The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1890-08-07

era Immediately wrote to M Goschen
and John Burns. He asked the former
II he hsd been correctly quoted, and the
latter II the statement was trte: Their
replies have just been received MI.
Goschen denies having used any such
expression. saEs .
John Burns made more extended re-
ply, As follows:
No. l06 LAVENDER HILL BATTERsEA, Lc,N-
DON. juno 90 16o0.-Dear Sir: The Chancellor
OF the ExcheQuer did not say that tho increase
In wages and reduction of hours of labor of the
COCK laDorers OF London had merely tended to
increase their drunkenness and largely contrib
uted to an increase In the Treasury from the
liquor trafnc. His statement that tho increase
OF 100000 WAS due to the fact that the people
had been toasting the prosperity Of trade in the
country He had no reference to any class, but
did say that there had been agreat increase
in the duty from rum. =
I attended : meeting last night Of 5000 dock
lab0rers, and asked those who ought to know
what was tho effect Of higher wages and better
conditions, and the universal opinion was that
the workers OF London who have received bet
ter wages arc more sober than ever they were.
As IN abstainer myself, I am delighted at the
conduct Of the lockers, and more than pleased
ct the dfminution, not only Of drinking, but OF
SSSS~@s6 eAAAVA1N
to the fact that their leaders, Messrs. Mann,
1illett and others, are Temperance men. 9
The greatest enemies have In London are
the betting men aud publicans. Their enmity
Is testimony to this fact, that as We ask for
reduction OF hours for more leisure and educa-
ton We urge the men to spend their higher
wages In home comforts. In twenty years the
amount spent on liquor per head Of population
has decreased 90 per cent, while the aggregate
has increased through growth of population.
In England, as elsewhere, the short hours
movement has always tended to sobriety and
increased the intelligence Of tho workers In
my own trade, twelve or fourteen years ago.
secretaries OF unions we're bribed to transfer
the meeting place from the "Pig and whistler
to the Brown Bear" SO that the publican
might have the profit from drink consumed.
So great has been the change that the propri-
tor of the Brown Bear" will almost give you
E20 to take tho meeting away, as the drink
consumed does not pay him to have tho meet
ing there. -. -. .-..-
At boat races, bean feasts, holiday gather
ings, ETC., the change in the drinking habits IL
most marked Side by side with the demand
for shorter hours is also the demand for free
libraries, parks and open spaces gymnasia
cricket and football grounds. Leisure to-day
does not mean drinking, but the opportunities
for thought, education and true thrift which is
impossible to men whose long hours make them
animals and content with a brutal existence
The rich man who drinks does so because
he has nothing better to do. This means that
the poor man who provides him with the
means for drinking has to work longer hours
than he should and, as consequence often
heals the monotony OF his toll by bouts Of
drinking, the cause of which the eight hour
advocates are going to remove by equalizine
| the labor Of both. Thus the lazy man will
have something to take an interest in, while
! the previously overworked slave will have
leisure, without which manhood and its best
characteristics are impossible. Yours truly
John