The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-22
THE SOCIALISTS.

New ORLEANS. May 81, 1879.
To the Editor Of the Democrat:
The Socialstic Labor party Of this city has
delivered to the Convention q petition for legis-
Iative measures In behalf of the working popu-
lation. the vast majority of the people, the
creators Of all wealth, whose happy or misera-
BILE condition causes all classes either to -four
ish or to suffer.
One Of tho Legislative acts recommended In
this petition is contained In tho first article Of
our platform:
Eight hours for The present as legal rorking
day. and prompt pmnis h71emt for all rtoators
There IL not only in this State. but also all
over the land, general depression Of business.
distress. ruin and desolation, of homes. A
million of tramps are rowing about the land,
homeless, without means of subsistence.
Stunned and chased like wild beast4 ana nee
essarily BY habit more and more sinking into
degradation. Imhecile legis atures make cruel
laws against them to rob them of the last
remnants of civic dignity and self esteem.
while most Of them. formerly industrious citi-
zens, cOnld b. reclaimed by wise egisa ion
What Ia the cause Of this general misery and
rapid progress in our downward career 1t ts
the duty OF Legislation to find out the cause aud
to provide means against the general distress,
porary. Our demand Of eight hours for q legal
working day would go far to bring about q
arithmetics which any person of common
sense will understand easily The shorter the
time OF working day the more persons have
to be employed to complete the same task.
For examele: If for certain work eight
persons are employed working twelve hours u
day. then law a. suggested above would com
pei the employer to give work to Twelve persons
working eight hours day Such law, carried
throuR h strictly, would ensure work to most of
the unemployed rs the present length of a
working day ranges between ten and sixteen
hours. The vast army Of idlers thus being
decreased and changed into regular,.y, working
population, they would, instead of living on
aims pluntar pkinu n rnbla
existence of semi starvation at once become
consumers, and by that alone all business
would revive.
Some persons might say. well. If the hours
of work should be reduced the pay would be- re-
duced likewise What of that? The wages are
reduced re-" continually. and will be reduced again
Bread and Water Beecher by the fierce comps
tition of the unemployed and starving work
ingman against the one rho has a job. And
even it a general reduction OF wages would fol-
low the enactment OF an eight hour law all
men being employed and no "scdJs" to be
dreaded, wages would soon go up again. Like
wise; as by this reduction of labor workingmen
would have more leisure time, thus being
enabled to improve their knowledge and their
taste for enlOymen'S, con5um ution again would
be increased and with 1t the demand for labor
Thus 1t may be plainly seen that the reduction
OF the hours Of lsbor is the first, step towards
renewed prosperity. and legislation has to
make this reduction compulsory.
1t is needless to say legislation has no right
TO Interfere In such way Does not legislation
interfere continually for one class only, and
hss al eaf ba e ayovtd Oh Macy states
Such laws may be laughed a. scoffed at, de-
clared despotic even. but their constitutional
right has not been questioned yet. If legisla-
ton can prohibit the work certain ddu to
satisfy the whim Of one class of the population
only why should it have no right to prohibit
W9fk a1 CERTAIN i9 10 NV when the happiness of
Respectfully ' L6DWIG 4. GE1ssLER.