unimportant to be
noticed, but our opponents do not deny
that the progress Of the age entitle us TO
further reduction of the hours Of labor.
They cannot refute the logic of events.
Facts are stubborn things, and history
proves that the reduction If the hours Of
labor has Improved the moral, social, and
condition Of the working peo-
pie.
Now. let us look at it from financial
and commercial stand point, and in this
view We will contine ourselves to the Unit
ed States. Previous to the Van Buren,
there was no limit to the
hours of labor, all, or at least those who
themselves about it, know what
was the product Of the country, the reve-
nue. derived from it, and the actual wealth.
1t is a well authenticated fact that since
the administration Of President Van Blu
rem, and up to the commencing of our civil
war, the country, In proportion to its
was steadily advancing in
wealth, that all her resources were rapidly
developing, and that our commerce and
manufactures we're progressing at a rapid
rate. The signs of wealth and prosperity
abounded on all sides. This period of
prosperity succeeded the reduction of the
hours Of labor. 1t was under the admin
istration of Van Buren, that the hours Of
labor were reduced to ten hours, and if
the theory Of our opponents is correct, there
should have been decrease instead Of an
increase in the aggregate wealth of the
country.
We now pass to another proposition /:
Labor saving machines having been, as
rule, the creation of the workingmen's
brains, it rs eminently just and proper they
should secure portion Of the advantages
their own genius created.
The reduction Of two hours per day
during the last forty years has given to
the workingman more time to think and
improve their intellect. The result of
that has been the introduction of new
machinery into all the branches Of in
dustry. So that more can be produced
now IN one day than could have been done
twenty-five years ago in one week.
Through the agency of these inventions
the rich have grown richer and the poor
comparatively poorer From them the
working classes have received no advan-
tages whatever if we except the reduc-
ton of the hours of labor. Surely, that
class of a community, which produce
something, that under judicious manage
ment, would be benefit to the whole, Is
entitled to some consideration at their
hands. and is it requiring too much to ask
that the hours Of labor be reduced from
ten to eight This is but common justice,
and in accordance with the principle that
he who creates is entitled to q portion Of
that which he creates. Since then, science
and nlachinery-the result of thought and
reflection upon the part of the working
men-has created surplus Of products,
the workingman is entitled to still
further reduction of the hours Of labor