St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-27
1--WE And LET LIVE. /"
The Special Council Commit
tee in Favor of Rand's
Resolution
Making Eight Hours a Days
Work for the City'S
Laborers,
And Fixing $1.75 as the
Minimum Days
Wages.
The Council Will Be Put
to the Test Tues
day.

yet IN Minneapolis.
Last night eight members of the
special council committee of thirteen, to
whom Aid. Rand's motion to establish
eight hours as a days work for the city
laborers at $1.75 day was recommitted,
met. At the conclusion four voted in
favor of the resolution aud three against
it, one not voting. TIE report of the
committee will therefore be in favor OF
the motion.
The ayes-Blickfeldt, Rollins, Nc
GOwan, Rand.
The nays arrows, Brazil, Reeves.
Not voting-Gray.
The abSenteeS were Durham, LOye,
Bradish, Grimes, Woodward.
This time the committee got an eX-
preston Oh the question that left no
doubt as to how the w0rkingmen feel
Oh the subject, as over a dozen rep
resentatiyeS OF as many labor OrganiZa-
tons were present, who gave very posi-
tive assurance that the eight-hour sys-
TEN is demanded by the mass OF the
people The committee, too, got the
benefit of some plain and sensible talk,
and the two Republican aldermen who
attempted to argue against the eight
hour system cut a decidedly small and
ridiculous figure. There was funny
little passage at arms at the outset.
Aid. McGowan called the meeting to
order and put a motion that Aid.
Gray act as secretary. That gentle
mon with a sniff said he did not
recognize any authority by which the
committee was called together. At the
last meeting Of the committee chair
man had been elected meaning HIM
self, and that chairman had not called
this meeting, hence he declined to act
with it, Aid, MCGOWAN gently replied
that, as he was the first man named on
the committee. he had presumed he was
chairman, not that he especially cared
was a duty assigned to him. Aid. Bra
zie sarcastically remarked that it was
the rule that the first man named was
the chairman then in the appointment
Of committees representing the differ
ent wards as this did. the First
ward would have the chair
manShip continuously. Aid. Rand
said that President Potter when
he appointed the committee, wound up
his remarks with the appointment of
Aid. MCGOWAN as chairman. This set
tied the point, and Aid. Reeve was
elected secretary. Aid. Rand then
moved that representatives. of the labor
organizations present be heard, where
upon 0. +. Erickson, one of committee
representing the trade and labor assem-
Div. took the floor. He said that he was
certain that of the 5000 organized work.
ingmen in Minneapolis there is not one
but would like to see the eight-hOur
system adopted, and what organized
labor wants the rank and file of the
working classes want. He met the Oh
lection that Minneapolis should not eS-
tabliSh the elght-hOur system until it is
generally adopted by saying he did not
see the necessity of Minneapolis drag
ging at the tail end of the movement in
stead of taking the lead.
Some Vigorous Expressions.
Mr.. Anderson, Of the Brotherhood of
Carpenters and JOiners, spoke briefly.
and was followed by l.. K. Campbell. a
member of the same organization, who
made very emphatic address. BE
said he had formerly been Republican,.
but when that party went back on the
workingmen he became Democrat,
and he would leave that party, too, if it
did not further the needs of the labor
ing classes. He believed in settling the
labor issues at the ballot box. He
thought eight hours work is
days labor for any man.,
and noticed that the aldermen
did not work any more than that. The
organization TO which he belonged spent
100000 last year to further the eight
hour movement, and it was estimated
that some $5,000,000 has been saved to
the carpenters alone last year by the
adoption Of the eight-hour system in
several different parts of the city.
There are three classes of people that
actually pay taxes. The man who
boards, the man who rents, and the man
who occupies what he owns. The rep
resentatives of these three classes ask
the council to adopt the eight-hour sys-
TEN.
ShortaddresSes were made by Messrs.
Cassidy, of the blacksmlth's union; J..
F. Griffin, of Assembly 1926, X. of J.. !;
Sheriff, of the painters union; A. L..
Anderson, l.. A. $3.50; MILESTONE, of L..
A. 81. H. V. Martin, representing three
organizations, made the principal adj
dress of the evening, and gave the
reasons for the desire of the working
men that the eight-hour system shall be
adopted by the city. He found the prin-
cipal objections of individual employers
is that they are thrown into competition
with each other, and will be at disad-
vantage unless the system is generally
adopted. So it is asked that the city
which has no competitor shall take the
initiative. Another thing the city is
abundantly able to shorten the day to
eight hours and pay the same wages as
now paid for ten hours. This is not in
sisted, sbut not single interest would
suffer.
ssFhe City'' Means the People
and if the great mass of the people de-
mand this reduction of the hours there
should be no objection, even If other
workingmen are attracted to the city
who Twill have to be taken care of dur
ing the winter" as one alderman haG
said. If the people" are willing tC
take care of these considers" if they
come, during the winter, why should
the aldermen object? No one can say
that a day laborer working eight hours
does not earn S1.75. Then why
deny it to him? The city
should not follow the example
of ayariciouS individual employers
and take the opportunity to squeeze the
workingmen. Live and let live should
be the policy of the city, and the day
laborers should be carefully protected
all the more because they are all un
able to protect themselves.
Aid. Rand, to get the question before
the committee, moved the adoption OF
his original motion, that eight hours
constitute a days work for city EN-
ployes, and that $1.75 be the minimum
daily wages. Aid. Rollins seconded the
motion.
Aid. Barrows undertook to reply tC
Mr.. Martins argument, but did 1t in 6
Qubbling way. He assumed that Mr.
Martin had claimed that all individual