Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-20
LABOR'S FIGHT.
Continued from, First Page.

hour system may be inaugurated. united labor
| might strike everywhere at the same time, or
we can try to have laws passed which may do
| something. Unfortunately, so far as laws are
| concerned we have several of them now upon
the statute books making eight hours days
labor and they count for nothing. In my own
trade. 1 foresee that any general demand for a
| reduction in the hours of labor willsresult in
doing away almost wholly with anything but
piece work. that is to say work people will be
paid for what they do without regard to the
time they take to do it in, and man may work
one hour or 20 hours a day as he thinks fit.
This tendency is not to be entirely welcomed.
SOME OBJECTIONABLE FEATURES.
In the first place. piece work is usually done
in tenements, where the air is Dad, the accom-
modations vile. and where three or four slaves
are under the lash of master, who is amen
able to no one. In large shops the authorities
have some control over the sanitary arrange
ments, and if we can induce the owners of
hours in their shops, it will be great gain.
The cigar trade in this city has been vastly
benefited by the partial abolishment of the
tenement house work. and 80 it would be in the
clothing trade.
The proprietor of big clothing shop would,
of course, say that he cannot afford to pay rent
and supply tools when his work people are there
but eight hours day. In our clothing shops
there is no reason why the dav should not be 16
hours long, divided into two parts, one gang for
each.
employ workmen myself. but 1 am not 60
ing to allow any man or woman to Work for me
more than eight hours a day after the lst of
May, unless under unusual conditions. be-
lieve in the proposed plan to inaugurate
strike first in one trade and then in another,
the whole body of organized labor supporting
and backing the one trade until the strike is
gained. A general strike would be to cut off
the sources of supply.
GoMPERS IS ENCOURAGED.
Samuel Gompers said that he thought the
prospects encouraging, and it is to him that
the plan of campaign is largely due. The
policy of the Federation will be to settle
upon some trade and city where the demand
shall be made. The masons, of Boston, for
instance, will be told to strike for eight
hours, and at the same time the shoemakers
OF Chicago, the tailors OF New York and
weavers of Philadelphia, if their demands
are not granted they are to strike and to be
supported in their fight by the entire Fed
Grafton. which is now said to number nearly
1,000 900 workers. Mr.. Gompers said:
have reason to believe that the eight-hour
day will not meet the opposition feared. 1t
was remarkable fact that SO influential and
conservative a body as the Association of
Builders. which recently met in st. Paul, was
not upfavorable to it. The public has, think,
been convinced that in this proposed movement
we do not mean the destruction or derange-
ment of business, but the prosperity of the
wage-earning class. and consequently that of
the employing classes. 1 believe that there
will be strikes in different parts OF the country
after the lst of May, because there are many
employers who hold that the effect Of a reduc-
tion in the hours of labor will be ruinous; they
look upon it as surrender of their business to
the working people.
TIME WILL BE NECESSARY.
OF course it will take some time to adjust the
problems fronting the different occupations,
the waiter, the carpenter, the cab driver, and
the machinist, but the eight-hour day can be
made to apply to all. We think that the work
man has not had his share of the vast benefits
conferred upon mankind by steam, and all the
labor saving inventions. He does not ask for
luxurles, and we deny that his wants increase
faster than his means to supply them. He asks
not for marble halls or gold plate but for
and a little time for rest recreation and self
I'm 1885, Commissioner Wright reported the
number of the unemployed at ,O00, 600. and the
number has increased since then. We shall
make room for good workmen who are now
walking the streets. AS to legislation, laws
they are not enforced. Cooperation, which
has done so much in England, seems to come
to nothing here. although the experiments in
the way of cooperative workshops are very in
am convinced that if the workmen
are in earnest. they can succeed in less than
two years in making eight hours the regular
days work all over the country. But it will in
volve certain amount of sacrifice upon their
part. We are endeavoring by all the means in
our power, by addresses at all the labor meet
ngs, by pamphlets and circulars to convince
them that the movements for their good. We
have two potent weapons-the strike and the
boycott and as the time is fast coming when
every workman and workwoman will belong to
q labor association, as matter of course the
power of these weapons will be tremendous.
SCOPE OF THE MOVEMENT.
The scope of the movement which is now
10 agitate New York and all great towns in
his country within few weeks, may be
seen from the following resolution, adopted
1t the great mass meeting of the American
Federation of Labor in the Cooper Union:
WHEREAS, The application of scientific
.enius to the invention of machinery has most |
increased the productive capacity |
,t the human race, making it possible to supply |
Ill the wants of man, and banlsh every cause of |
poverty; and, \
Whereas, In consequence of defective distri- |
,ution the application of machinery and minute |
of industry are continually throw |
ng larger numbers of the working classes out |
If employment. visbly swelling the ranks of |
The unemployedIyear by year;
Resolved, That in the light of the foregoing |
Ind undeniable facts, it becomes our solemn |
luty to use all means consistent with human |
lignity to reduce the hours of labor to such |
point as will afford to all an opportunity to
abor, to earn their daily bread; and be it
Resolved, That we, the people of New York,
10 heartily indorse the fixing of the date for
he final Inauguration OF the eight-hour day.
Resolved, That we pledge ourselves, individ-
tally and collectively, to aid to the full extent
If our ability regardless of all minor consider