, 1884-07-18

Pointed Remarks From an Employer on
the subject.

70 the Editor OF THE LRApER
CHEYENNE, July lT.-Refcrring to an
article in the SIN of Tuesday morning re
lating to the effort of the Cheyenne En-
ployes Mutual Association to obtain less
hours of labor, allow us a few words in
reply and of explanation. This move
ment is not prompted by the employees, as
such movements usually are, because of
the oppression of the employers, but on
the contrary by the employers themselves,
and the hearty cooperation, OF course, Of
the employees. Cheyenne merchants are
liberal and progressive in their ideas.
They recognize that the town is changing
and progressing, hat what in the manner
of doing business was necessary and con
v~enient to the public a few years since, no
longer exists to any extent. The custom
of doing business fifteen, sixteen and
seventeen hours a day, in Cheyenne, is
one which has come to us from the earlier
days of the town, as such customs, with
many Others, prevail in new and frontier
towns, and country towns in all communi-
ties where inhabitants are ancient in their
ideas, and have become overgrown with
moss. The merchants of Cheyenne
wish to be obliging and extend every
courtesy consistent to their patrons-do
justice to themselves and their employees.
Now it is not Justice to merchants or
their employees to open their places of
business at 6 or : O'Clock Il. m. and keep
them open until 9 or 10 O'Clock p. m,
making fifteen or sixteen hours of bust
ness, when this business can much better
be done in three hours less time-that is,
from e or I o'clock IL. H.. until : O'Clock
p. M. The most approved methods of do
ing business are matters of fact and com
mon consent in the larger towns. Mer-
chants in live and progressive towns east
and west close their places of business
every day at 6 or 7 O'Clock p. m, or at least
three days during the week at this time.
They all agree in saying that they make
more money by so doing, and make sufi-
cient concessions to the public for their
convenience. There are fewer valid rea-
sons why Cheyenne should require more
hours for doing business than almost any
other town in the United States. Chey-
n n is not an agricultural or n manulac-
turing community, consequently Il large
share of its trade does not require that its
merchants should do business outside of
recognized business hours. Our trade is
largely local and from distant ranches.
Surely u local trade can find time and
convenience to do their shopping between
the hours of ! a. m. and 7 p. IN. In
Cheyenne there are no more delightful
hours for a lady to do her shopping than
from 4 o'clock p. IN. till : o'clock p. III.
and later OF from . O'Clock p. IN. As for
the distant ranchmen they usually remain
in town at least one and two days, If from
a shorter distance they do their shopping
during the earlier hours of the day and
start for their homes before G or ! O'Clock
p. IN. Besides all this we are sure that
the people Of Cheyenne in general are lib
eral and generous, as well as the merchants
and employees. We believe they are will
ing and glad to waive any little personal
Inconvenience to accommodate and add 30
much pleasure and benefit to so large a
number of their fellow citizens. Every
man and woman, whether young or old,
owes, as a matter of justice to themselves,
Il certain number of their wakeful hours
to be used for their WI personal happi-
ness as they may feel inclined. The
question is, rs life worth living We
answer no, not if ones whole strength,
ambition, life and very existence is de
voted to business for sixteen hours Il day.
The reasons are too obvious. We are
tired and worn, nature demands sleep and
rest, the day is gone and the night a large
part. We have no time if We would for
other things-riding, reading, entertain
ments, calls and the thousand and one
little affairs which go to make our lives
worth anything, to make more intelligent
men and women. We are slaves. body
and soul, to acquiring Il living when it can
much better be accomplished in three
fourths Of the time. We are sure that
after giving a little thought every intelli-
gent merchant, their families, friends and
the public will welcome Il reform in the
number of hours for doing business in
Cheyenne. We have not stated the i'm
mense advantage from n business view
only in doing the same amount of bust
ness in less time. Suffice tito say the
argument is in the same parallel us the
old stage coach to the modern railway.
old beliefs, superstitions and oppression
to modern beliefs, science, art and liber-
atty. Let us try the fewer hours. Give
the employees, the merchants, sons and
daughters, every one, the very reasonable
time of two or three hours out of the
t%wenty-four that they may get what little
happiness they can out of this strife for
existence, more time for recreation.
amusement, reading, culture.
W. \. w.
To the Trading Community.
We-the undersigned merchants Of the
city of CHEYENNE, do hereby aprrc to close