Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1880-09-01
Gen. Garfield and tho LabOrlnu Men,

A great parade has been made 10 OIL
the political biographies Of Gen, Gar
field Of the fact that he was born ~
humble circumstances aud that IN bis
youth he drove mules on the tow path
Of canal. But his record as friend
OF tho class with whom he associated
IN hls youth Ia not referred to by his
biognphers. They deal 10 glltter'ng
generalilies. They know bis acts are
not 10 accordance with their encomi'
uma. In his exalted station no has
become the friend, the champion, the
beneficiary oi every monster corpora
ton like the Credid Mobilier Of Amer
lea, which stole S50,000,0OO IRON tho
Peoples Treasury 10 building tho Un'
ion Pacific Railroads like tho SiI CHI
ncse Companies Of San Francisco, that
iattens at the expense OF Free Ameri'
can Laborj like the Golden Free
Trade League Of England of which
he Is an honorary member
In the Forty-third Congress, when
Mr.. Garfield was Chairman of the
Committee on Appropriations Of tho
House oil Representatives, he brought
10 the Sundry Civil Bill with a clause
cutting down the wages of tho print
ers who work In the Government
Printing Office. Gen. Hawley, Of
Connecticut, moved to strike out this
clause, reducing the compensation OF
skilled mechanics. Gen. Garfield in
sisted that the printers in tho govern
ment employ were overpaid-ttat
they received moro and better pay
than they were entitled to. AT the
close of the next session Of Congress
he engineered through an amendment
to the Legislative, Executive and Ja'
dicial Appropriation Bill which not
only increased his own pay but ex'
tended it back to the beginning Of the
Congress. In the discussion OF the
clause reducing the printers wages
Gen. B. L. Butler, Of Massachusetts,
took the floor and said that when
Congress would 60 10 work and re-
duce the interest on the Government
Bonds, that cost only 3S cents on the
dollar, and by intervening legislation
OF Congress had been raised to the
value of $l.16, he would be willing to
consider proposition to reduce the
wages of laboring men. Capitalists
could always come to Congress and
secure legislation to protect theis in
terests, and SO long as this continued
he was IN favor Of the mechanical
and laboring classes organizing TO
protect their interests.
Gen. Garfield contended that Con-
gress had the right to make the wages
of the printers what it saw fit' No
one denied the p0wer Of Congress to
legislate against the employees Of the
Government Printing Office. It was
the equity of the thing for which Gen.
Butler and others contended. Gen.
Hawlcy, of Connecticut, insisted that
the wages paid printers in Washing
ton were not too high. Gen. Garfield
admitted that the printers in the Gov
ernmeut Office did more night work,
and that their employment was more
irregular than in outside printing Of
fees that the cost Of living in Wash
ington was higher than elsewhere, but
still he contended that these workmen
ought not to be paid more than print
ers elsewhere received. On the mo-
ton to strike out this clause reducing
the printers wages Gen. Garfield vot'
ed No-(see Congressional Record 4Sd
Cong, lst sess., PIP. 4S77,s-so'a)