Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-04-07
CITY AND DISTRICT.
THE EIGHT HOUR MOVEMENT.
What WOrkingmen Say Of the Contest
for Shorter Hours.

for Shorter Hours.
CLAIM THAT BUILDING WILL NOT COST
MoRE-EIGHT REASONS URGED IN BEHALF
OF THE EIGHT HOUR SYSTEM.
Members of various trade organizations, with
whom STAR reporter talked at the meeting
of the Federation of Labor last evening, In
speaking of the eight hour movement, disputed
the figures given by Mr.. Robert /. Fleming,
president of the Master Builders association,
as to the increased cost of building under the
eight hour rule. Some of the members asserted
| that it would be demonstrated after May LIST
that building would not cost any more, and
they expressed the opinion that the builders
would be glad to come to them at their own
terms. Mr. Billingsley, secretary of the FEEDER
| alton, said that already the cooperative gangs
had been very successful in securing work.
"Some one tried sharp trick on US" said Mr..
| ting material, but did not succeed. We can
get all the material and trimmings that we
want. do not agree with what Mr.. Edmon-
tiers will, II necessary, take lower wages. They
will not, am sure, do that. At any rate they
will not do 1t now. If, when our resolutions
| were first presented to them, the master build.
ers had held conference with us and called in
| the material men, an amicable arrangement
might have been affected"
| MR.. DENHAM's ARGUMENT FOR EIGHT HOURS
II claim,' said Mr.. Thomas S. Denham, of the
| Painters assembly, who presided at the recent
conference at which the hours for going to and
quitting work were agreed upon, 'that the in
crease in the cost OF building after May 1st will
| not be on labor but on material. / claim that
| any person that wants to build now can have
the work done at the same figure as last year.
SO far as labor Is concerned. The time Of daily
| toll through labor-saving implements has been
lessened in the past century from sixteen hours
to ten, and always leSsentng to the advantage
OF all classes; but, although more rapid Intro
duction OF machinery has been made In the
last twenty years than in whole century be-
| fore, there has been no shortening of daily
working time for over thirty years; conse-
quently, the productive powers OF the country,
of the ability to consume Hence, the discharge
| OF workmen from factories the increase of des-
T Tuition, and the general duness OF business
| eight will give opportunity tor two more men to
work for every ten now employed. In other
| Will require twelve men. This gives twenty
| more men employment for every hundred, CIV
ing immediate and steady employment to al!
willing aud able to work Eight hours instead
| of ten, mean a gain of two hours each day, one
day each week: fifty-two days year, time sui-
| fcient to enable every unlettered person to
| learn to read and write; time in which every
| foreigner can learn to speak the English Ian
guage and famiiarize himself with his
| political duties as an American citizen. find
a serious objection often made against the
| Introduction of the eight-hour system is that
spent in saloons but I know that wnen men
know they can depend upon having two hours
spare time regularly every day they will be
| more likely to devote that time to the cultiva-
| ton OF the mind or to improving their home or
surroundings, and less likely to spend it in
saloons than when their idle time comes irregu-
larry in consequence OF an inability to tind
| steady employment. l claim that the eight
hour rule IS in the interest OF capital as well as
| OF labor. The plain facts are that the strike,
lockout, business failures, general business de-
preston throughout the world, overlooking
producing power of the country being far in
excess OF the ability to consume. We make and
pe ws ean rs IN
| prices; then u lowering of wages, succeeded by
| strikes and resistance OF wage-worEers, and q
as nfen are unable To buy there is a great under
consumption; goods piling up on one side.
other. To remedy this state OF affairs produc-
ton must be lessened. To do this by destroying
machinery Is barbarous. 1t is wiser far to
by lessening the hours in which machinery and
men labor in the work OF production. The benefit
to The mercantile and manufacturing interests
ing of production, will be at once evil
dent in the advance in prices while every
will be able to buy at higher prices. Prosperity
| exists and activity in business is manifest
when prices are tending upward; stagnation,
endins Eight hours viii I, send she
life-currcnt OF business pulsating throughout
and energy to tagging industries that are now
| almost dead. The advantages of eight hours
to the laboring classes will bel, employ
ment; 2, steady employment; 3, relief
from anxiety that comes from idleness
and poverty; 4, an opportunity to lay
Inc e ses an %
family by daylight; ., more time for tntellec-
tuai improvements; Z, a chance for outdoor
com PEELED to take Sunday for that purpose; 8,
the ability TO obtain respectable dress and
good Whereby
social gatherings, resulting in intellectual,
moral and spiritual Improvement: Prot: Hux-
ley says: 1.-The 71e million workers of Eng
land with the present means of labor can pro
duce as much In six months as they could do in
one year 30 years ago" John Stuart Mill lays:
inventions yet made have lightened the day IS
toll of any human being. Louis Blanc says:
which has not been u subject OF anguish and a
cause OF distress to fathers ana families -
Moody, Of New York, in speaking OF the great
change wrought by machinery, says: at has de-
stroyed the system OF family and household
manufacturing, and now cOmpes us to labor in
jail-iike factories from ten to twelve hours per
day" Charles Dickens wrote in his american
Notes" lorty years ago, that the citizens OF
Boston would he struck with as much conster.
nation should they meet oeggar Us they would
to meet an angel with a flaming sword. Had
Charles Dickens been able to revisit Boston last
winter he would have found 10000 people de-
pending upon public and private charity.
From the broad fact that the census OF 1870
estimated the average annual income OF GU!
wage-workers at a little over $500 per year, and
| the census OF 1880 estimates it at a little over
$500 per year, we see that in ten years our con.
dition has become rs per cent worse Is labor
| to blame for this? We do not urge eight hours
: in the interest OF any one class. We ask 1t FOL
| the good OF the prisoner who is suffering con
fineinent and shame, because want drove him
there; we ask it TOR the pauper in the asylum
who sought that shelter rather than starve; we
ask 1t tor the toiling millions, who ind theil
daily evenings becoming less and less, with
final discharge from work, idleness and pow
| erty confronting them; we ask it fol
the merchants who are struggling to avoid
bankruptcy through slow sale, and the steady
falling OF prices OF the goods on their shelves
we ask it for the manufacturers whose ma
chinery is standing still, and we ask 1t for the
iervently invoke the aid OF the press the
| clergy, teachers and all persons in authority
Give us employment for the Idle masses who
are struggling for bread; give US chance to
send pauper and criminal back to shop and
, field and factory, where they may get an hon
, est living; give us back again health and bloom
Tor the sunken-eyed, star wing sewing women
who are making shirts for 80 cents per dozen
and pants for $1.25 per dozen; give us homes
7 give US an honest opportunity tor every human
being to possess the reasonable comforts OF lie
give us eight hours. am willing TO meet the
master builders and merchants in any hall and
debate this question. will prove to the an
dtence that building will not cost any more
= In 1886 than In 1855 for labor"
Virginia Coupons.
THEY ARE RECEIVABLE FOR LICENSE TAXES
Last week E G. Jones, q commercial traveller
from Philadelphia. who had offered to pay hi
3 license tax with state coupons, which were re
z fi1cod tad xy3rb a