Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-30

latlon TO pubic prosperity, interests the
whole OF society, claims its attention and
solicits it's vigilance. That kind of con.
tiict you know, gentlemen, whatlt is called
and to what it leads. The adversaries of
our proposition do not wish the reduction
of working hours to come from legal pro-
vision would they much better prefer to
see it continued by mears of strikes? As
to myself, consider that strikes are a great
harm Not that | belong to those whom
they inspire with bitter reflections and
words of blame. consider it supremacy
unjust that in the state OF antagonism in
which all interests are placed to day, that
the workmen should be
ACCUSED OF CRIME
In uniting to obtain the benefit of a COM
mon protection. But as much of this
means of defense is natural, just so is it
disastrous. In struggles OF this kind, the
victory must belong to him who can wait
the longest time, and the battle being terri
bly unequal between those who lose but
part of their earnings and those who lose a
part of their bread, one trembles in thinking
of the sacrifices which the workmen during
a strike are forced to make, OF the priva-
tions which they have to endure-wthout
other results, very often, than to see them
selves obliged to submit, happy still if they
are not condemned to take up their burden
again under conditions more severe than
before whereas the losses inflicted on the
masters are found to have diminished that
portion of the public wealth which is con-
secrated to the remuneration of work. l
ask you, gentlemen, csn We, ought we to
remain Indifferent to that which leads TO
such calamities. Have we nothing to see
in the we'll being of class whose labor con-
tributes to so high degree to the we'll
being of all the others? Besides, isnot society,
taken in it's ensemble, doomed to suffer
when, owing to violent disagreement be-
tween the two great agents of production,
the factories are closed; when work is
stopped when the war of folded arms
does not end in exhaustion except after
having devoured an enormous mass of
capital and caused immense ruin was
in England at the time of the masons'
strike at London, called the nine-hour
law-for they wished to reduce to nine
| hours the workman's day-and the sight of
the sufferings OF which that great struggle
was the source will never leave my memo
| ry. However, that is where the doctrine
of tzisSez taire is leading u.s. so dear to Ger.
tain economists. Because it is lawful for
| the master to impose on the workman such
condition of work as may please him, it
must be admitted that it is lawful for the
workman to refuse them and that which
| they are free to do to one they are free to
| do to two, ten, a thousand, ten thousand
the fact OF association being in itself an
! application of individual liberty. But
then it is the domain of industry trans.
! formed into battlefield 1t is war A
war in which the qualities even which it
! develops III the workman-firmness, con.
stancy, spirit of sacrifice, devotion to the
good or evil interest comprised in the com.
mon cause-belong to the order of militant
virtues, and in which hunger too often per.
| forms the offices OF the sword"
THE DEBATE.
have extracted these sentences, which
l fear, however, may give but an incom.
plete idea of the beauty and force of the
ensemble OF the speech. Considerable de-
bate followed these eloquent words of the
eminent orator, in which the Government
took part and explained the infeasibility oil
the State interfering with the liberty Of
the workman, and how little desirable il
was to establish the precedent. The bill
was rejected, but an amendment reducing
the hours from twelve to eleven was
passed; that as may be seen the principle
has been established, and all, although
convinced Of the truth of the arguments,
decided with the interest of the master
before them rather than the condition
of the workman. Louis Blanc consid.
cred he had been extremely modest
IN his demands while asking the re-
ductio9 to ten hours, and yet it has
proved too much for the non progressive
| lawmakers. Just think. From o'clock
in the morning until 7 at night, with an
| hours rest at noon, the working people OF
| France are at their labors. No wonder
they are becoming stunted, misshaped
race, wherein crooked limbs, pinched,
homely faces, and physical deformity in
general, are almost as common as the per-
lection of the human form. These work
men sometime live miles distant from their
field of work, and as early as and 5
o'clock in the morning, just as pleasure
seeking Paris is returning to rest after
dissipation, they may be seen moving on
to their labors. What courage, what for
titude, to so continue lifetime, every
day in the week, for Sunday is not a day
of rest, and the majority of workmen are
engaged in their work on that day, to so
continue to the grave without SO much as
grinding of the teeth. Surely these eau.
tious lawmakers have never in imagination
put themselves in their place, and all
wor kmen may feel grateful and proud to
find SO powerful and so earnest an advo-
cate of their rights as Louis Blanc, whose
memory will long remain honored among
them.
INDEMNITY.
A demand has been made of the Govern
ment for an Naturalization in favor of the
victims of the coup d'etat of the ID of
December. The subject has been brought
before the Chamber, and yesterday when
at the tribune one of the victims reminded
his hearers of the sorrow cause by the pros
cription, husbands separated from their