The Labor enquirer., 1884-03-22
Eight Hours.
Editor LABOR ENQUIRER

DENVER, March l6.-The tension of
muscle during twelve or even ten hours
of work, manual labor, physical exertion,
is such that if continuous daily, say from
20 years of age to 40, the body is worn
out and the next twenty years of life,
instead of being the result of accnmula-
ton, and source of enjoyment, becomes
the lamentable effect of decline. When
man should enjoy the fruits Of his labor,
lie has become the sorrowful object of
decrepitude, worn out in body and con-
sequently in mind. His moral courage
is gone. He is an actual pauper. Eight
hours of honest labor during the above
mentioned period of his laboring life
however, will leave him hail and hearty,
in a condition of good strong health and
mind, able and conditioned to enjoy &C
cumulation. Thus it should be. Now,
the workman, the artisan, the mechanic,
the laborer and all who earn their living,
should not work over eight eight hours
day. And they should also rest the
seventh day. And all this should be
paid we'll and alike as if ten, twelve or
even more hours were cxacted by the
never satisfied hyena, Capital.
Thus it should be! Make it so Force
it to be so. Demand it thus How can
it be achieved by labor?
Walk right into it, as if you were
walking into a water hole to pull out
drowning child. Don't look to your
boots or stockings, don't bother about
the mud you are apt to become bespat-
tered with, but walk right in and pull
the thing out of the jaws OF the hydra
headed monster Capital. Do not give up
voting yet, for the people are not educa-
ted enough to drop the fraudulent thing
called the ballot, But vote
But do not vote for the man who will
not pledge himself, if elected to the state
legislature, that he will bring in the
Eight hours a legal days work" bill
and will vote for its passage. Capture
the legislature boys! Capture it! Con-
uuer it Do not care what political party
YOUR man belongs to, if he will agree to
stand by labor all through, Vote for
him, but make him sign contract, that
he will stand by you through thick and
thin. or withdraw from the legislature.
Get enough such men elected, to make
a majority of both houses, or defeat any
bill not for the laborer. Or force them
to resign and come back if they waver.
Make your men responsible for their
votes in the legislative assembly.
Workmen, you are the people, you are
the voters, you are the producers, you
are the real government. Exercise your
prerogatives and win! Capital must
divide profits with you equally, or 1t
must be annihilated. You hear Con-
gress will do nothing for you. Elect
your men to your state legislatures
Then your men will elect your men to
the United States senate, and you will
elect our men to the house of represen-
tatives next, and your men will in con-
gress see the rights of labor protected.
Elect YOUR men into every county and
state convention and they will nominate
your men for state officers You must
control democratic as we'll as republican
caucuses and conventions, and then you
will win. Nobody will help the labor
ing man, if he will not help himself.
Never mind what political party you
think you belong TO- Your first duty IS
to Yourself Labor is your party. ., Do
OF look right or left, work, fight, stran-
gle, and capture for labor! If you do
not you are left behind, for capital,
monopoly, the idlers, money loaners'
land sharks and honorable thieves will
never help you. They need labor, but
{ they do not want to pay it honestly and
fairly. Fight your natural enemies and
win. \. W.