The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-07-17
FROM MISSOURI.

o.. rhy Editor 30 the WuEr'>5NtNs ADVOCATE.
81 Lots, Me-. July y, 1873.
Times w tL, City continue AZ lull As when
! last wrote you. Every branch VI industry
here has sluggish appearance. The princi-
pal lrop Fouudries here las reported about
th, streets last night are to close mauufac-
turing tor three months The glass works
have suspended operation for time. The
stove moulding shops have little nothing
to do in fact. Of the many different indus
tries. MT one can be said to have a good,
lively aspect why L. it that there j. such
staguatIon in business at tins time the
year when all should be in its glory. 1t is
because the wurkingman who is the producer
and consumer work too many hours each day
tor days work Look about You, hundreds
Of thousands OF workingmen are out Of EN-
ployment this present moment throughout
the United States Why: Because they
have worked too much laOored too many
hours each day THAT they are laid upon the
shelf, al liberty 10 >tarve with their families,
il they cannot hold out until these benevo-
Tent capitalists give them employment They
have worked too much They have manu-
featured too much Of every article, and now
our markets are checked, pur warehouses are
crowded with goods. and consumption has
diminished WI Because the needful
man, who i out ID employment, has no
money to buy Ntili with all this, the capt
taist shows ueyer-eeasIug appeal to your
patriotism. ann cries. .'by reducing the work
ing hours II oue DAY to eight you will in
crease the prices Of articles and rum the in
iustry rf the country, We cannot then
compete with foreign manufacturers 1t is
a mistaken ilea tn part NJ the capitalist.
! For the reduction Of labor to eight hours
would not increase the price Of the manu-
/ facturers hut decrease the profits Of the capt
/ talists That l. what frightens them 50 ter
/ nbly d. We now work cheaper than the
/ foreign mechanics, or cheap: NJ. Where
fore should We need the protecting walls of
a tariff. By reducing the hours "a labor the
workingmln iuces hI~ hours Of slavery, and
| lengthens his time IN which he is a human
being Reducr. the hours Of labor from ten
to eight hours would ne-essitate the employ
ment of twenty more men 70 every one hun
I dred. and diminish the competition Of labor
ers for work amongst their own ranks aud
make them more independent. Ii would, of
a necessity. create higher wages, because the
competition is less and the laborer would
desire to live better.
1t is not necessary to refute the silly charge
of the capitalist, that more liberty would
only tend to deprave and demoralize the
/ laborer / will, however, relate an incident
which viii plainly illustrate how depraved
laborers become under the damaging influence
Of free hours.
\ The third annual report Of the Bureau Of
| Statistics Of Labor for Massachusetts, for the
year from March LIST, 1871, to March LIST,
1872, has the following
In sydney Australia the stone masons, an
organized workingneus' corporation, com.
menced IL or about the middle OF the year 1858,
a season which corresponds with our winter
/ to agitate for a reduction of the time of labor
to eight hours a day They began with ag-
tating for the Introduction of the eighth hour
movement INTO their corporation a trade
use, aud were successful The agitation which
was TINS began soon spread its influence over
all trad connected with Louse-building-
carpenters, JoIners, painters and brick LAYERS
With this increase Of understanding for their
| cause, they attained their wish before the
end Of the year 1855 The laborers foreseeing
that employers and contractors would resist
the reduction o, the working day for two
| hours tor the same days wages resolved not
to mingle this point with their affairs In
order not to hurt the contractors ia regard to
their contracts, they would only work eight
hours a day, and o. ask for EIGHT honrs
wages, according 70 tine ten hour tariff In
less than one year the daily wages had risen
to at least the former rate, without any quar-
rel or strike. The contractors lost nothing.
| but the laborers gained immensely.
/ The iron moulders in the Australia steam
boat companys works, tried also 10 attain a
reduction Of hours labor for the compaDv but
met with tenacious resistance to reduce the
time Of labor from ten to eight hours like the
building trades. The people insisted upon
their claims, but sacrificed two tenths Of
their days wages. After time Of trial the
company found out that the eight hour sys-
tenn worked excellently, and secured for it
savings in gas, oil and other expenses, and 1t
has now become warm advocate of the svs-
tenn Since then the company has consented
to pay the same wages for eight hours as thew
did for ten hours day.
1t was predicted and apprehended latter
the introduction of the eight hour work. the
drinking saloons OF Sydney would be crowded,
would be better patronized in the dav.time.
and more liquor would be consumed This
was not the case, but listen to what the con-
sequences were that the laborers could call
t'oo hours more in the day their own. The
art school In which mechanical and free hand
drawing connected with modelling, painting,