The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-05-08

and voice to their complaints. and
hen,f 1t even threat of violence to
dispt ly to stand guard in organized
socif the triumphs of their ideas
herr What chiefly concerns us all as
AM itizens is that your ideas be
rig aat you pursue right methods
to Z Lord Bacon said, that which
VIZ flous yesterday becomes custom
TOD md SO it is, that your demand for
a re- sstment of human affairs, which will
scHe TO labor more time tor rest and
receation will be gratlfied in the end. My
mrs speech ever made was when a mere
lad and on the dignity of labor. After
Unity five years, Returned to the university
lwhere 1t was delivered, and spoke on the
rights of labor. These rights are real no less
1 than are the rights of capital. | believe III
was Bulwer the novelist, who said that it
was the pursuit of wealth by honest meth
DDS and not its possession, which gave dig
nifty to man. l would accord the same
| equality OF right under law to capital that
would to labor, but if called to discrim-
! mate between the natural man made by
| God and the artificial creation known as a
corporation, which, with its mechanical in
ventions displaces labor, l would stand
by the creature made by God in his own
| image Now while would rejoice to see
| greater leisure for mental improvement for
! those who labor in mechanical industries
| / am not among those who expect it to come
| so speedily as Mr.. SchutZe predicts. Labor
| is being lifted from the earth by universal
| education in the fullness Of time it will be
prepared for that intelligent action which
| will dictate law. twill create public senti-
ment which makes law, and without which
law is powerless. If labor should ever at.
tempt in America to accomplish its desires
by violence it will seal its own doom and
set back the clock of civilization century.
Despotism would establish itselffrom an
archy, and standing armies paid by capital
would secure social order at the expense
not only of progress, but of freedom. Nor
does it seem to me that any substantial
benefit can come from strikes, a matter
which have no time to discuss.
L believe in eight hours for labor eighl
hours tor rest and eight hours forrecreation
and | believe that mankind would be
happier, and a higher civilization would be
attained if we could all make this division
of our time. But there are practical diff
culties as yet in the way of an eight hour
movement here with us. Let us consider
this matter in the light of business trans
actions Just as they occur Here is my
friend, Mayor Mcdonald. He is carpen-
ter and contractor. A capitalist wants a
house built and desires him to estimate the
cost. You, as workmen, desire to give him
eight hours of labor, but naturally desire
the old wages paid for ten hours. McDon-
aid to save himself most charge one-tifth
more for the buildings under the new
dispensation. Now, unless the en-
ployer can rent the house for a sum
which will pay interest on the increased cost
it will not be built. A time would come
when the demand for the house would JUS
tify the increased rent and then it would be
b tilt, but can labor just now afford to try
the experiment.
Again we have another organized class
of men known as farmers, who also must
employ laborers, and am not prepared 10
say that the rational farmer after the copi-
Gus rains of the last two weeks would con-
tent himself with eight hours work for
days labor when his corn is being strangled
by weeds. These difficulties | present as
obstacles to the speedy and universal adop-
ton of the eight hour rule. Labor finds its
domain invaded by machinery and fears
that it will be relegated to idleness 1t is
preparing for peaceful struggle with tre-
mendous and invisible powers working be-
hind corporate masks, and: trusts which
defy and set at naHght the old law. OF
supply and demand and with its aspira
tions all men should sympathize. How its
emancipation will be achieved no man can
now declare, but this we know, that
man is being lifted from the earth by edu-
cation as he never has been before, and
that when the masses of American
white men are once properly educated
ana OrSdnlZeu tHey Will dpDreCidte as Iuey
never have before the blessings of uni
versal peace and social order, and will
make laws and enforce them by peaceful
methods which will secure to them every
Just and natural right. No red shirted an
archist will lead them in day which will
speedily come. In that day no just prop
erty right will be destroyed, but, CONSTITUTE
ing the government, they will possess the
intelligence to administer it, not as it now
is, at the dictation of corporate power, but
in the interest of the natural man.
If l cannot confirm you in the faith
that the eight hour rule will be speedily
ard universally adopted, can sympa-
thize with you in your aspirations and
cheer you in your determination to re-
main organized, not for aggression or the
destruction of property rights, but because
speculative combinations and trusts make
the organization of labor measure of self
defense.
MR.. CLARKsoN's SPEECH.
After explaining the objects of the
demonstration here in common with
like movements all over the country
and Europe, Mr.. Clarkson said he was
grateful at the interest manifested by
the large assemblage present. He had
been for twenty years an advocate of
the eight hour movement and might
be called veteran in the cause. He
gave his reasons why eight hours
should be the standard for a days work
for wages. Time was when he could
count the names of the millionaires OF
America on his fingers. A recent list
of those now living recently given in
The STATESMAN was startling. He
attributed this largely to the effects
of machinery-to some extent
to buying up the patents of
poor laboring men. Workingmen
should have the benefit of fewer hours
of labor to compensate for this, with
increased compensation to make up
for the loss. Workmen fairly COM
pensated were the bulwark of the
country and with such men so circum-
stanced anarchy would not exist. In
Australia it had leen demonstrated
that the work OF the country could be
accomplished with eight hours for a
days labor. 1t had been tried there
for years and it was one of the most |
prosperous countries on the face OF
the globe. Il