The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-05-23

hAS oCCOuQb uu0 Wuetncr IL " y PidCttCs- l "
bic within any near psrcentsge for man tn
which he had done in ten. And you will il
ind some remarks of mine somewhere upon Al
that question and the point that the expert Il
ment should be tried. 1T
Now. this House snd this Congress have h
never asked, so far as l know, ior any re-
mort upon the results Of that experiment. 1 v
Wish the Committee on Education and La p
her xould do so because believe it will a
,rrn ont that upon careful investigation
within a near percentage the same amount
of work has been done subsequently 10 the
pas sage of that law in eight hours that was
previously done in ten hours.
Mr.. DUNNELL-May i as the gen''e-
man a question?
Mr.. BUTLER-Yes, sir. II
Mr.. DUNNELL-Am ] to understand,
then, that this law has been substantially
complied with so that report could be
| furnished?
| Mr.. BUTLER-Yes, sir.
| Mr.. DUNNELI-Then why this resolu-
ton? IL
Mr.. BUTLER-Iwill tell you why. 1t
is complied with in some establishments
and it is not in Others.
| Mr.. cox, Of New York. Tha, is 1t pre-
ci~ly.
Mr.. BUTLER. 1t was attempted to be
stranaled in its birth by the opinion Of an
Attorney General, and then the President
oyerrode the opinion of that Attorney-Gen-
| eral and ordered that the system should pe
tried. and il has been tried in the arsenals
and in the armories But owing to the
great economy forced upon the Navy I'M
derstand the Secretary of the Navy has de
E cI,red that all the navy-yards must work
ten hours. and do not know how far the
5 report will show the difference between
: EIGHT hours work and ten hours work In
the Navy. III,
Now. then, think that the Law should
y still remain on the stair .e-book, and being
on the statute-book like every other Law,
there ia no man on earth who ought to dis
obey it. The difficulty with it is like what
il is with almost all the rest Of your laws
Is YOU have not any penalty attached to 1t.
, would like to put q penalty upon any mar
who undertakes to set up his will agalns
y the will of the legislative power and say ne
will or he will not execute the law accord
p ing as his own good Judgment dictates
=. We have got too much OF that in this coun-
y. try-a great deal too much-.nd Will no,
or stop longer now to speak OF that matter a. a,
s this time; but / hope this resolution WI,
- pass. And make it imperative; ProVideo
= fine and imprisonment for anybody Nhe
n' will not carry it out Let us have some
powder in our resolution and balls WIN
so that it will be enforced.
On Mr.. BANKS-Will the gentleman iron
Virginia Weld to me for a few moments!
nc Mr.. GOODE-I yield to the gentlemal
=, five minutes.
Mr.. BANkS-The reason Why tins resc
IL. luton does not relate 90 or provide for al
900 the working people Of the country as s'e
ON pested by the gentleman from lillAcn
oo that We have not jurisdiction over that IL
mo Dor. But if the eight hour law which tn
IN resolution Is intended to enforce shall SUI
an coed as other efforts OF this kind have SUI
ooo creded il will in the end extend its ben
no 6ceut and happy influence to labor OF evel
sal class in every part of the country. In Is
90 the President Of the United States witho
ga any law at all issued an order upon 3
Om own authority that the labor in the nav
7m yarus of the United States and their wol
40 shops should be limited to ten hours. III
IN was carried out, and the influence OF tn
ao order was such that in nearly all oil u
, "a labor establishments of this country whei
"a ever it can be applied from the nature
!, oO he business the ten hours system oil lao
, an has been adopted, and is applied to me- m.
. L women anu clllurtu. II hdr W." "Pf.
. "a tn all the corporations and manufacturi
. a., and mechanical establishments Of Mas
. IA chusetts and in most of the other, Stat
ooo No one proposes the establishment OF
. o.o old system OF twelve, fourteen hours d'
!, .o md even sixteen hours day, az men,
| ooo men. and children were worked in Engia
some wears since. Now, If the exist
eiSht-hour law when thoroughly tes
hall be found To be advantageous to
industries to the Government and
hands engaged therein, the example OF
- nj Government will be accepted as IT eugh'
W be and applied to the labor OF the eoun
generally, wherever j. Is applicable.
desire to submit another ccnsideratl
Mr.. Sneaker. of greater importance.
demand tn Il the lGboring men Oh the co
= try shall obey the laws. A great deal
bceu said on account of their having
nsent some pl,.,s some months since resisted
alton laws. We are setting most scandal
ne a and criminal example OF disregardlns
E but | laws of the United States. We allow
agents Of the Government To iorce u
nmit- lsborers that which the law absolutely
positively forbids. The agents OF the u
abor, eminent do not admit it. They say
ais o; the law does not require them to pay
nm. IN. chanc or laborer for days labor unies'
same works ten hours which they assume "
the | ont authority and in defiance oil law U
ID. DAVIS work. This resolution Will ch
. this practical injustice.
v: Now let me saw that this law inaks '
rese m, little change in regard to the labOrer',
roved entails no loss upon the Government.
Iuting average labor in the navy-yards OF
'oreds country for a year ia not over eight b
United and half day, nor has IL been 1t
work time since they were established.
rsnu never work after shutdown, and IN vi
made the days are short in almost all the .
y the where the navy-yaris are situated, and
e San. result il that eight hours and hall q
the average Of days work. 1t was
intended when the eight-hour law wal
.ou W acted that the reduction in the hoU
: To- labor should affect the rate Of wages.
~ rate of wages was fixed by another Ii
le'o different law. That law has never
order. repealed.
uM the s,atute-book II it has been dro
Win out in the revision OF the statutes, 1t
l., ,h., by accident, not by authority. The
:. . r;,h which was made BY Congress and apr
g., - bv the President requires that the was
n III the navy-yaids shall be regulated an
- tabl;ehed from time to time by tne ~
relating to the subject OF wages alone.
- The law OF lSbS reIates
,onsen' the number of hours OF labor that
que! constitute legal days work; lhedec
ION me If The supreme Court turned upon
pom Dy onss,;ons whether the Government
o,,,,a,t or not with the persC
eIs and smnIoved. 1t does not affect this que
same is as the gentleman from Virginia mas 50
said.
law 1t ought to call for reports from
TO tina, ina Departments as to the effect 1t has
mon its interests, The Law ought eitl
be- enforced or repealed. ] shall vote
e pre- great satisfaction for the report Of the
zion as mitttes on Education and Labor and
passage Of the joint resolution, and
ed and cratiiied and will say gratefr. T. the
8 upon ilemen Of that committee for having
'ended, sented il at this time.
e. Mr.. GOODE l nov yield hve MI
uire OF to the gentleman from Kansas, Mr.
Goode lips. ,.o r.
!, apply Mr.. PHILLIPS In 1868, Cor
o labor passed a Law which fixed eight hours
days labor in Government yards,
ave no shops, and on all Government WORKS:
zee en- of course. could not fI the hours oil
will say under private contracts for the labor
as been the country, for Congress has no cont
ucation that, but il was the example set b
ais and Government in fixing eight hours as a
nber Of labor in all places where 1t had co
en en- Many persons we'll qualified to spess