St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-09
EDWARD EVERETT HALE
Favored the ShOrt.Work Day as
Early as 1873.


Edward Everett Hale wrote as follows
in 1879:
A favorable opportunity seems to pre-
sent itself at the present moment for real
trial of what is called the ''eight-hour svs-
tenn" This system is constantly pressed
by theorists at workingmen's conventions.
In fact, no practical workingman believes
that he can produce as much work in eight
hours as he can in ten or eleven; and,
therefore. no practical workman believes
that he will be paid as much for the work
of eight hours as for that of ten. But
there are many workingmen, both practical
and sensible, who would like to see the eX-
pertinent tried in factories of an eight-hour
system daily. Such men would say that
the amount Of wages paid is not the most
Important matter. They would say they
would rather work themselves for eight
hours only, even if they only receive eight
tenths of ten-hour rate of pay. And they
would say that eight hours is as much as
any woman ought to work in a day in a
factory, or any child under the age of 16.
The great majority of intelligent working
men would probably not say this. In any
event. they would say that they Gid not
choose to have their hours of work inter-
fered with by any legislation, whether of
general court or of trades union, but still
less, would they say, did they choose to
have their arrangements for their wives
and children interfered with by such tri-
bunals. There is, however, in New En-
gland so large a number of factory opera
tives, 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 per-
SONS 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 Workmen whom
they employ, need the arrival of spinners
from the outside in Fall River, to take the
place of those there who have chosen to
take their summer vacation. Let the Fall
River manufacturers try the experiment,
which has often been seriously proposed,
of running their mills
SIXTEEN HOURS A 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 demanding. We greatly mistake the
temper of those men, ii a sufficient number
of them do not accept the proposal. On
ers will increase the daily product of their
mills by the product of five or six hours a
day. We have very little doubt that if
such proposal is made, at any reasonable
rate of spinners' wages. sufficient force
can be found to give it fair trial The
truth is, that many father of a
family would be glad to remove with his
family to a factory town where his wife
and children might work eight hours
without being compelled to work ten.
Justly or uniustly the Fall River manufac-
turers have the reputation through New
England of being hard on their working
men and Indifferent to their best interests
They have an opportunity now to show that
this reputation is not well founded They
nave an opportunity to offer exactly what
the workingmen of this country have most
often demanded. They can accompany the
concession with such a tariff of wages as
they think fair. But the concession itself.
II made in good faith, would probably bring
them as many spinners as they need. AS
Sir Robert Bell became an advocate of free
trade and Mr.. Disraeli of household stuff
rage, and neither one regretted such a