, 1879-08-05
A woRK1NoMAN OPPOSES EIGHT HOURS.

lecture IN Sunday last on the subject OF
"Yhat Eight Hours Viii Not Do for tho
workingman." A few weoka ago Mr.. InA
BrEwAnp, who Is represented as tho fore.
most advocate md ablcst representative Of
tic E;phi Hour League, delivered MI elabo-
rnte md philosophical ai.lross in this city, in
which ho presented the whole theory OF how
mankind was to DO benefited by tho rcauc-
tiou Of the hours OF labor. 1Io represented
the whole hunan family as of one country,
and no having tho ,sano rights and preroga.
tivcs, and rs men who ought to hayo the Same
hopes and ambitions, tho same taatos ard
wants, and who ought to work tho same nun.
ber Of hours aud days, autl DO entitled to tho
same rates of wages. or th,a human farnily,
however, tho great mass were savaeos or 70.
tluced TO slavery. whose labor was clenpor
than nny kind Of machinery, whose wants
voro reduced to the minimum, and were sat.
js6od with vaocs at i've cents nor day. So
long a. tho hordes of human laborors Of Asin
mud Africa. md OF otl,er rar,s of tho world.
could work Of such wages, it was impossible
for the workiuemon Of civilized uations 10
secure for themselves any fixctl tin1o for
lnbor or fixoa rate of wages, It was neces-
snrv. thon. Mr.. Sfrw.np contoudct]. TINT
mankind generally should bo elevated to d
common loyol, TINT nothing could be done
wl,on ynuoa was at a tluy iu QUO ,,lace md
six conts tlay in nnothur. md one pcop1o
workinp ono number Of t,ours Nor day and
othur roople working twice that nun,bor.
The oiRht-hour principto waB the universal
equalization of the hours Of labor and
Of wages. 1t could not bo dono by
ono trade, or in one town, or ono
section, or ono nation. 10 bo successful
1t ,nust no general nn1 !, universal, aud not
pArtinl and spas,nolsc.. :fhia argument by
3Ir. STEWARD WINS accepted by afr. MoAu-
11rpE Al All admission TINT the e,ght-Aour
schen,o IN this city WINS impractioal1o. 1t
wns m admission that to establish eight
hours as tho limit Of days labor iu Chicago
was to transfer MI productive business from,
this city to other places whero that system
was not in operation, and to adoptit in the
Unitod states would increase Tho coat Of pro-
ductoa in this country and transfer the busi-
nssa done hero to other lands, producing
cheaper. This was iluatrated by the transfer
Of British capital to Belgium, where the cost
Of production was loss than at homo. TIlo.
practical difficulty in tho way Of adopting tho
sight-hour ruEe by my community or coun-
Try was confessed it stood III tho way of any
such scheme, avsa II the sohe1no was dosir-
able.
rho expectatiou that by scitotion the
wholo world will bo moved to atlopt this
scl,orno WIS not well founded, The creator
:part ot mankind wero stlucatol and confirmed
+, THAR bahits of tho urht mud notion. rba
imitutiyu Chinese would haYo 10 DO untouubt
and uawly etlucatetl in order 10 riso 10 the
world leyel of utlopting uiglt hours as q dsy
for labor, or any fixed rate for wuRos. To
uulorteko to onlighton mankind, to lift nil
nations aul peoples to thu sa1uo loyel Of
thought, md to in,luca them to act Is 1uon-
bars Ut ono aud tho sano family, having one
mud the samo common interest. was t,onaloss.
It was not rossibie. ANY sucL Improvement
aa TINT must be slow md proercssiye, IL
nossiblo ut MI, 1Ia did not accent tho tl,sory
that tbe reduction of tho hoars of labor mn,
the abolition Of ch;ldrons labor. by in,
croasiuu tho dou,anl for labor. would raiso
Tho prtce Of all labor productions
aud thus, going round aud round,
everybody woulu bo benefited, Tho cost
Of living ha,l controlling power oyor the
ra,es OF wocc.. md tl,o oost If livino, tbor,.
f,,ro wo. rotrlutal Inv tha cost AZ nro,,rc-
tion. To Increase tho cost Of production by
re Inning tl,o l,oura of labor VIVA of uccossitv
| to reduco tho tlenautl for cousumptiop. Tho
do,nnul for conyun,p,iou being reduced. tia
demand Tor labor must decline accordingly.
wa rofor to NoAu11rys's locture to nbow
TINT thero Ia Mt least one Of thu ,noat int.l,.
gent aud st,aious Of tho agilatorg ON tbis
labor question who las buou conv;nce,1
bv tho discussion that tin a;uht t.hour
scheme ts i,upracticable. and. avon II