The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-02

property OF tnat great Dody Oh us
citizens whose estate consists solely of the
physical and mental ability of its members to
perform productive labor as sedulously as it pro-
tects and defends the real and personal estate
of those who derive incomes from such posses
sions. Again, if it be said that by limiting the
hours of labor we would increase the cost of our
productions, and destroy our own market for
them by admitting the productions of the over
worked and under paid laborers of other lands
in competition with them, answer that, If pro-
lection against defense against such invasions
which must produce alternating periods OF en-
forced idleness and excessive labor be the right
of our working people, we can and ought to de-
fend them by such tariff of customs duties as
would effectualy exclude from our market the
cheaper productions of the wronged laborers of
other lands.
General View of the Labor Question.
By Hon. Leland Stanford, Senator from California.
l have always believed in paying for labor by
the hour. I think it is the fairer way, and is
more just to the men employed and to the men
who pay for their employment In some labor
eight hours is as long as man should be en-
gagged. but in other kinds of labor men can
work ten and twelve hours without detriment to
themselves We find it road, the Cen
trail Pacific, more satisfactory to US and to the
men, to pay by the hour, and permit the men to
work as long as they choose. l find that the
greater part of them usually prefer to work ten
hours. These men have labor to sell, and the
amount they sell of it we leave to their own
judgment / think it woula be better il this
rule should prevail everywhere. Labor is a
commodity; its value depends upon the demand
for it and it's power of production, and cannot be
regulated by legislation. If one man can pro.
duce as much in eight hours as another man
can produce in ten he ought to be paid as much,
not by the length of time he is employed, but
by the amount that he produces 70 pay men
by the day is often premium upon
idleness, and an idle, worthless man
going to receive as much compensation as the
ind ustrious man who is next to him. There
always ought to be a community of interest be-
tween the employer and the employed The
workman ought to know and keep uppermost in
his mind the fact that the prosperity of his en-
ployer means his own prosperity, and the en-
ployer ought to know and keep in mind the fact
that the prosperity of his workmen is necessary
to his success There is no advantage to an en-
ployer that pays a man less than his labor is
worth He will be loser in the end if he does
it. We employ 10000 men and we have never
had strike except once, and that was gang of
Cinnamon who stood out for one day only under
a misunderstanding. We have prevented strikes
by treating our men fairly, by paying them all
that their labor was worth, and have never
had difference that could not be arranged salts
factoriy when the circumstances were under
stood on both sides.
Most employers on the Pacific coast
work their men more than eight
hours, and we have done it ourselves. do not
think that it is I'M urious to a man who studies
sobriety and is regular in his habits to work ten
hours day, and | know great many men who
can safely work twelve hours without injury to
themselves, and produce good results but such
men ought to be paid according to the amount
of the service they render. and not by the time
they occupy in performing that service. This is
true particularly with regard to men who run
machinery. A man can sit by machine twelve
or fourteen hours day and not be tired. If his
machine is in good order it will require very little
attention, but there will come time when his
immediate and whole attention and strength
must be devoted to the care of his engine and
the value of his service such occasions will be
measured by his skill. You cannot measure
such mans service by the hour, and he ought
to be paid according to his ability and what is
required Of him. / have never had a fairOp-
portunity to study the workings of the eight
hour law, but believe that the average of in
tellgence and ambition among the working
men in this country is greater than
anywhere else in the world There are always
men in every community who will waste their
time no matter how much they have, but the
majority Of them will improve their leisure
either in study or in physical recreation. which
is just as important. / have always worked
more than twelve hours day myself, and have
been with workmen ever since / was little
boy. NY father built the old Mohawk railroad
the first railroad that was built in New York,
and began my association with laboring men
then.
believe in the elevation of labor and think
that the best way to reach that is through CO.
operation. That is the coming system. and it
will not be many years before most Of the labor
in this country will be performed by cooperative
societies, so that those who are engaged in labor
will have share in the profits they produce.
There should be partnership between labor and
capital. They cannot succeed separately or at
Odds and think worKingmen ought to be en-
couraged to form cooperative associations
Labor Should Have Employment and Re-
Enumeration.
BY Senator Henry l.. Dawes. OF Massachusetts.
I voted in the House of Representatives
for the enactment of the eght-hour law origi-
since when it has been up for discussion. I was
upon the appropriations committee, and aided
in procuring an appropriation for the paymest OF
all employees Of the government, to whom the
law applied, for all extra hours beyond the re-
qured eight hours. OF course, should not have
taken this position with reference to the law,
had not been of opinion that it would In the
end prove beneficial both to the employer and
the enaploye. In the long run. real benefit to
one will always be q benefit to the other and
there cannot long continue an antagonism be-
tween employer and employe, which will not
work harm to both.
The present troubled conditions of the rela-
tons between employer and employee cannot but
awaken anxiety in all earnest minds. What is
the true remedy it would. in my opinion, be
rash for anybody to attempt TO formulate In ex-
act words. In my judgment different remedies
must be applied in different sections and under
the different conditions which necessarily arise
in the great variety Of employments and invest
ments of capital by the employer. can hardly
all existing conditions will be q eolution of the
problem. When both employer and employee
shall better understand each others rights. and