Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-11-01
SHERMAN EXPOSED
BY IN OHIO WORKINGNAN.

times that we beg our readers to con
it carefully:
sherman and the worisingmen.
Hon. John Sherman:
Dear Sir,-Finding you in the State OF
my adoption making political speeches,
in my opinion not in the interest Of the
laboring classes Of the country, take
the liberty Of calling your attention to
your professions of to-day and your
political acts Of the past. In those
official acts in the past
YOU HAVE DONE GREAT INJURY
and injustice to the great mass of the
workers Of the United States. To-day
you profess TO be the friend Of the
workingman. Do you mean simply in
words, or do you mean real acts of
goodness and friendships The Divine
Master said the tree should be known
by its fruit.
Therefore, to be brief, | will state
that laboring men of the United States
have for years striven and worked po-
litically with the hope that the
Government would reduce the hours Of
toll to eight hours per day as day task,
and when, through their labor organiza-
tons. they succeeded in having bill re-
ported to that effect in the House of
Representatives in the Thirty-ninth
Congress, 1866, blouse Reports, No.
29l, Rogers, New Jersey,) their hearts
were filled with joy, believing that the
Government was about to render unto
them tardy justice. But, to their
modification and sorrow, the bill
was killed in the committee, the
House Of Representatives then be-
ing Republican. The bill, however,
passed the House in the fortieth ses-
sion, the Democrats voting for it page
425 Congressional Ghbe, first session..
Hons. James G. Blaine and John A.
Logan were members and present, but
said not a word in its favor or gave a
vote for it. The bill as passed went to
the Senate March %, 1867 page 4l2
Congressional Globe, first session, For
tieth Congress). A dispute arose as
what committee it should be referred to.
One senator objected to its being re-
ferred to the Finance Committee, as it
would be sure to be killed there, as you
were chairman of the committee. 1t
was so ordered to your committee, and,
as predicted by the senator,
YOU KILLED IT
/. e., would not report it. So it slept
in your committee.
On June 3, 1868, Mr.. Hendricks,
Democratic senator from Indiana,
moved to take it up for consideration,
saving: " The bill is meritorious and
petitions have come to the Senate from
all over the United States, and up to this
time no attention has been paid to them
by the Senate. Now, in response
and respect to the sentiment Of the
country so generally expressed on this
subject, feel it my duty to call up the
measure for passage"
MIR. SHERMAN, FROM OHIO,
offered the following amendment after
the words United States, land unless
otherwise provided by lac the raie Of
wGges paid Jyhe United States shaH be
tie current rate for the same TUTOR for
the same time at the same place Of en-
ployment." lie opposed on principle
anything that would make laborer
for the Government privileged charac-
ter and entitled to higher wages than if
paid by a private individual. Page
3425 Congressional Globe, second ses-
sion. Fortieth Congress- would ask
if you are the same Mr.. Sherman, of
Ohio?
Mr.. Buckalew Democrat. from Penn
svlvania, advocated the bill, but OPP
posed Senator Sherman's amendment,
saving it would cucumber and embar-
rass the Government and practically
nullify the proposed law.
Mr.. Sherman then called for the yeas
and nays on his amendment, and it was
lost. The bill was passed, only one
Democrat. and that Mr.. Davis, of Ken
lucky, voting against it. Such was the
hostility against the eight-hOur law,
after it had passed Congress, on the
part of Government officials, all Re-
publicans, that General Grant, then
President, issued his proclamation,
May 10, 1869, which directed the Gov
eminent officers that from and after
this date no reduction shall be made in
the wages paid by the Government by
the day to laborers, workmen, and me-
chanics on account of such re-
duction in the hours Of labor" Still
this law and Grants proclama-
ton were not obeyed by the
officials. On May Is, 1872, Congress
passed an act requiring the officials Of
the Treasury to make good the wages
so withheld but this act commando
no more respect on the part of the Re-
publican officials than the preceding act
and the Presidents two proclamations,
and that they might not be further
annoyed by a law in favor of the
laboring masses Of the country, {
test case was made in 1874 for The
courts, and after passing through seye
raj it reached the Supreme Court o
the United States, and that cour
decided that the law does no
establish the price to be paid for 1
days work. Principals can employ
workmen at whatever price they think
fit, and the hours of labor AMI the price
to be paid are left to the determination
Of the parties interested. October
lS7G--94 United States Reports, pag,
81.
This decree, Senator, seems to me Il
be nicely conceived and worded upol
the principle that the wolf charged tn,
lamb with muddying the stream, thougl
the lamb was drinking below the wolf
The records show that the eight-hov
idto ores ITS birth TO the Democrat
party, and that Republican official
JougM IL to the death. And it was re
served for Republican Supreme Cour
TO give the final blow.
And finally, regarding the act to en-
courage immigration Ia Republican mea
sure), approved July 4, 1864:
[SectiOn 2. And eH further enacted
Twelve lines entire section In the dc