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


wprkingmen's conventions. In fact, no practical
wcrkingman believes that he can produce as
much in eight hours as in ten or eleven and
therefore, practical workingman believes that
he will be paid much for the work OF eight
hours as for that of ten. But there are many
workingmen, both practical and sensible, who
wonld be glad to see the experiment tried, in
factories o. an eight-hour system daily. Such
men would say that the amount of wages paid
- not the most important matter. They would
say they would rather work themselves for
eight hours only. even if they only receive eight
ssnths OF a sen-hour rate Of pay And they
would say that eight hours is as much as any
woman ought to work in day IN factory-or
any child under the age of sixteen.
The great majority of intelligent workingmen
would probably not say this. In any event, they
wossld say that they did not choose to have their
honss of work inserfered with by any legislation,
whether of general court or a trades union, but
sail less would they say, did they choose to have
their arrangements for their wives and children
ipkerfered with by such tribunals
There is. however. in New England. SO large a
number of factory operatives, who, In good faith,
would like to Try the eight-hour experiment that,
IN the present condition OF things at Fall River,
the managers Of the mills there might do well to
try it, Thus, they are not the persons who
might have been selected for such an experiment.
But just now they are In want OF spinners; and
NOT only they. but the weavers and other work
usn whom they employ, need the arrival OF
she place of those there who have chosen to take
their summer vacation. Let the Fall River man.
ufActurers try the experiment which has often
been seriously proposed, of running their mills
sixteen honfs day, with two sets of hands daily.
They will thus be the first manufacturers In the
world to make the concessions OF the day which
all the day-laborers and their conventions are
awarding We greatly mistake the temper OF
Of those men, If sufficient number of them do
not accept the proposal On the other hand, the
Hall nyfa ctu will
product of their mills by the product OF i've or
Btx hours day. We greatly mistake them If
they have rot the wit and skill to make proht
oas OF such increased use of their machinery
We have very little doubt that II such propo-
sal is made, at any reasonable rate of SINNERS
wsges. a sufficient force can be found to give 1t
- fair trial The truth is, that many father OF
a family would be glad TO remove with his fami-
insight work eight hours without being compelled
% work ten.
Justly or unjustly, the Fall River manufacture
ers have the reputation through Nav England
OF being hard on their workingmen' and indlffer-
1ns TO their best interests. They have an oppor-
4untv now to show that this reputation Is not
well founded. They have an opportunity to
offer exactly what the workingmen of this coun-
try have most often demanded They can &C
company the concession with such a tariff OF
wages as they think fair. But the concession
jEsef, If made in good faith, would probably
bring them as many spinners as they need.
As Sir Robert Bell became an advocate of free
trade ard Mr. Disraeli of household suffrage,
and neither one regretted such o change of base,
khe Fall River manufacturers may live to bless
khs day when they introduced, before their
rivals, the eight-hour system.
Kiae Decrease OF Production and of Wages.
BY Rev. X. Heber Newton.
shall speak as one Of large company thor
pughy in sympathy with the general aims of la
bor reform. inclined to the workingman's side Of
This particular, convinced of the physical
md mental benefits to be expected from it, out
not satisfied as to the economic practicabiry or
sxpediency of this measure at tie present time.
1 recognize that this eight-hour movement is by
no means, as ordinarily supposed, q brand new
movement. Through a generation past there
hAs been going on in England steady agitation
In the direction of diminishing the hours of
Eork The famous ten-hour law recorded the
high water mark of the first great stage Of the
movement in England. This was followed by
The endeavor to reduce the time of labor still
Further to nine hours. In our own land for
generation past there has been a steady move
towards diminishing the hours OF labor in fac
sorfss. Massachusetts led off in accomplishing
the reduction to ten hours We have forgotten,
in the rapidity of life in New York, the strike Of
1S72, in which ninety thousand men were en-
gagged, seeking the reouction OF a Gay 8 laDor TO
blight hours. The labor organizations of the
country have been increasingly drawn
10 this direction. Legislation is an inev-
liable indication Of the growth of
public sentiment. and legislation records
m agitation upon this question which so long
Rgo as 1868 had been powerful enough to procure
The passage of the United States act covering
the national navy-yards and arsenals and the
government workshops. The present agitation
Is simply the increasing force which this slowly
hao ar lost Tha al
heads and strong brains of our higher ranks of
labor probably know what they are about in this
iongcontinued agitation. For one I am inclined
10 trust this instinct very far.
Abstractly, there can of course be no differ
enee of opinion as to the desirabiity of shorten
ing up the hours of labor, especially in our facto-
Ries 1t goes without saying that this would be
sn inestimable boon, il it can be rightly won
and rightly used. The reasons urged for it
Seem solid. Most men in this country, in all
pursuits, work too long and too hard The con-
nitions Of labor in hosts OF our factories and
mills lend increasing urgency to the need of
shortening the hours of toll Any one who has
watched the faces and forms of the operatives
pouring out from some of our huge factories
needs no further argument as to the desirabiity
of hopping off an hour or two from such toll.
Such reduction of hours, it is claimed would
open work for the unemployed. Manufacturers
could &c trusted to desire not to diminish the
present productivity of their costly plants. Self
interest would be a sufficient spur not to let
shese plants lie in ideness. To keep them profit
ably at work, the hosts in the market places now
standing idle world be called in This proba-
bly, true to a certain extent. Some of US would
like further light to the reach of this certain
extent" This employment of now idle labor
would, If realized, certainly start an immense
increase Of demand through every line which
would spur industry and trade still further.
The overproduction of which so many foolish
folk complain is the most mythical of all myths.
Tens of thousands throughout our land go with
half loaf when hungry enough for a whole
loaf, and with tattered clothes when longing for
good. sound, decent garments. Put into the
hand Of every idle man in the land weeks
work and It's wages, and every little store
thr0ugh the country would feel the impetus, and
the biggest sort Of boom would start through
the land.
Two hours taken from factory toll would un-
doubtedly give our workingmen the needful op-
portunity of self-improvement. A man must
needs be desperately hungry for culture who,