The Portland daily press., 1886-10-06
THE EIGHT-HOUR STRIKE


THE EIGHT-HoUR STRIKE
Which took place May 1st, was not SO sue
cessful except in cases where employers and
employed were acting in harmony, or where
employers were willing to adopt the plan.
In many cases the old system of working
long hours has been revived. The Fedora
tion of Trades recommended the 1st of Nav
but adopted or suggested no definite plan by
which the short-hour system could be inaug-
urated. l cautioned our members against
rushing into this movement. | had the right
to do it, and am firm in the belief that had ]
not done so great loss would have been en-
tailed upon vast numbers of our Assemblies
What said in my secret circular of March
18th has been severely criticised, and have
been accused of opposing the eight-hour
movement No statement ever was further
from the truth. l opposed the strike on May
1st because | knew that neither workmen
nor employers were ready fol- it, because the
education which must always precede intelli-
gent action had not been given to those most
in need of it, because no definite business
like plan for the Inauguration of the eight
hour movement had beeu mapped out In
fact, no preparations had been made to put
the plan, III it can be called a plan, into exc
cution. These are the reasons why / opposed
the movement on May 1st and for these
same reasons do still oppose it.
A reduction of the hours of labor is a ne
cessity, and sooner or later must be had, hut
we must not forget that in many places the
ten-hour plan has not been adopted yet. 1t
may do very, well for an organization which
looks after the interestsiOf but one craft or
calling to neglect those standing in the most
need of help. but a Knight of Labor must
never close his eyes to the wants of the hum
blest of his fellow creatures.
The very discussion of the sudden intro
duction of the eight-hour plan injured busi-
ness, so much so that in many places men
were rednced to half-time or thrown out of
employment altogether. Millions of dollars
worth Of work was left undone because of
the uncertainty in regard to taking contracts
or in making engagements to perform work
Never was it more clearly demonstrated that
AN injury to enc is the concern of alp' than
in the movement | am speaking Of. The
householder, through uncertainty as to how
many hours of labor his employees would
work for him, made no contracts to erect
buildings, and the carpenter was thrown out
of employment; the man who made the win
dow-glass the man who made the nails-in
fact, every man or woman engaged in the
manufacture of articles which go to build or
furnish houSe-suffered through the at
tempt to lattempt to enforce the eight hour
system ON May 1st. The move was in the
right direction, but the time and circum-
stances were not suitable. Before the eight
hour plan is adopted, the Knights of Labor
and the trades unions of America must lay
aside their Jealousies and differences, come
together, name day on which to put the
plan into execution, adopt the plan of ac-
tion, which must be gradual and such as
will not intiict injury upon either employer
or workman. The plan presented by Mr..
Norton of Chicago to the special session of
the General Assembly at Cleveland, is a
good one in nearly every particular, and if
the workingmen's organizations and the
manufacturers associations agree upon the
pdttiDg into practice such plan, it can be
done without jar or friction. No working
man need strike, nor need business be un-
settled. Why should it not be done? Either
adopt plan for the perfection of this idea,
or else place it in the hands of the incoming
General Executive Board, with instructions
to perform the duty. If we do not do either,
let us strlks the twenty first declaration from
our preamble, and no longer proclaim to the
world that we are in favor of eight hours
for days labor.
THE MACHINE AND THE MAN.
Before short-hour system that will be of
any benefit to mankind can be inaugurated,
the relation which the workman bears to the
labor-saving machine must undergo radi-
cal change. Shorten the hours Of labor un-
der our present system and the streets will
not be emptied of their idle thousands.
More machines will be erected and more
children called into service to feed them
The assertion that the advocate of short
hours desires to stop production is false. 1t
is to make production gradual, healthy, and
have it keep pace with the wants of the con-
sumner, keeping all men employed, so that
idleness will disappear and the producer re-
main consumer to his fullest capacity, THAT
we desire shortening of the hours of labor.
Visit our large and small factories and you
find that the mechanic of the past is but the
feed of the machine of the present. We al
ready hear of machines in course of perfec-
tion which will set type and mould the ci-
gars faster than human hands can do the
work; and electricity will soon throttle tile
lever from the hand of the man who runs the
locomotive. The day will soon dawn when
these agencies will be doing their work; and
when that day comes, the mechanic, now so
proud of his calling. will stand face to face
with the alternative of asking for charity or
the adoption of the calling of the street scav
enger. When that day comes, the man who
now seeks to array labor against labor in as
move in the same society circles with the
man who works for 81 day" will either
seek to crowd the 81 a day man out of his
place or accept the crumbs of charity to sus-
tain life. History will repeat itself, and the
fight for existence will be waged with unre-
lenting fury.
WHAT is THE REMEDY?
The machine must become the slave of the
man, instead of keeping the man in attend
ance on and subordinate tolthe machine. A
plan of cooperation through which the
workman may control the machine he oper-
ates must one day supersede the present sys-
tenn. To properly map out such plan re-
quires more time than [ have had or am like
ly to have at my disposal. | can only oper-
ate with others in the work.
CHILD-LABoR.
The thirteenth article our declaration of
principles reads: 1.-THE prohibition, by law,
of the employment of children under fifteen
years of age in workshops, mines and facto-
ries." The end sought for in carrying this
1trxn sr 41,n% H. al;
may live in idleness; it is not that more
adults may be employed. 1t is that the child
of the poor man may be enabled to acquire
an education to equip him for the duties
which will in future fall upon him as man
and citizen. We cannot afford to pass this
question by and legislate on some simple
question of trade discipline. The question
Of child-labor and education is the most i'm
portant that can come before us now or at
any other time. With an education, all
things are easy of accomplishment; without
it, hope itself almost dies, and liberty is a
farce.
In our organization of labor, and it has
been so from the beginning, we take up the
work of reform when the subject is ad-
vanced in years-the new member must be
above sixteen years before we admit him.
We attempt to drive from his mind the false
ideas gathered in from the workshop, or,
possibly, the street=corner. His habits are
formed, and the work that should have been
begun at seven years we take up at twenty
or later on in life. To attempt to settle so
intricate a question as the one we are grap-
pling with, or to successfully solve the ques-
tion, is a task so difficult that do not won
der that men drop out of the ranks of labor
organizations discouraged. To make the
necessary progress, we must begin with the
child and see to it that he has an education.
Ifthe principles of the Knights of Labor are
right, and few men question them, we should
teach, them to the young. 1t should be a
pait of Tne duIy of EVERY Assembly to ascer-
tain the number of ichildren who do not at
tend school in its vicinity, learn what the
causes are, and take steps to have them at
tend school.
The sword may strike the shackles from
the limbs of the slave, but git is education
and organization that make of him flee
man. He is still a slave whose limbs alone
have been freed,
Of what avail is 1t to say that we are labor
ing to establish a system of co-operaton
when that which is most essential to the
success of the cooperation is lacking. A
business training is necessary to successful
ly carry on a cooperative enterprise. If the
management of the large or small concerns
now in operation in this country were turned
to the ground, for we lack the business
training necessary to success sfully operate
them. Our vanity may prevent US from ac-
knowledging this to be true, but we cannot
deny it. 1t Is through no fault of ours that
it is true, but if it continues it will be our
fault.
ask that special committee on educa-
tion be appointed to prepare and recommend
to this general assembly plan for the better
education Of the American youth.