Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-07-26


part of the time to do the work that
10000 men could have done if en-
ployed the whole time. | might give
you many more facts of the same cha
racter, which are in themselves the ex-
planation and justification of the world.
wide movement for the reduction of the
hours OF labor, natural consequence of
which is this early closing movement.
"lou wOrklngmen, who demand a
shorter work day, cannot logically i'm.
pose longer one upon others. You
must not induce the storekeepers to
keep open by making your purchases at
a late hour. If you will but determine
not to patronize the stores that keep
open you will close them all in week,
for you constitute the great mass of the
consumers. The retailers who are so
much opposed to early closing will be
the very ones most benefited by it. They
are to-day in a sense as much slaves to
plutocrats as their employees are Many
a hard-worked retailer is scarcely better
off than the hard-worked mechanic.
Placed between the trusts that control
the wholesale price of goods and his
competitors that force down the retail
price, he can hardly make the two ends
meet and frequently goes to the wall in
spite of his industry. Yet he opposes
early closing, is proud to be merchant
and would feel insulted if called work
ingman. Such man is fool Long
hours can only benefit the plutocracy.
Applause
''l trust you will carry this early clos
ing movement to success in the city of
Yonkers. If you will only unite it is
in your power to do succeed once.
In unity is the solution of the social
problem. See what the capitalists are
doing. They combine on all sides against
you. Trusts and syndicates and manu-
facturers' associations and boards of
trade everywhere, not only to control
| production, but to influence legislation.
The Vanderbilt system of railroads
alone represents sum of $40 million
dollars Our friend Depew, who man
! ipulates it, calls himself "a worker,
captain Of workers. His work consists
in raking in and piling up the wealth
earned by the civil engineers, locomo-
tive engineers, conductors, brakemen
and other ill-paid employees of that vast
system. His work is of far less benefit
to the community than that of the poor
girl who sings the Song of the Shirt
sixteen hours per day. [Applause.
In your own town you have Mr.
Smith, carpet manufacturer, who en-
ploys about 1000 operatives. In COM
bination with the other carpet manufac.
turers of this country, he has obtained
tor the protection of American labor
tariff duty which increases the selling
price of his carpets 20 cents at least per
yard. This was granted by Congress
upon the representation that the extra
70 cents were required to pay American
wages, that is, higher wages than those
paid in Europe. But, when few years
ago his "hands" demanded slight i'm
prOvement in their condition, he locked
them out, went to Castle Garden and
hired the cheapest labor which he could
get. In my opinion, if Mr.. Smith will
not pay this extra sum of 2Ocents per yard
to mis- wage-slaves, he should be COM
PEELED by an act of Congress to pay it to
the government, that would then turn
it over to the operatives who make the
carpets. That would be true protection
to American labor; otherwise the tariff
is farce and fraud, merely intended
to enrich such men as Smith. Great
applause. His 1000 operatives who
unfortunately do not speak English,
should be organized and, with other
workers in similar factories, make upon
congress the demand | have just sug-
gested. They should also demand re-
duction of their hours of labor for they
now work 60 hours per week for nine
months and 55 in the winter season. |
trust you will find the means of organ
izing them. Unite and remain united
That Is the question of greatest import
Don't let emlsSaries in the pay of plu-
tocrats and politicians foment conten-
tiOns among you. United you can first
demand one thing, then another and
another again until you have all that in
justice belongs to you.
Il understand that your Mayor has
recently vetoed an ordinance to allow
the city laborers SO for hours. be.
lieve the same Mayor wants to be can
didate for Congress. He will need your
vo es to get there. Will he get them?
No, no! from all parts of the Square.
Well, | apprehend that he will get many
of them, even from the very laborers to
whom he refused the boon intended by
the ordinance; for in spite of our So
called Ballot Reform am afraid that
some means may yet be found to compel
workmen to vote as employers and
politicians will dictate; that is, so long
as you will not be thoroughly united
and determined to act together as indie
pendent citizens and self-respecting men
At any rate | proclaim this Mayor of
yours the shabbiest lick-spittle of plutoc.
racy in the United States, and / hope
that you will remember him at the polls.
[Great Applause. He should bs made
to do honest work for So per day, and
although at that price he could afford a
better. diet than that which he imposes
upon the men who work for $1.50, 1 be-
lieye that he would not reliub n Tb;s