The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-03-03
6eIT NOUN nOvEmEM.
49, Nesting to be Held Throaeh-
ous the Country

New Yoxk Trbsne. issh Feb

New Yo<k Trsbane, 18Th Feb
The American Federation es Labor
announces for Washington = HiFtAsay
IL f;r=t Of & series 81 szsass-fsseessngs
= b. held throughout the country, 70
cuiminate May /. 1870. ID . general
Aemand for an eight-hoar working
dav. The Federation has set apart
tbe day named. sbe Fourth d July,
LABOR IDay and Washington Birth
dsy merit year. for the holding q meet
mr. Il which fasEs question ssssII be
trouets 10 the sstenfIoa 81 the ceasEl-
trv. The movement Il interesting fos
various reasons, and asay bare IN
u0rfsnt restaits- II fsa@ nessa anfisr-
taken .fter long disrGasi0n ~ me
Federation. Naaicsa II nfGw W Lar sse
larrest. most powerful atsa 81 fse
aafI.e time most conservative VI tag
great labor organizations 81 the conn
IN. Ifa present neTzibafsniF = essi-
mattel 81 151.000 or more. ~ = Oh
resfed With sagaeity and moderation
nr,t often acen in such ASSOCIATIONS
me natural boundaries Of the trades
ksvs besf respected, no large sAi&riss
q. raid TO officers, and all expenses
-. keut at minimum. Such move
n,enf in the isEnds Of this organization
q much more important than lie stint
II atsempt irs 16a6. when IL vas a com
nnr1tiveiy feeble society. and when II
frrl encountered the direct opposi-
tion 81 Mr.. Powdcriy. the aatocraiie
5aoder Of the then more powerful
Knights Of Labor.
10 a worthy of note, also, that the
organizers OF the movement carefully
ay0Ided every appearance OF sensation
n menace. No sudden strike IL pro-
posed 10 pasalyze the industries OF the
c0uutry. On the contrary, at the time
fhe date was fixed by the ST. Louis
convention II was nearly 9 year aud
! half distant During this period
hey hope by discussion and agitation
% convince the country of the justice
az their claim, and If possible. 10 bring
about the change by deliberate and
voluntary agreement between EN-
ua0yers and workingaen. This meth
"a og approaching the subject II com
mendabie from every point of view.
The violent assertion Of such policy
WOnid inevitably arouse opposition
ard create dangerous excitement.
The present method viii do good not
Only by causing general DISCUSSION
q Inc entire labor question, which
nhouId be especially useful to work
ln9men, but by making it less likely
that the movement will be seized upon.
= Il was three years ego. BIZ Anarch-
its and revolufionists.
Il is probable. however. that the
chief good 70 result viii be the bet
teF understanding between employers
aad w0rkingmen, that cannot fail to
result from 3 temperate discussion of
such question. A reduction OF the
number Of hours from 10 10 eight
would not work the benefit for labor
ing men hoped for, and there II every
reason 10 believe that the present con-
ditions OF trade do not permit OF so
laree reduction 1t Is % gears within
= few months since General Banks in
tfOduced in congress q bill for an eight
hour day. which became Law the
same year. Yet the Law sank by its
Wn weight. and none OF the frequent
forts for an elghthonr day since
aAdc has been largely successful.
she eight-hnnr rule will doubtless
some eventually. though IL must be
rs1Aemb eted that the process OF shrink
age in the lengtn OF the working day.
which has gone very far in the last SO
yexrs. must end somewhere. The
argument in which the movement
seems to find its chief support IL that
\ The length Of the working day In
<ut down onc-iiflh, the Number of
those that can be employed will be In
creased one.fifth. Probably not many
81 those who are influenced BY such
assertions stop to reflect that the re-
duction I'm the amount of labor a
woFkingman would do would be In
6yitabiy followed, al least for n con-
siderable pesiod, by the reduction in
tI10 amount OF money he would re-
c0ive. Not even the authority OF the
national government over is own EN-.
operation Of this natural law.
There are ihoae. and they are not
I'll capitalists. who contend that an
&ighthonr system cannot be estah
lished In the present condition of
tsade. and especially OF labor organiza-
lions In this country. Such was the
Wow taken some months ago By the
master workman of the Paper.
Hangers' assembly Of Chicago. who
sidicuied an eight-honr bin passed by
one house OF Abe Illinois legislature,
and showed that the Cigayiaakers. so
far from being benefited by the adop-
ti0n Of that rule. found that more
cigarmakcrs were unt OF employment
than before. II is unauestienahly
true that The successive reductions in
Tho length cf tie working day have
been won after long periods of agita.
ton, and that In taue the balance al
wages and work has seemed 10 re-
assert itself. Tut this affords no good
ground for demands that are in their
nature extrayagant, or which calm
consideration OF the situation shows
10 be IN timed